Lexical Summary
nahal: To lead, guide, refresh, bring to a place of rest
Original Word: נָהַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: nahal
Pronunciation: nah-HAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-hal')
KJV: carry, feed, guide, lead (gently, on)
NASB: guide, guided, fed, lead, leads, led, proceed
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. (properly) to run with a sparkle, i.e. flow
2. hence (transitively), to conduct, and (by inference) to protect, sustain
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
carry, feed, guide, lead gently, on
A primitive root; properly, to run with a sparkle, i.e. Flow; hence (transitively), to conduct, and (by inference) to protect, sustain -- carry, feed, guide, lead (gently, on).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto lead or guide to a watering place, bring to a place of rest, refresh
NASB Translationfed (1), guide (3), guided (2), lead (1), leads (1), led (1), proceed (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (compare Arabic
👁 Image watering-place,
👁 Image take a first drink; likewise (Dozy)
👁 Image station, stage of the road; perhaps also Assyrian
Nâlu,
lie down Dl
HWB 438; Dl
HA 5f.; Prol. 17 ff. tries to explain all the passages from this Assyrian
nâlu; against him see Prä
LOPh i. 195 Che
Acad., April 12,1884 DHM
ZKF i. 357 f. Nö
ZMG xi. 1886, 728;
two √ √ proposed by RDWilson
Presb. Rev. (N.Y.), April, 1885 (careful article), compare T. Che
Psalm 23:2. critical note.); —
Perfect2masculine singular Exodus 15:13; Imperfect3masculine singular Isaiah 40:11; suffix Psalm 23:2, Isaiah 49:10; Genesis 47:17; 2Chronicles 32:22; 2 masculine singular suffix Psalm 31:4; 3masculine plural suffix 2Chronicles 28:15; Participle Isaiah 51:18; —
lead to watering-place (or station), and cause to rest there, subject as shepherd, Isaiah 49:10 ( location; "" ), Psalm 23:2 (with location; "" ), Isaiah 40:11 ("" , ).
lead or bring to a station, a goal, subject Exodus 15:13 (song; no object expressed, location; "" ); human subject 2 Chronicles 28:15 and they conducted all the feeble of them by means of () asses ("" ).
lead, guide: figurative, Isaiah 51:18 there is no one to be a guide for her, i.e. for Jerusalem, drunk with cup of s fury ("" ); subject Psalm 31:4 lead me ("" ). 4. give rest to (?) 2Chronicles 32:22 and he gave them rest on every hand, compare (= 1 Chronicles 2,18 +, probably so read here, see Be DHM Öttli).
refresh with food, Genesis 47:17 (J).
Imperfect probably journey by stations, stages, only 1 singular Genesis 33:14 (J), I will proceed, journey on, by stages (i.e. deliberately with family and cattle).
see II. . below
Topical Lexicon
Overview The Hebrew verb נָהַל (nahal, Strong’s 5095) describes gentle but purposeful leading: a shepherd taking sheep to water, a king escorting captives to safety, or God Himself guiding His covenant people to rest. Across its ten occurrences the word consistently conveys nurture, protection, and forward movement toward life-sustaining provision.
Occurrences in the Old Testament
• Genesis 33:14 – Jacob promises Esau that he will “lead on slowly” so the young and the flocks are not over-driven; the verb highlights considerate leadership.
• Genesis 47:17 – Joseph “provided them with food” during famine; here nahal depicts practical sustenance.
• Exodus 15:13 – Following the Red Sea, Moses sings, “You have led in Your steadfast love the people You have redeemed.” God guides redeemed Israel toward a promised dwelling.
• 2 Chronicles 28:15 – Ephraimite men escort Judean captives home, “guiding them on donkeys”; covenant mercy replaces fratricidal wrath.
• 2 Chronicles 32:22 – The Lord “led” His people after delivering them from Assyria, affirming that rescue is followed by ongoing guidance.
• Psalm 23:2 – “He leads me beside quiet waters.” The Shepherd’s leadership culminates in refreshment.
• Psalm 31:3 – David prays, “For Your name’s sake lead me and guide me,” linking guidance with God’s reputation.
• Isaiah 40:11 – “He will gently lead the nursing ewes,” underscoring God’s tenderness toward the vulnerable.
• Isaiah 49:10 – The Servant’s people are promised that God “will guide them and lead them beside springs of water,” pointing to Messianic restoration.
• Isaiah 51:18 – No one is left to “guide” Jerusalem; the absence of nahal exposes the depth of exile’s desolation.
Shepherding and Pastoral Care
Psalm 23 and Isaiah 40 anchor nahal in the shepherd motif. The verb portrays the deliberate rhythm of a shepherd who knows both terrain and flock. Leading “beside quiet waters” implies not mere direction but the securing of conditions where sheep can safely drink—an image richly applied to pastoral ministry. Under-shepherds imitate the Chief Shepherd by guiding congregations toward spiritual nourishment without harshness.
Divine Guidance in Deliverance and Wilderness Pilgrimage
In Exodus 15:13, nahal stands between redemption and arrival: God who ransoms also escorts. The Exodus pattern becomes the template for every subsequent deliverance—whether Hezekiah’s crisis in 2 Chronicles 32 or the Servant’s future salvation in Isaiah 49. Guidance is therefore covenantal: the redeemed are never abandoned to chart their own course.
Royal and Military Protection
Genesis 33 and 2 Chronicles 28 combine leadership with logistics. Jacob regulates the pace for fragile members of his household; Ephraim’s soldiers reverse from takers of captives to caretakers who “clothe, feed, anoint, and lead” their former enemies home. Righteous rule is measured not by conquest but by the welfare of the weakest.
Eschatological Comfort and Restoration
Isaiah 49:10 projects nahal into the prophetic vision of a new exodus where exiles, once parched, are escorted to springs. Revelation echoes this hope when “the Lamb… will guide them to springs of living water” (Revelation 7:17), suggesting that the Shepherd-Lamb fulfills every Old Testament nuance of nahal.
Christological Fulfillment
Jesus’ self-identification as the Good Shepherd (John 10) embodies nahal in flesh. He leads disciples to spiritual refreshment (John 4; John 6) and ultimately to the “Father’s house” (John 14:2-3). His gentle invitation, “Come to Me…and you will find rest” (Matthew 11:28-29), mirrors the pastoral cadence of Psalm 23.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Leadership marked by pace: shepherds adjust to the weakest (Genesis 33:14).
2. Provision accompanies guidance: spiritual leaders must feed as well as direct (Genesis 47:17; John 21:15-17).
3. Post-deliverance discipleship: having experienced salvation, believers need continued escort toward maturity (Exodus 15:13; Colossians 2:6-7).
4. Gentleness with the vulnerable: ministries to children, the sick, and the traumatized model Isaiah 40:11.
5. Hope amid absence: where no one “guides” (Isaiah 51:18), the Church is called to step in as agents of restoration.
Key References
Exodus 15:13 – “You have led in Your steadfast love the people You have redeemed; You have guided them by Your strength to Your holy dwelling.”
Psalm 23:2 – “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.”
Isaiah 40:11 – “He will feed His flock like a shepherd… He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”
Isaiah 49:10 – “For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.”
Forms and Transliterations
אֶֽתְנָהֲלָ֣ה אתנהלה וַֽיְנַהֲלֵ֖ם וַיְנַהֲל֤וּם וַיְנַהֲלֵ֤ם וּֽתְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃ וינהלום וינהלם ותנהלני׃ יְנַהֲלֵֽם׃ יְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃ יְנַהֵֽל׃ ינהל׃ ינהלם׃ ינהלני׃ מְנַהֵ֣ל מנהל נֵהַ֥לְתָּ נהלת ’eṯ·nā·hă·lāh ’eṯnāhălāh etnahaLah mə·na·hêl menaHel mənahêl nê·hal·tā neHalta nêhaltā ū·ṯə·na·hă·lê·nî UtenahaLeni ūṯənahălênî vaynahaLem vaynahaLum way·na·hă·lêm way·na·hă·lūm waynahălêm waynahălūm yə·na·hă·lê·nî yə·na·hă·lêm yə·na·hêl yenahaLem yənahălêm yenahaLeni yənahălênî yenaHel yənahêl
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