יָשֵׁן (ya.shen)
ya.shen
to sleep
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb yashen simply means to sleep or to be asleep. It appears fourteen times in the Old Testament, with notable usage in Leviticus, Judges, and Jeremiah. In its most common form (Qal), it describes the physical act of resting or falling into slumber, serving as a straightforward term for this universal human experience.
However, the word carries interesting nuances in other grammatical forms. In the Niphal stem, it can mean to remain stored up for a long time or to become festering, particularly when describing skin conditions like leprosy. This shift from physical rest to decay suggests a metaphorical link between deep sleep and stagnation. The Piel form adds another layer, meaning to cause someone to sleep or even to entice them into slumber, implying an external influence on the sleeper’s state.
Translators typically render yashen as "sleep" or "slept," capturing its direct meaning without adding theological weight. Its presence in diverse contexts—from ritual laws in Leviticus to prophetic warnings in Jeremiah—shows how the Bible uses this basic term to illustrate both natural rest and spiritual danger.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word yashen describes the simple, physical act of sleeping. In most verses, it refers to natural rest, a necessary pause in human life. Genesis 2:21 shows God causing Adam to sleep before forming Eve, highlighting that even divine actions work through ordinary rhythms. This reminds us that rest is not a failure of faith but part of the created order.
Yet the Bible also uses this word to describe spiritual danger. In Jeremiah 51, Babylon’s leaders are made to fall into a "perpetual sleep," a metaphor for judgment and inability to respond to God. Similarly, Psalm 121:4 contrasts human sleep with God’s constant watchfulness. He never slumbers, offering us security even when we cannot stay awake or vigilant ourselves.
Understanding yashen helps us see rest as a gift and spiritual alertness as a responsibility. We are invited to trust in the One who never sleeps, allowing our own nights of rest to become times of peace rather than fear.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ they will sleep2×
- and/ she made sleep/ him2×
- and/ he slept2×
- they will sleep1×
- he will sleep1×
- grown old1×
- growing old1×
- anyone will sleep1×
- and/ you will grow old1×
- and/ he fell asleep1×
- I slept1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יִישָׁ֑ן2×
- וְ/יָשְׁנ֥וּ2×
- נוֹשָׁ֑ן1×
- נוֹשֶׁ֤נֶת1×
- יָ֝שַׁ֗נְתִּי1×
- יִֽ֭שְׁנוּ1×
- וַ/תְּיַשְּׁנֵ֙/הוּ֙1×
- וַ/תְּיַשְּׁנֵ/הוּ1×
- וַ/יִּישָׁ֕ן1×
- וַ/יִּישָׁ֑ן1×
- וַ/יִּישַׁ֔ן1×
- וְ/נוֹשַׁנְתֶּ֖ם1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 2:21
Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
This verse uses the Piel stem ("caused to sleep") to show God actively intervening in human biology, framing rest as a divine provision rather than mere biological necessity.
-
Psalms 121:4
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Here the word is used negatively for God to emphasize His perpetual vigilance, assuring the reader that their safety does not depend on their own ability to stay awake.
-
Jeremiah 51:39
When they are inflamed, I will make their feast, and I will make them drunk, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake up,” says Yahweh.
The phrase "perpetual sleep" serves as a metaphor for irreversible judgment, contrasting physical rest with the finality of divine wrath against Babylon.