נוּד (nud)
nud
to wander
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 21 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb nud describes a physical motion of shaking, wavering, or moving to and fro. Its primary sense is one of instability, whether describing a reed trembling in the wind or a person wandering aimlessly as a fugitive. This image of being unsettled appears when God declares that Israel will be shaken from their land like a branch tossed by the storm (1 Kings 14:15), and it captures the rootless existence of Cain, who is marked to be a restless wanderer on the earth (Genesis 4:12).
Beyond physical movement, nud carries a distinct emotional weight related to grief. The sources note that this verb can mean to bemoan or show sympathy, likely originating from the gesture of shaking or nodding one’s head in mourning. This usage is evident when friends sit with Job to weep and lament over his suffering (Job 2:11), and it appears in Jeremiah’s description of those who do not mourn for the dead (Jeremiah 22:10). The word thus bridges the gap between physical instability and the visible expression of deep sorrow.
Translators often render nud as "wander," "flee," or "bemoan" depending on the context. In some instances, it describes the act of causing others to wander, such as when a king’s actions lead his people into exile (2 Kings 21:8). The term also appears in a striking metaphor where God compares Judah’s enemies to chaff that is driven away by the wind (Jeremiah 18:16), emphasizing their lack of substance and direction. This range of meanings highlights how physical disorientation and emotional distress are closely linked in biblical thought.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word nud paints a picture of life without a fixed home. It describes the physical act of wandering, like Cain after his sin, or the emotional shaking of grief, as when friends sit with Job in silence. This duality reminds us that instability is often both a place we find ourselves and a feeling we carry. When the Bible speaks of wandering, it acknowledges the deep human experience of being untethered from safety or community.
Yet this word also points to where we turn when our footing fails. In Jeremiah 11, the call to flee is not just about running away but seeking survival in a broken world. For the believer, this instability can become a quiet invitation to look for a permanent refuge. We may wander through seasons of loss or change, but the text suggests that true rest is found not in finding the right location, but in trusting the One who holds us steady.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 21 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- take flight3×
- you show sympathy2×
- and/ a fugitive2×
- you will waver1×
- you shook yourself1×
- will he show sympathy1×
- to/ show sympathy1×
- to/ make wander1×
- they will take flight1×
- show sympathy1×
- it sways1×
- for/ fluttering1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יָנ֣וּד3×
- תָּנֻ֖דוּ1×
- תָּנֹ֖ד1×
- תִּתְנוֹדָֽד\׃1×
- תָנֽוּד\׃1×
- נֻּ֨דוּ1×
- נֻ֤דוּ1×
- נֻ֚דוּ1×
- נָ֥דוּ1×
- נ֝֗וּדִי1×
- מִתְנוֹדֵ֔ד1×
- לָ֭/נוּד1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 4:12
From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.”
This verse establishes the word's core meaning by linking physical wandering directly to the loss of divine blessing and ground.
-
Job 2:11
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.
Here nud shifts from physical movement to emotional expression, describing the sympathetic mourning of Job's friends.
-
Jeremiah 49:30
Flee! Wander far off! Dwell in the depths, you inhabitants of Hazor,” says Yahweh; “for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you, and has conceived a purpose against you.
The command to wander far off highlights how political upheaval forces people into rootless existence as a form of judgment.