נָשַׁת (na.shat)
na.shat
be dry
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb nashat describes a state of being dry or parched. In its basic form, it conveys the physical condition of lacking moisture, but the sources highlight a specific metaphorical usage where it describes human strength failing. When applied to people, "their might is dry" suggests that power has evaporated, leaving nothing behind.
Its range extends to the drying up of water sources, as seen when the text speaks of waters being dried up from the sea. This imagery appears in prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah, where it often signals judgment or desolation. The word captures not just a lack of rain, but the finality of a resource that has completely vanished.
Translators typically render nashat as "dry" or "dried up," choosing simple terms that reflect the stark reality of the Hebrew. The verb’s power lies in its ability to link physical aridity with spiritual or political weakness, showing how vitality can disappear just as water leaves a desert.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life feels parched, it is easy to believe that strength has permanently left us. The Hebrew word nashat captures this stark reality of being dry or wasted. It describes not just a lack of rain, but the finality of a resource that has completely vanished. In Isaiah 19:5, we see waters failing from the sea, leaving the land empty and unable to sustain life.
Yet this image of total depletion points us toward a deeper hope. When human power evaporates like water in the desert, it reveals our need for God. Isaiah 41:17 reminds us that even when our tongue fails for thirst, Yahweh does not forsake the needy. The drying up of our own strength is an invitation to rely on His provision.
This word teaches us that weakness is not a sign of abandonment. Instead, it is a moment where divine strength becomes visible. We can trust that God answers when we have nothing left to give, turning our emptiness into space for His grace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it will be dry1×
- it is dry1×
- and/ they will be dried up1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נָשָׁ֑תָּה1×
- נָשְׁתָ֥ה1×
- וְ/נִשְּׁתוּ\־1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 19:5
The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry.
This verse uses the word to describe the complete failure of natural water sources, symbolizing national desolation.
-
Jeremiah 51:30
The mighty men of Babylon have stopped fighting, they remain in their strongholds. Their might has failed. They have become as women. Her dwelling places are set on fire. Her bars are broken.
Here the term shifts from nature to people, showing that military might can dry up just like a riverbed.
-
Isaiah 41:17
The poor and needy seek water, and there is none. Their tongue fails for thirst. I, Yahweh, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
The context of physical thirst highlights God's promise to answer those who are completely depleted.