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Psalms 144:5 — Word Study

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WLCיְ֭הוָה הַט־ שָׁמֶ֣יךָ וְתֵרֵ֑ד גַּ֖ע בֶּהָרִ֣ים וְֽיֶעֱשָֽׁנוּ׃

BSAPartnâṭâh Your heavensshâmayim [bow, stretch out] O LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and come downyârad [descend, go down] touchnâgaʻ [strike, reach] the mountainshar [hills] that they may smokeʻâshan [be angry, give out smoke, pour out smoke]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 144
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 5 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (Ve.ye.'e.Sha.nu) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 144:5quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist calls on God to intervene in the world by parting the heavens and coming down.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, addressing God directly as יְ֭הוָה, Yahweh.
Where we areThis verse is part of a prayer for divine help, situated in a psalm reflecting on human frailty.
The hard wordעָשַׁן, ashan
Take awayThe plea is for God to act powerfully and visibly in the world.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbנָטָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 144:5

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Prayer for Helpgenerated

4Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
5Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6Flash forth Your lightning and scatter them; shoot Your arrows and rout them.
7Reach down from on high; set me free and rescue me from the deep waters, from the grasp of foreigners,

Psalm 144:5 is a heartfelt appeal from the psalmist to God, asking Him to intervene in human affairs. The psalm reflects on the transient nature of humanity and the need for divine assistance. This verse captures the essence of the psalmist's longing for God's presence and action in a world that often feels chaotic and overwhelming.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 18:9He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
2Isaiah 64:1–2If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,
3Psalm 104:32He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smolder.
4Exodus 19:18Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
5Nahum 1:3–6

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word יְהוָה, Yahwehgenerated

The name יְהוָה (Yahweh) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as 'the Lord'. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God and is closely associated with His covenant relationship with His people. The parsing as a noun proper indicates its unique status as a name rather than a common term.

In this verse, the appeal to יְהוָה emphasizes the personal relationship between the psalmist and God, highlighting the urgency of the request for divine action.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations generally agree on the wording of יְהוָה, rendered as 'O LORD' in the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse consists of a series of imperatives, with the main verb הַט, hat- (bend down) commanding God to act. The structure emphasizes the psalmist's urgent request for divine intervention.

Each clause builds on the previous one, creating a flow from the call to action to the desired outcome, which is that the mountains may smoke, indicating a powerful response from God.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, יְהוָה is rendered as κύριε (kurie), maintaining the personal address to God. This choice reflects the continuity of the relationship between the psalmist and the divine.

The Greek translation captures the urgency of the request, similar to the Hebrew, while also making it accessible to a Hellenistic audience.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 144:5 is a prayer asking God to part the heavens and come down to help. The psalmist wants God to touch the mountains so that they may smoke, indicating a powerful divine action. This verse reflects the psalmist's recognition of human frailty and the need for God's intervention.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to 'part Your heavens'?

This phrase expresses a desire for God to break through the barriers between heaven and earth, indicating a longing for His presence and action in the world.

Why does the psalmist ask God to touch the mountains?

Touching the mountains symbolizes a powerful intervention by God, demonstrating His authority over creation and His ability to bring about change.

What is the significance of the mountains smoking?

The image of smoking mountains suggests divine anger or power, indicating that God's presence can bring about dramatic transformations in nature.

How does this verse relate to the overall message of the psalm?

This verse encapsulates the psalm's theme of human vulnerability and the need for divine assistance, highlighting the psalmist's reliance on God's power.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I need to ask God to intervene and act powerfully?
  2. How can I recognize God's presence in my daily life, especially in times of trouble?
  3. What does it mean for me to rely on God's strength rather than my own?
  4. How can I express my dependence on God in my prayers?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early church fathers referenced this verse to discuss God's intervention and presence, highlighting its significance in their theological reflections.

Eusebius of CaesareaPROOF OF THE GOSPEL 6:9 c. 260–340
I consider this to be connected with my present subject. For in his wonder at the knowledge of God the Word coming to people, the psalmist is astonished beyond measure at the love by which he descends from his divinity,
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 144 →
Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 144 354–430
"Lord, bow Your heavens, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke" [Psalms 144:5].
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 144 →
Leo the GreatTESTIMONIA 19 c. 400–461
The psalmist is a witness of this matter when he says, “All have gone astray together; they have become worthless.” And Christ’s prophets, praying for help, said, “Lord, bow down your heavens and descend”;
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 144 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 144:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down,.... The heavens, which the Lord has made, and where he dwells; and which are under his influence, and he can cause to incline or bow at his pleasure: and which

Read John Gill on Psalms 144 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down - from Psalms 18:9 : cf. Isaiah 64:1; borrowed from the same source.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 144 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Come down, to help me, before it be too late, remembering what a frail and perishing creature I am. And they shall smoke; or, that they may smoke; or, and let them smoke, as Sinai did at thy glorious appearance, . This is a figurative and poetical description of God’ s coming to take vengeance upon his enemies, which is continued in the next verse.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 144 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 144:5 Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.Ver. 5. Bow thy heavens, O Lord] Come to my help suddenly and seasonably, as it were out of an engine, εκτηςμηχανης. Touch the mountains] These high and haughty enemies of mine, do thou but lightly touch them, and it shall suffice; they shall soon burn, and be turned into smoke, as the mountains that are thunder struck.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 144 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) Come down.—The theophany for which the psalmist prays is described in the classic language for such manifestations taken from Psalms 18:9; Psalms 18:13; Psalms 18:16-17; Psalms 18:43; Psalms 18:45, with reminiscences of Psa 104:32; Exodus 19:18. But there are touches of originality, as in the next clause.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 144 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 5. Bow thy heavens] See Clarke on Psalms 18:9.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 144 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5–8. Prayer that God will appear in His majesty and deliver the Psalmist from his treacherous enemies.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 144 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bow thy heavens, O Lord ... - Come to my aid “as if” the heavens were bent down; come down with all thy majesty and glory.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 144 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke.

NETBNew English Translation2006

O Lord, make the sky sink and come down! Touch the mountains and make them smolder!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down: Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Bow thine heauens, O Lord, and come downe: touch the mountaines and they shall smoke.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Jehovah, bow thy heavens, and come down; touch the mountains, that they smoke;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Jehovah, incline Thy heavens and come down, Strike against mountains, and they smoke.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

YHWH, incline Your heavens and come down, || Strike against mountains, and they smoke.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

O Lord, bend thy heavens, and come down: touch the mountains, that they may smoke.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Cause the sky to sink and come down, Yahweh; touch the mountains and make them smoke.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy holiness: and shall tell thy wondrous works.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains so that they give off smoke.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Come down, O Lord, from your heavens: at your touch let the mountains give out smoke.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseclauseיְ֭הוָהO.Yahwehclauseclauseverbהַטbend.downnoun phrase · objectשָׁמֶ֣יheavensךָyourוְandclauseverbתֵרֵ֑דyou.will.come.downclauseclauseverbגַּ֖עtouchprepositional phrase · prepositionalבֶּ(in)noun phrasetheהָרִ֣יםmountainsוְֽsoclauseverbיֶעֱשָֽׁנוּthat.they.may.smoke

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree closely on the wording of this verse, with 7 of the 7 words matched. The Dead Sea Scrolls show a partial restoration but align with the Masoretic Text's overall message and structure.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

יְ֭הוָה הַט־ שָׁמֶ֣יךָ וְתֵרֵ֑ד גַּ֖ע בֶּהָרִ֣ים וְֽיֶעֱשָֽׁנוּ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
יְ֭הוָהκύριεהַט־κλῖνονשָׁמֶ֣יךָσουוְתֵרֵ֑דκατάβηθιגַּ֖עἅψαιבֶּהָרִ֣יםὀρέωνוְֽיֶעֱשָֽׁנוּ׃καπνισθήσονται

7 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 11Q5a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

אלוהים הט שמי׳כה ורד גע בהרים [ויעשנו]

5 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 1 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 144:5יהוהO YahwehO Yahwehיהוהנָטָהbend downbend downנָטָהשָׁמַיheavens youheavens yourשָׁמַייָרַדso you may so you may comeיָרַדנָגַעtouchtouchנָגַעהַרthe mountaithe mountainsהַרעָשַׁןso they mayso they may smoעָשַׁןהָיָהto beto beהָיָההַרmountainmountainהַרנְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםצָבָאarmyarmyצָבָאחָזָקstrongstrongחָזָקזְרוֹעַarmarmזְרוֹעַעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףכּוֹכָבstarstarכּוֹכָבשְׁאוֹלhell: Sheohell: SheolשְׁאוֹלבּוֹרpitpitבּוֹרטָמֵאuncleanuncleanטָמֵאנְבֵלָהcarcasscarcassנְבֵלָהגִּבְעָהGibeatGibeatגִּבְעָהאֶפְרַ֫יִםEphraimEphraimאֶפְרַ֫יִםנָגַעto touchto touchנָגַעאַףfacefaceאַף
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 144:5

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

O Yahweh bend down heavens your so you may come down touch the mountains so they may smoke
יְ֭הוָהYah.weh O Yahweh H3068 Noun proper
6,528× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
Yehovah, The covenant Name of God
Tyndale gloss
The Lord
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'

from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish

national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

see HEBREW for 01961

see HEBREW for 03050

see HEBREW for 03069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.

Jehovah = "the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.

Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.

Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpt
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
O Yahweh bend down heavens your so you may come down touch the mountains so they may smoke
הַט־hat- bend down H5186 Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
214× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To stretch or spread out, often used to describe physical movement, but also moral deflection, as seen in the story of Israel's decline in the book of Judges.
Tyndale gloss
to stretch
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָטָה (natah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to stretch out, spread out, or extend. It encompasses a wide range of actions, including bending, inclining, and pitching a tent. The word can also imply moral deflection or turning aside. The entries suggest various applications, from physical actions to metaphorical uses, but do not indicate significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָטָה 215 vb. stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend

Qal

stretch out, extend, hand, rod

stretch line and plummet

= offer

Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent

Bend, turn, incline

Niph. be stretched out

Hiph.

rarely stretch out, hand

rarely spread out cloth on rock

usu. turn, incline

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5186 נָטָה stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend .. . stretch out, extend, hand, rod

. stretch line and plummet

. = offer

. Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent

. Bend, turn, incline

. be stretched out

. . rarely stretch out, hand

. rarely spread out cloth on rock

. usu. turn, incline

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5186 natah naw-taw'

a primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication,

to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great

variety of application (as follows):--+ afternoon, apply, bow

(down, - ing), carry aside, decline, deliver, extend, go down,

be gone, incline, intend, lay, let down, offer, outstretched,

overthrown, pervert, pitch, prolong, put away, shew, spread

(out), stretch (forth, out), take (aside), turn (aside, away),

wrest, cause to yield.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָטָה (na.tah) — to stretch.

1) to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to stretch out, extend, stretch, offer

1a2) to spread out, pitch (tent)

1a3) to bend, turn, incline

1a3a) to turn aside, incline, decline, bend down

1a3b) to bend, bow

1a3c) to hold out, extend (fig.)

1b) (Niphal) to be stretched out

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to stretch out

1c2) to spread out

1c3) to turn, incline, influence, bend down, hold out, extend, thrust aside, thrust away

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Impv-2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
HVhv2ms
O Yahweh bend down heavens your so you may come down touch the mountains so they may smoke
שָׁמֶ֣יךָsha.Mei.kha heavens your H8064 Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for heaven or sky, it refers to the visible universe and the abode of God. It is often used in the Bible to describe the dwelling place of celestial bodies.
Amplified meaning
bow, stretch out
Tyndale gloss
heaven
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (*shamayim*) is a dual noun meaning 'heavens' or 'sky.' It refers to the visible heavens where celestial bodies are found, as well as the abode of God. The dual form may suggest both the arch of the sky and the higher ether. It is noted in contexts such as Elijah's ascent in a whirlwind.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁמַי] n.m. only pl. שָׁמַיִם 421 heavens, sky

visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

phrases

as abode of God

Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8064 שָׁמַי only pl. שָׁמַיִם heavens, sky . . visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

. phrases

. . as abode of God

. Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

. הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim

dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused

root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps

alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well

as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies

revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) — heaven.

1) heaven, heavens, sky

1a) visible heavens, sky

1a1) as abode of the stars

1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HNcmpc/Sp2ms
O Yahweh bend down heavens your so you may come down touch the mountains so they may smoke
וְתֵרֵ֑דve.te.Red so you may come down H3381 Conjunction · verb qal second person masculine singular
381× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To go down or descend, like going to a lower place or falling. It appears in Genesis and Exodus, describing people and things moving downwards.
Amplified meaning
descend, go down
Tyndale gloss
to go down
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word יָרַד (yarad) means to come or go down, covering various contexts such as descending from mountains, going to battle, or sinking in water. It can also refer to divine manifestations descending or being prostrated. The word has different forms including Qal, Hiphil, and Hophal, which indicate various nuances of bringing down or being brought down.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָרַד 380 vb. come or go down, descend

Qal 306

come or go down

go down (usu. from mountain or hill-country into plain), to battle

go down to (acc.) threshing-floor

go down (abs.) from Palestine to Egypt

from Jerusalem

from altar

go down

= sink, in water

go down to She’ôl

fig. going down (dissolving) in tears

= be prostrated

of divine manifestations: descend

of inanimate things

Hiph.

cause to come or go down

bring down

send down rain = cause to flow down

= lay prostrate to (acc.) threshing-floor

bring down to She’ôl

take down (from cart)

let down

Hoph.

be brought down

be taken down

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3381 יָרַד come or go down, descend .. . come or go down

. go down (usu. from mountain or hill-country into plain), to battle

. go down to (acc.) threshing-floor

. go down (abs.) from Palestine to Egypt

. from Jerusalem

. from altar

. go down

. = sink, in water

. go down to She’ôl

. fig. going down (dissolving) in tears

. = be prostrated

. of divine manifestations: descend

. of inanimate things

. . cause to come or go down . bring down

. send down rain = cause to flow down

. = lay prostrate to (acc.) threshing-floor

. bring down to She’ôl

. take down (from cart)

. let down

. . be brought down

. be taken down

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3381 yarad yaw-rad'

a primitive root; to descend (literally, to go downwards; or

conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary,

the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); causatively, to

bring down (in all the above applications); -X abundantly,

bring down, carry down, cast down, (cause to) come(-ing) down,

fall (down), get down, go(-ing) down(-ward), hang down, X

indeed, let down, light (down), put down (off), (cause to,

let) run down, sink, subdue, take down.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָרַד (ya.rad) — to go down.

1) to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come down

1a2) to sink

1a3) to be prostrated

1a4) to come down (of revelation)

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to bring down

1b2) to send down

1b3) to take down

1b4) to lay prostrate

1b5) to let down

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be brought down

1c2) to be taken down

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-Imperf-2ms — Conjunction · verb qal second person masculine singular
HC/Vqu2ms
O Yahweh bend down heavens your so you may come down touch the mountains so they may smoke
גַּ֖עga' touch H5060 Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine singular
150× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to touch or reach something, and can also mean to strike or defeat someone. It is used in Exodus to describe God's power and in Psalms to describe human emotions. The word has various translations, including beat, bring, and plague.
Amplified meaning
strike, reach
Tyndale gloss
to touch
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָגַע (naga`) is a Hebrew verb meaning to touch, reach, or strike. It encompasses a range of actions from physical contact to figurative implications like arriving or acquiring. The word can also denote being stricken or defeated, particularly in battle or by disease. The entries indicate various grammatical forms, including Qal, Niph, Piel, Pual, and Hiphil, each with specific nuances.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָגַע 150 vb. touch, reach, strike

Qal

touch

of י׳ touching earth, mountains, etc.

nearly = strike, pass. stricken

touch = harm

reach, extend to

Niph. be stricken, defeated (in battle), i.e. feign to be so

Pi. strike (with leprosy, 2 acc.)

Pu. be stricken by diseases

Hiph. cause to touch; reach, approach, arrive

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5060 נָגַע touch, reach, strike .. . touch

. of י׳ touching earth, mountains, etc.

. nearly = strike, pass. stricken

. touch = harm

. reach, extend to

. be stricken, defeated (in battle), i.e. feign to be so

. strike (with leprosy, 2 acc.)

. be stricken by diseases

. cause to touch; reach, approach, arrive

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5060 naga` naw-gah'

a primitive root; properly, to touch, i.e. lay the hand upon

(for any purpose; euphem., to lie with a woman); by

implication, to reach (figuratively, to arrive, acquire);

violently, to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.):--beat,

(X be able to) bring (down), cast, come (nigh), draw near

(nigh), get up, happen, join, near, plague, reach (up), smite,

strike, touch.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָגַע (na.ga) — to touch.

1) to touch, reach, strike

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to touch

1a2) to strike

1a3) to reach, extend to

1a4) to be stricken

1a4a) stricken (participle)

1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be defeated

1c) (Piel) to strike

1d) (Pual) to be stricken (by disease)

1e) (Hiphil) to cause to touch, reach, approach, arrive

1e1) to cause to touch, apply

1e2) to reach, extend, attain, arrive, come

1e3) to approach (of time)

1e4) to befall (of fate)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Impv-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine singular
HVqv2ms
O Yahweh bend down heavens your so you may come down touch the mountains so they may smoke
בֶּהָרִ֣יםbe.ha.Rim the mountains H2022 Preposition · noun common masculine plural absolute
546× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Amplified meaning
hills
Tyndale gloss
mountain: mount
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הַר (har) means 'mountain' or 'hill,' and can refer to a range of hills or hill-country. It is derived from a root that suggests elevation and can be used figuratively. The entries consistently highlight its geographical connotations without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הַר 568 n.m. mountain, hill, hill-country

mountain, hill

hill-country, mountain-region

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2022 הַר mountain, hill, hill-country

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2022 har har

a shortened form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills

(sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X

promotion.

see HEBREW for 02042

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הַר (har) — mountain: mount.

: mount/hill

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

הַר (har) — mountain: hill country.

: hill_country

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

A sub-meaning of har (הַר ": mount" H2022)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural absolute
HRd/Ncmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Are among the most sublime and impressive of the Creator’s works on earth, and from the noblest and most enduring monuments of great events. Most of the mountains of Scripture thus stand as witnesses for God—every view of their lofty summits, and every recurrence to them in thought reminding us of the sacred facts and truths connected with them. Thus Mount Ararat is a standing memorial of the deluge of man’s sin, God’s justice, and God’s mercy. Mount Sinai asserts the terrors of the divine law. Mount Carmel summons us, like the prophet Elijah of old, not to "halt between two opinions;" but if Jehovah is God, to love and serve him. The mount of the Transfiguration still shines with the glory of the truths there taught, and Mounts Ebal and Gerizim still echo the curses and the blessings once so solemnly pronounced from them. So Mount Hor, Nebo, Lebanon, and Gilboa have been signalized by…

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- The elevated parts of the earth

Ge 7:19,20

- GOD

. Formed

Am 4:13

. Set fast

Ps 65:6

. Gives strength to

Ps 95:4

. Weighs, in a balance

Isa 40:12

. Waters, from his chambers

Ps 104:13

. Parches, with draught

Hag 1:11

. Causes, to smoke

Ps 104:32; 144:5

. Sets the foundations of, on fire

De 32:22

. Makes waste

Isa 42:15

. Causes, to tremble

O Yahweh bend down heavens your so you may come down touch the mountains so they may smoke
וְֽיֶעֱשָֽׁנוּ׃Ve.ye.'e.Sha.nu so they may smoke H6225 Conjunction · verb qal third person masculine plural
6× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to be angry or furious, like smoke rising from a fire. It describes God's wrath in many passages, including Exodus and Deuteronomy. This intense anger is often a response to sin or disobedience.
Amplified meaning
be angry, give out smoke, pour out smoke
Tyndale gloss
be angry
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָשַׁן (ashan) is a verb meaning to smoke, with a figurative sense of being angry or furious. The entries indicate it can refer to both literal smoke and the emotional state of wrath. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָשַׁן vb. denom. smoke, be wroth

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6225 עָשַׁן vb. denom. smoke, be wroth

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6225 `ashan aw-shan'

a primitive root; to smoke, whether literal or

figurative:--be angry (be on a) smoke.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָשַׁן (a.shan) — be angry.

1) to smoke, be angry, be wroth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to smoke

1a2) to fume, be wroth, be furious

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-Imperf-3mp — Conjunction · verb qal third person masculine plural
HC/Vqu3mp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

smok: Used figuratively of the divine jealousy (De 29:20) and anger (Ps 74:1); symbolic of the glory of the divine holiness (Isa 4:5; 6:4; Re 15:8).

Nave's Topical Bible

→ FIGURATIVE Isa 6:4; Ho 13:3

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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