Original Word: נָעֵם
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: na`em
Pronunciation: nah-EM
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-ame')
KJV: pass in beauty, be delight, be pleasant, be sweet
NASB: pleasant, delight, delightful, surpass in beauty
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to be agreeable (literally or figuratively)

pass in beauty, be delight, be pleasant, be sweet

A primitive root; to be agreeable (literally or figuratively) -- pass in beauty, be delight, be pleasant, be sweet.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be pleasant, delightful, or lovely
NASB Translation
delight (1), delightful (1), pleasant (5), surpass in beauty (1).

I. [נָעֵם] verb be pleasant, delightful, lovely (Phoenician נעם good Lzb³²⁴ (and many proper names); Arabic be plentiful, easy, pleasant; shew gracious favour toward, often in Qoran; Sabean נעם be lovely, agreeable, well Levy-Os^{ZMG xix (1865), 178} CIS^{iv. 19, 11}; so Minaean Hom^{Südar. Chrest. 128}; Old Aramaic in proper name Lzb^{222, 324} Cook⁸² (נעמתי my darling [or my songs, compare II. ׳נ]); ᵑ7 נָעִים pleasant, lovely, נְעִימְתָּא loveliness; Prä^{Bas i. 46 f.} compare Ethiopic be pleasant, = ); —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular נָעֵ֑מָה Genesis 49:15 (poem in J; of land); 2 masculine singular (of delightful friend) נָעַמְתָּ לִי מְאֹד 2 Samuel 1:26, also (of physical beauty) מִמִּי נָעָ֑מְתָּ Ezekiel 32:19; 2feminine singular (id.) מַהנָּֿעַמְתְּ Cant 7:7 how lovely art thou ! ("" מַהיָּֿפִית); 3 plural, of pleasant words, נָעֵ֑מוּ Psalm 141:6; Imperfect3masculine singular ׃יִנְעָ֑ם ׳לְנַפְשְׁךָ יִנ Proverbs 2:10 (of knowledge); ׳לֶחֶם סְתָרִים יִנ Proverbs 9:17 ("" יִמְתָּ֑קוּ); ׳יִנ Proverbs 24:25 is impersonal with ל, to them...shall be delight.

Semantic Field and Conceptual Background

Rooted in the idea of attractiveness that invites joyful response, נָעֵם encompasses aesthetic beauty, moral goodness, relational sweetness, and inward delight. Scripture employs the verb to describe landscapes, human affection, speech, wisdom, illicit pleasure, civic righteousness, marital love, and even the fallen glory of nations—always signaling what the heart perceives as agreeable or winsome.

Literary Distribution and Key Texts

1. Genesis 49:15 frames the word in agrarian imagery: land so “pleasant” that Issachar submits to forced labor for its sake. Delight becomes a motive powerful enough to shape destiny.
2. 2 Samuel 1:26 elevates covenantal friendship above erotic love; David deems Jonathan’s loyalty “more pleasant” than the love of women, highlighting spiritual fellowship as the highest sweetness.
3. Psalm 141:6 contrasts the downfall of the wicked with David’s “pleasant” words, implying that true attractiveness flows from righteousness, even when spoken in perilous times.
4. Wisdom literature (Proverbs 2:10; 9:17; 24:25) presents a three-fold progression: authentic wisdom “delights” the soul, stolen pleasures counterfeit that delight, and public justice restores societal pleasantness.
5. Song of Songs 7:6 celebrates conjugal affection: “How fair and pleasant you are, O love,” portraying marital intimacy as the God-sanctioned climax of human delight.
6. Ezekiel 32:19 speaks ironically of Egypt’s fallen beauty: “Whom do you surpass in beauty?” Pleasantness, once celebrated, lies powerless in judgment.

Theological Trajectory

The verb underscores that God is the ultimate source and arbiter of what is truly pleasant. Where He is honored—wisdom embraced, justice enacted, covenant kept—pleasantness thrives. Where desire is perverted—illicit bread, national pride—pleasantness proves fleeting and deceptive. Thus נָעֵם functions as a moral gauge, exposing false delights while commending those anchored in divine truth.

Christological Horizon

The Old Testament’s portrayal of pleasantness anticipates the New Testament revelation that “in Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Jesus embodies the Father’s perfect “grace and truth,” the highest attractiveness drawing hearts to repentance. The false sweetness of stolen water finds its antithesis in the Living Water offered without cost (John 4:10), and the pleasantness of wisdom entering the heart prefigures the indwelling Spirit who leads into all truth (John 16:13).

Historical Interpretation

Rabbinic commentaries often link נָעֵם with the messianic age, when Torah will be sweet to every tongue. Early Christian exegetes, such as Augustine, read the Song of Songs through a Christ-church lens, viewing mutual pleasantness as an image of redeeming love. Reformation writers stressed that Scripture’s inherent beauty testifies to its divine origin, echoing Psalm 141:6.

Pastoral and Ministry Application

• Spiritual Formation: Encourage believers to cultivate appetites that savor the “pleasantness” of wisdom (Proverbs 2:10) through disciplined intake of Scripture, prayer, and fellowship.
• Preaching: Contrast genuine delight in God with counterfeit pleasures, using Proverbs 9:17 as a diagnostic mirror for the human heart.
• Counseling: David’s lament in 2 Samuel 1:26 legitimizes deep emotional bonds and models grief without shame.
• Social Justice: Proverbs 24:25 links public righteousness to communal blessing; advocating for justice is a means of restoring society’s lost pleasantness.
• Marital Enrichment: Song of Songs 7:6 affirms the goodness of physical intimacy within covenant marriage, countering cultural distortions with a biblical vision of delightful love.

Eschatological Outlook

Every instance of נָעֵם points forward to the consummation when creation itself will be liberated into the “glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). In the new heavens and new earth, pleasantness will no longer be sporadic or threatened but will saturate every aspect of redeemed life, fulfilling the ancient longing voiced across Genesis, the Writings, and the Prophets.

יִנְעָ֑ם יִנְעָֽם׃ ינעם ינעם׃ נָּעַ֔מְתְּ נָעֵ֑מָה נָעֵֽמוּ׃ נָעַ֥מְתָּ נָעָ֑מְתָּ נעמה נעמו׃ נעמת nā‘āmətā nā‘amt nā‘amtā nā‘êmāh nā‘êmū nā·‘ā·mə·tā nā·‘am·tā nā·‘amt nā·‘ê·māh nā·‘ê·mū naAmeta naAmt naAmta naEmah naEmu yin‘ām yin·‘ām yinAmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts