Original Word: נָאָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: na'ah
Pronunciation: nah-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-aw')
KJV: habitation, house, pasture, pleasant place
NASB: pastures, habitations, pasture grounds
Word Origin: [from H4998 (נָאָה - lovely)]

1. a home
2. (figuratively) a pasture

habitation, house, pasture, pleasant place

From na'ah; a home; figuratively, a pasture -- habitation, house, pasture, pleasant place.

see HEBREW na'ah

Word Origin
see navah
NASB Translation
habitations (2), pasture grounds (1), pastures (7).

II. [נָוָה] noun feminine pasture, meadow; — plural construct נְוֺת Zephaniah 2:6, usually נְאוֺת Psalm 23:2 11t.; —

1 pasture, meadow: הָרֹעִים ׳נ Amos 1:2, compare Zephaniah 2:6 ("" גִּדְרוֺת צאֹן; see also [כָּרה] p. 500 above); especially נְאוֺת (הַ)מִּדְבָּר Jeremiah 9:9; Jeremiah 23:10; Psalm 65:13; Joel 1:19,20; Joel 2:22; דֶּשֶׁא ׳נ Psalm 23:2 grassy pastures; אֱלֹהִים ׳נ Psalm 83:13 pastures of God, i.e. the land of Canaan, יַעֲקֹב ׳נ Lamentations 2:2; הַשָּׁלוֺם ׳נ Jeremiah 25:37 meadows of pace; חָמָס ׳נ Psalm 74:20 apparently habitations (?) of violence, but read probably ׳גַּאֲוָה וְח, so Bi Che (see Psalm 73:6). — Jeremiah 6:2 see following; Job 8:6 see I. נָוֶה.

Range of Meaning and Imagery

נָאָה denotes an inhabited or grazed place—a pasture, meadow, dwelling, or haunt. Whether lush or desolated, it evokes the life-setting of both sheep and people. The term carries two dominant motifs: (1) refuge and nourishment under God’s care and (2) exposure to devastation when His favor is withdrawn.

Pasture as Provision and Rest

The Psalter highlights נָאָה as a sphere of divine shepherding.
• Psalm 23:2: “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.” The Shepherd provides repose, security, and refreshment, rehearsing the Eden-like ideal that every believer can appropriate in communion with the LORD.
• Psalm 65:12: “The pastures of the wilderness overflow; the hills are robed with joy.” Here even the arid places teem with abundance, showcasing God’s universal benevolence that extends beyond cultivated fields to the remotest terrain.

Pasture as Covenant Blessing and Judgment

Because Israel’s covenant relationship is moral, נָאָה becomes a barometer of national obedience.
• Jeremiah 9:10; 23:10: unfaithfulness “dries up” the pastures, signaling ecological and economic collapse.
• Jeremiah 25:37: “The peaceful meadows will be silenced because of the burning anger of the LORD.” Divine wrath reverses the Psalm 23 paradigm: silence replaces serenity, barrenness replaces bounty.
• Amos 1:2: “The shepherds’ pastures will mourn,” a poetic inversion in which the land itself laments impending judgment.

Pasture in Prophetic Lament and Hope

The book of Joel frames נָאָה within a cycle of loss and promised renewal.
• Joel 1:19–20 portrays fire-scorched pastures, so devastating that “even the beasts of the field pant” for God.
• Joel 2:22 announces the turning point: “Do not be afraid, O beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green.” Restoration of the land prefigures spiritual revival and anticipates the messianic age when curse is lifted and creation rejoices.

Dark Haunts and Hostile Ambition

Psalm 74:20 shifts the term to sinister “haunts of violence,” revealing that every human habitation—whether pasture, city, or fortress—can become a staging ground for injustice apart from divine governance. Psalm 83:12 records enemy nations plotting, “Let us take for ourselves the pastures of God,” illustrating how opposition to God often masquerades as a mere land-grab but is fundamentally a challenge to His sovereignty.

Messianic and Eschatological Echoes

The good-shepherd imagery of נָאָה foreshadows the ministry of Jesus Christ who, in John 10, supplies “pasture” to His flock and lays down His life for the sheep. The renewed pastures of Joel 2 anticipate Revelation’s vision of healed nations and the absence of curse. Thus נָאָה becomes a prophetic signpost pointing from David’s fields to the new creation.

Personal and Ministry Application

1. Shepherd-like Care: Leaders are called to provide spiritual נָאָה—safe places where disciples find nourishment and rest.
2. Ecological Responsibility: Dried pastures in Jeremiah and Joel remind believers that moral decay affects the physical world; stewardship of creation is part of covenant faithfulness.
3. Hope in Desolation: God’s power to restore scorched pastures encourages ministries serving in spiritually barren contexts; no field is beyond His rejuvenating grace.

Summary

נָאָה traces a theological arc: from serene provision (Psalm 23) through covenantal consequence (Jeremiah, Joel) to ultimate restoration (Joel 2). Every occurrence reinforces the reliability of the LORD as Shepherd and Judge, inviting His people to dwell securely in the pasture He alone sustains.

בִּנְא֣וֹת בנאות נְא֣וֹת נְא֤וֹת נְא֥וֹת נאות bin’ōwṯ bin·’ō·wṯ binot nə’ōwṯ nə·’ō·wṯ neotInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts