Lexical Summary necheth: Descent, rest, quietness Original Word: נְחַת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance carry, come down, depose, lay up, place (Aramaic) corresponding to nachath; to descend; causatively, to bring away, deposit, depose -- carry, come down, depose, lay up, place. see HEBREW nachath NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to nacheth Definition to descend NASB Translation deposed (1), deposit (1), descended (1), descending (1), put (1), stored (1). Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery The verb carries the concrete picture of movement from a higher place to a lower one—either physically (“coming down”) or metaphorically (“bringing down,” “depositing,” “laying aside,” “deposing”). In Scripture this movement is never random; it is always directed by God’s sovereign purpose, whether He is sending help from above, securing sacred objects, or humbling the proud. Occurrences in Redemptive History 1. Ezra 5:15; 6:1; 6:5 – post-exilic Jerusalem and the temple vessels These six references cluster around two eras separated by roughly fifty years yet united by a single theological thread: the Lord brings down what is exalted and safeguards what He has chosen. Ezra: Safeguarding the Holy Vessels Cyrus, and later Darius, commission the return of the temple treasures taken by Nebuchadnezzar. Twice the royal decree stresses that the articles are to be “deposited” in the rebuilt sanctuary (Ezra 5:15; 6:5), and a search is ordered “where the treasures were stored” (6:1). This deliberate placing down of sacred objects highlights: • Covenant faithfulness – God “brought down” judgment on Judah, but now “brings down” the vessels to their rightful place, proving His promise to restore (Jeremiah 29:10). Daniel: The Watcher’s Descent and the King’s Humbling “In the visions of my mind as I lay in bed, I looked, and there before me was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven” (Daniel 4:13). Heaven’s messenger descends to announce that the towering “tree” of Nebuchadnezzar’s empire will be cut down until the king acknowledges that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (4:17). The same verb recurs in 4:23 and again in 5:20: “he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.” Two key dimensions emerge: 1. Divine Intervention – Heaven is not distant; when human pride reaches its height, God’s servant descends, enforcing the decree that no flesh may boast before Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:29). Interwoven Themes of Humility and Restoration Whether it is temple vessels lowered into place or a monarch lowered from his throne, every usage underscores the same principle: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). What is physically placed down by decree is spiritually safeguarded by the Lord of history. Ministry and Devotional Applications • Stewardship – Just as the vessels were meticulously deposited, ministry resources today should be handled reverently and in accordance with God’s revealed will. Anticipation of the Gospel The verb’s dual action of descending and restoring anticipates the incarnational arc of the Lord Jesus Christ, who “came down from heaven” (John 6:38) and “humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8) that He might “bring many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). Every scriptural descent ultimately points to His redemptive descent and the exaltation that followed. Related Biblical Motifs • Sanctified vessels – Exodus 40:9; 2 Timothy 2:21 Thus the six appearances of נְחַת weave a rich tapestry of divine faithfulness, humbling, and restoration—threads that run through all of Scripture and find their fullest expression in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations אֲחֵ֣ת אחת הָנְחַת֙ הנחת וְתַחֵ֖ת ותחת מְהַחֲתִ֥ין מהחתין נָחִ֣ת ׀ נָחִֽת׃ נחת נחת׃ ’ă·ḥêṯ ’ăḥêṯ aChet hā·nə·ḥaṯ haneChat hānəḥaṯ mə·ha·ḥă·ṯîn mehachaTin məhaḥăṯîn nā·ḥiṯ naChit nāḥiṯ vetaChet wə·ṯa·ḥêṯ wəṯaḥêṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 5:15 HEB: שֵׂ֚א אֵֽזֶל־ אֲחֵ֣ת הִמּ֔וֹ בְּהֵיכְלָ֖א NAS: go [and] deposit them in the temple KJV: go, carry them INT: Take go deposit them the temple Ezra 6:1 Ezra 6:5 Daniel 4:13 Daniel 4:23 Daniel 5:20 6 Occurrences |