Original Word: רָדַם
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: radam
Pronunciation: rah-DAHM
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-dam')
KJV: (be fast a-, be in a deep, cast into a dead, that) sleep(-er, -eth)
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to stun, i.e. stupefy (with sleep or death)

be be in a deep, cast into a dead, that sleeper,

A primitive root; to stun, i.e. Stupefy (with sleep or death) -- (be fast a-, be in a deep, cast into a dead, that) sleep(-er, -eth).

[רָדַם] verb Niph`al be in, or fall into, heavy sleep (Late Hebrew id.; compare Arabic stop up (door, gap, etc.), whence perhaps be deaf (stopped up) to sounds, etc.); — Perfect3masculine singular נִרְדַּם Judges 4:21; 1singular נִרְדַּמְתִּי Daniel 8:8; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיֵּרָדֵם Jonah 1:5; Participle נִרְדָּם Proverbs 10:5 3t.; — be or fall fast asleep: Judges 4:21; Jonah 1:5 (after וַיִּשְׁכַב), Jonah 1:6 (participle, Ges^{§ 120b} Da^{Synt. § 70} (a)); participle as substantive נִרְדָּם בַּקָּצִיר Proverbs 10:5; of sleep of death Psalm 76:7; stunning effect of awe and dread Daniel 8:18; Daniel 10:9 (both + אָ֑רְצָה [ וּפָנַי ] עַלמָּֿנַי.

Semantic Range and Conceptual Overview

רָדַם portrays an unusually heavy, almost irresistible sleep. More than ordinary rest, it describes a state in which normal alertness is suspended, leaving the sleeper utterly unresponsive until an outside force intervenes. Scripture employs the term both literally (physical exhaustion) and figuratively (spiritual stupor), allowing a rich field for theological reflection.

Old Testament Usage

• Judges 4:21—Sisera’s “sound sleep” after battle fatigue becomes the setting for his sudden judgment at Jael’s hand.
• Psalm 76:6—At God’s rebuke, war-horses and riders “lay stunned,” underscoring divine supremacy over military might.
• Proverbs 10:5—Contrastive wisdom teaching: diligence gathers; the one who “sleeps during harvest” disgraces family responsibility.
• Daniel 8:18 and Daniel 10:9—Daniel collapses into deep sleep beneath overwhelming revelation; heavenly touch restores him, illustrating God-initiated enabling for prophetic ministry.
• Jonah 1:5-6—Jonah’s profound slumber amid a storm exposes prophetic disobedience and spiritual indifference, prompting pagan sailors to rouse him to prayer.

Divine Initiative in Induced Sleep

When God’s revelation overpowers Daniel, רָדַם functions positively: the prophet is rendered helpless so that the message’s divine origin is unmistakable, and the subsequent touch highlights God’s grace to strengthen fragile humanity for service (compare Revelation 1:17). In Psalm 76, the same word marks God’s decisive action against enemies, echoing earlier motifs of the Lord “causing a deep sleep” (Genesis 2:21; 1 Samuel 26:12) to advance His covenant purposes.

Warning against Spiritual Lethargy

Proverbs and Jonah shift the term to moral exhortation. Sleeping “during harvest” squanders providential opportunity, anticipating New Testament calls to wakefulness (Romans 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:6). Jonah’s slumber pictures the believer who retreats from mission, endangering others by apathy. The captain’s rebuke—“How can you sleep? Get up and call on your God!”—becomes a perennial summons to intercession and evangelistic responsibility.

Ministry Principles

1. God may employ physical weakness or literal sleep to humble His servants and magnify His voice. Seasons of enforced stillness can precede fresh commissioning.
2. Spiritual torpor invites discipline. Vigilance in prayer and labor guards against disgrace and wasted harvests.
3. Corporate leadership must discern when the congregation is drifting into רָדַם-like complacency, responding with prophetic wake-up calls that align with Scripture’s urgency.

Christological and Eschatological Echoes

Just as Sisera’s unsuspecting sleep ended in judgment, the Day of the Lord will overtake the unprepared (Matthew 24:42-44). Conversely, Daniel’s restoration prefigures resurrection hope: the saint laid low is lifted by divine touch. Believers today await the final awakening “at the last trumpet,” when every instance of God’s rousing power finds ultimate fulfillment in Christ’s return.

Pastoral Application

• Encourage rhythms of restorative rest that keep ministry from presumption, yet guard against escapist slumber that dulls obedience.
• Use Jonah’s narrative as a diagnostic tool in missions teaching: Is the church asleep below deck while the world storms above?
• When God grants spiritual “deep sleep” moments—silent retreats, incapacitating illness, sabbaticals—coach believers to listen for revelatory insight rather than resist the pause.

The word רָדַם therefore stands as both gift and warning: a gift when God overwhelms His servants to prepare them, a warning when self-induced drowsiness masks disobedience. In either case, the consistent biblical call is to heed the divine voice that awakens, sustains, and commissions His people.

וַיֵּרָדַֽם׃ וירדם׃ נִ֝רְדָּ֗ם נִרְדַּ֥מְתִּי נִרְדָּ֑ם נִרְדָּ֥ם נרדם נרדמתי nir·dām nir·dam·tî nirDam nirdām nirDamti nirdamtî vaiyeraDam way·yê·rā·ḏam wayyêrāḏamInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts