נדהם
nidham
To say agape in Hebrew, in the sense of astonished with an open mouth, use נדהם (nidham).
נדהם (nidham) means astonished or amazed, the feeling that leaves someone staring agape.
Meaning: astonished (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
נדהם is the masculine singular form. Like other Hebrew adjectives it changes for a woman or for more than one person.
How do you pronounce it?
נדהם is pronounced nidham.
Did you know?
- The root of נדהם is shared with the word for 'stunned' or 'dazed', and in ancient biblical texts it often described a state of sheer terror or horror rather than just simple surprise.
- Hebrew distinguishes between נדהם (shocked/agape) and מופתע (surprised), where the former implies a paralysis of the senses that makes movement or speech momentarily impossible.
- In modern Hebrew, the root of נדהם is used in the word דהימה ('stunning amazement'), which specifically describes the heavy, silent atmosphere that follows a shocking revelation.
Examples in context
- אני נדהם מהמהירות של השינוי.ani nadam me-hamehirut shel ha-shinu'i.I am astonished by the speed of the change.
Example conversation
Itay and Noa are looking at a magic trick.
- נועה Noaראית את זה? זה לא הגיוני!ra'it et ze? ze lo hegyoni!Did you see that? It's not logical!
- איתי Itayאני נדהם מאיך שהוא עשה את זה.ani nidham me-eich she-hu asa et ze.I am astonished by how he did that.
- נועה Noaאני בטוחה שיש לזה הסבר.ani betucha she-yesh le-ze hsbar.I am sure there is an explanation for it.
- איתי Itayאולי, אבל זה עדיין נראה כמו קסם.ulay, aval ze adayin nir'a kmo kesem.Maybe, but it still looks like magic.
