### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Aramaic word **nôgahh**, represented by `{{H5053}}`, corresponds to the term for **dawn** or **morning**. This word is exceptionally rare, appearing only **1 time** in a single verse within the entire biblical text. Its sole usage marks a pivotal moment of revelation and urgency.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The single appearance of `{{H5053}}` is found in the account of Daniel in the lion's den. Following a decree that forced Daniel into a den of lions, the king, who was deeply distressed, acts at the first light of day. The scripture states that the king "arose very early in the **morning** `{{H5053}}`, and went in haste unto the den of lions" [[Daniel 6:19]]. This use of **nôgahh** precisely times the king's anxious journey to discover Daniel's fate after a night of peril.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words from the same passage illuminate the context of this specific "morning":
* `{{H8238}}` **shᵉpharphar** (the dawn; [idiom] very early in the morning): This word is used in conjunction with `{{H5053}}` in its only appearance, emphasizing the extreme earliness of the king's action at the first light of dawn [[Daniel 6:19]].
* `{{H6966}}` **qûwm** ({to rise...}; appoint, establish, make, raise up self, (a-) rise (up), (make to) stand, set (up)): This describes the king's physical action in the morning; he **arose** to immediately address the situation with Daniel [[Daniel 6:19]]. The word is also used for God's power to set up kings [[Daniel 2:21]].
* `{{H927}}` **bᵉhal** (to terrify, hasten; in haste, trouble): This word conveys the king's emotional state as he **went in haste** to the den [[Daniel 6:19]]. It highlights the urgency and anxiety that characterized this particular morning.
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of `{{H5053}}`, though drawn from a single instance, is tied to the theme of God's deliverance.
* **A Marker for Deliverance:** The **morning** is the specific time when the outcome of God's intervention is revealed. After a night of danger, the dawn brings the discovery that God had sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths, preserving Daniel's life [[Daniel 6:22]].
* **The End of Anxious Waiting:** The arrival of the **morning** signifies a turning point. It follows a night where the king fasted and could not sleep [[Daniel 6:18]], and its arrival prompts the immediate action that leads to the story's resolution.
* **Prompting Human Witness to Divine Power:** The king's urgent journey in the **morning** [[Daniel 6:19]] positions him to be the primary witness to God's miraculous rescue of Daniel, ultimately leading him to praise the God of Daniel.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H5053}}` **nôgahh** is a precise Aramaic term for **morning** or **dawn**. Its singular use in the book of Daniel is highly impactful, pinpointing the critical moment of transition from a night of distress to a morning of discovery. It underscores the urgency and hope attached to the dawn, when God's miraculous deliverance of Daniel from the lions was finally brought to light.
TRV