What Did God Do to the Man in Genesis 2:15?: A Collocational Word Study of the Hifil of נוח

There are varied opinions on the Hifil of נוח in Genesis 2:15. Most understand the verb as a synonym of וַיָּ֣שֶׂם in 2:8 and translate it as “he put”. Scholars like Ross and Sailhamer, however, view a conscious decision by the author of Genesis to evoke the imagery of “rest” here. Ross supports his case by connecting the Hifil of נוח to the nominal form from the same root מְנוּחָה and Sailhamer his by noting the other senses of the Hifil. L’Hour counters these arguments by noting there are two forms of the Hifil of נוח, (HALOT: form A and form B) only one of which carries the idea of rest. The form (A) denoting “to give rest” takes the indirect object with a ל while the other form, used in Genesis 2:15, takes the direct object without a preposition.

While this question has been analyzed from several different angles, no one has performed a collocational word study of נוח in the Hifil form B with God as the subject. This paper analyzes the occurrences of this collocation in the Hebrew Bible, noting their contexts and repetitive themes and terminology surrounding their usage. This study, while broadly supporting the conclusions of Ross and Sailhamer, arrives at said conclusion while paying careful attention to the different Hifil forms and, thereby, addresses the concerns of L'Hour.