I listed the plural of this phrase depending on how many children you have. The phrase comes directly from the Talmud (Chulin7b) where it refers to God's presence in all that happens. The word "nakaf" נ'ק'ף nun-kuf-pe usually means to strike or knock, and can also be found in Isaiah 29:1.

We use this to describe someone sitting passively "on the sidelines" while others are working. We sometimes call them "lumpies," and haven't found the Hebrew equivalent.

הוא רואה שכולם עובדים והוא יושב ולא נוקף אצבע.

"Hu ro'eh shekulam ovdim, vehu yoshev velo nokef etzba."

He sees that everyone is working and he (just) sits and doesn’t lift a finger.

This is more commonly use to describe a parent who is trying to clean up the house while the children ("lumpies") are watching.

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