נָחַשׁ
nâchash · H5172 · Hebrew · 11 occurrences
Meanings
-
to divine, to practice divination, to use omens
Action by which humans attempt to predict a future event or learn some hidden message, usually by using objects or consulting spirits or deities
ExamplesGenesis 44:5 ‘Is this not that from which my lord drinks, and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this!’”
Genesis 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What is this thing that you have done? Do you not know that a man who is like me can indeed practice divination?”
Leviticus 19:26 ‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood. You shall not practice divination nor soothsaying.
-
to learn, to discover
Action by which humans learn acquire knowledge through careful observation, from experience, or by using divination
ExamplesGenesis 30:27 But Laban said to him, “If it pleases you at all, stay with me; I have determined by divination that the LORD has blessed me on your account.”
1 Kings 20:33 Now the men took this as a good omen, and quickly accepting it from him, they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he had him mount the chariot.
How it’s used In 5 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
8 occurrences in 6 groups
- אִישׁman, person, each 2
- Not stated: he, she or it 2
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
- Not stated: I 1
- Not stated: you (more than one) 1
- Not stated: they 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- בin/on/with+ וֹhim 1
With adverbsAdverbs
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לֹאnot 1
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- יָדַעto know 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- זֶהthis 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 3 words
- קָסַם qâçam · H7080 · to practice divination
- Both terms denote divination practices, overlapping senses as methods of occult inquiry.
- עָנַן ʻânan · H6049 · to practice soothsaying, to practice divination, to tell fortunes
- Both words denote practices of divination, enchantment and augury, two distinct verbs for similar divinatory activities.
- כָּשַׁף kâshaph · H3784 · to practice sorcery, sorcerer: sorceress
- Both terms denote distinct divinatory practices — sorcery/witchcraft versus divination/enchantment/augury — within the same semantic field, able to substitute for each other in describing prohibited magical activities.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Divination002003003009
- נָחַשׁ denotes practicing divination, as Laban says he has "learned by divination" that the LORD has blessed him because of Jacob (Genesis 30:27), and Joseph's steward claims his master divines with his silver cup (Genesis 44:5, 15), tying the word to seeking hidden knowledge through omens.
- Know002004002007
- The word's association with divination as a means of acquiring otherwise hidden knowledge ties it to this domain of gaining understanding, even though the method itself (divination) is distinct from ordinary learning.
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5172. nachash II. [נָחַשׁ verb only Pi`el practise divination, divine, observe signs…
II. [נָחַשׁ verb only
Pi`el practise divination, divine, observe signs (denominative from נָהָשׁ according to NöZeitschr. f. Völkerpsychol. i (1860), 413 BauSemitic Rel. i. 287 LagBN 188 GerberVerb. Denom. 29; otherwise WeSkizzen iii. 147 MeiChrest. Targ. 8. see BaES 48 (against him see StaThLz April 28, 1894, 235); chief difficulty is that Aramaic, which has נַחֵשׁ, has no נָחָשׁ compare RSJPh.xiv. 115; — Late Hebrew Qal Participle נוֺחֵשׁ, and Pi`el; Aramaic Pa`el נַחֵשׁ, , all = divine, learn by omens; perhaps compare also Arabic be unlucky Lane2775 compare Mei1.c); — Perfect3masculine singular וְנִחֵשׁ 2Ki 21:6; 2Ch 33:6; 2Ch 33:1 singular נִחַ֫שְׁתִּי Gen 30:27; Imperfect יְגַחֵשׁ Gen 44:5, Gen 44:15; Gen 44:3masculine plural יְנַחֲשׁוּ 1Ki 20:33, וַיְנַחָ֑שׁוּ 2Ki 17:17; 2Ki 17:2masculine plural תְּנַחֲשׁוּ Lev 19:26; Infinitive absolute נַחֵשׁ1Ki 20:33; Participle מְנַחֵשׁ Deu 18:10 (compare especially RSJPhoenician xiv. .113 ff.); —
1 practise divination Gen 44:5 (J; by means of cup, i.e. by hydromancy), with implied power to learn secret things Gen 44:15; condemned by prophetic writer 2Ki 21:6 2Ch 33:6 (+ וְיִדְּעֹנִים אוֺב וְעָשָׂח עוֺנֵן), 2Ki 17:17 (|| קְסָמִים וַיִּקְסְמוּ); forbidden in D and H: Deu 18:10 ( + וּמְכַשֵּׁף מְעוֺנֵן קְסָמִים קֹסֵם), Lev 19:26 (H; || תְּעוֺנֵנ֑וּ).
2 observe the signs or omens Gen 30:27 (j); so probably יְנַחֲשׁוּ 1Ki 20:33 now the men were observing the signs.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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