נְחֹשֶׁת
nᵉchôsheth · H5178 · Hebrew · 140 occurrences
Thing
Meanings
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copper
A reddish-brown metal mined from the hills and used, together with tin, for the production of bronze
ExamplesDeuteronomy 8:9 a land where you will eat food without shortage, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.
Ezekiel 22:18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become waste metal to Me; all of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the smelting furnace; they are the waste metal of silver.
Ezekiel 22:20 ‘As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the smelting furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will place you there and melt you.
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bronze
A relatively hard yellowish-brown alloy consisting of copper and up to one-third tin, used by a craftsman to create artifacts, associated with strength and security but also with stubbornness, and considered valuable, but not as much as silver and gold
ExamplesGenesis 4:22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
Exodus 25:3 “This is the contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze,
Exodus 26:11 “You shall also make fifty clasps of bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be a unit.
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chains or fetters
Bronze chains or shackles attached to the feet of a captive in order to restrain their movements
ExamplesJudges 16:21 Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and restrained him with bronze chains, and he became a grinder in the prison.
2 Samuel 3:34 “Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in bronze shackles; As one falls before the wicked, you have fallen.” And all the people wept over him again.
2 Kings 25:7 And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.
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desire, lust
Meaning unsure, possibly: state in which humans are sexually attracted to someone else
ExamplesEzekiel 16:36 This is what the Lord GOD says: “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your obscene practices with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your sons that you gave to idols,
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
8 occurrences in 6 groups
- הֶםtheir 3
- כְּלִיvessel, utensil, weapon 1
- תְּנוּפָהwave offering 1
- יmy 1
- ךְyour 1
- הּher 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
7 occurrences in 7 groups
- קָלָלburnished 2
- טוֹבgood 1
- מָרַטto polish, to pull out hair 1
- מָרַקto scour 1
- צָהַבto be polished 1
- רַבmany, great 1
Named alongside itApposition
9 occurrences in 7 groups
- בָּקָרcattle, oxen 2
- כֵּןthus 2
- כִּיּוֹרbasin 1
- כִּכָּרtalent, plain, loaf 1
- מִזְבֵּחַaltar 1
- מְצֵלֶתcymbals 1
What it doesIt is the subject
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- חָרַרto burn 1
- שָׁפַךְto pour out, to shed 1
What is done to itIt is the object
9 occurrences in 7 groups
- לָקַחto take, to receive 2
- נָשָׂאto lift up, to carry, to bear 2
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- חָצַבto hew 1
- כָּבַדto honor, to be heavy, to glorify 1
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 1
What it is said to bePredicate
2 occurrences in 4 groups
- יָתֵדpeg 2
- כִּכָּרtalent, plain, loaf 1
- כְּלִיvessel, utensil, weapon 1
- שֶׁקֶלshekel 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
15 occurrences in 7 groups
- אֶדֶןbase 8
- עַמּוּדpillar 4
- כֹּלall, every, whole 2
- כֹתֶרֶתcapital 2
- יָתֵדpeg 1
- מִנְעָלbar 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
19 occurrences in 3 groups
- בin/on/with 19
- לto/for 8
- תַּחַתunder, below, instead of 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
65 occurrences in 32 groups
- כְּלִיvessel, utensil, weapon 10
- מִזְבֵּחַaltar 9
- מַכְבֵּרgrating 4
- יָםsea 3
- מִשְׁקָלweight 3
- נָחָשׁsnake 3
- Other words · 26 groups that occur once or twice (33) 33
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.
In the other Testament 3 words
- χαλκός chalkós · G5475 · bronze, brass, copper
- Greek χαλκός (chalkós, G5475) directly translates Hebrew נְחֹשֶׁת (nᵉchôsheth, H5178) as the standard LXX rendering for copper/bronze/brass as both raw material and finished metal objects.
- χάλκεος chálkeos · G5470 · made of bronze (brass or copper)
- Greek χάλκεος is the direct adjectival form denoting material composition ('made of copper/bronze'), corresponding to Hebrew נְחֹשֶׁת as the substantive noun for the metal itself ('copper, bronze, brass'); the Greek term functions as the natural grammatical equivalent when LXX translators render Hebrew constructs or attributive uses of the metal name.
- נְחָשׁ nᵉchâsh · H5174 · brass
- נְחָשׁ (nᵉchâsh, H5174) (Aramaic נְחָשׁ) is the direct Aramaic cognate of נְחֹשֶׁת (nᵉchôsheth, H5178) (Hebrew נְחֹשֶׁת), both denoting brass/bronze/copper from the shared nḥš root; נְחָשׁ (nᵉchâsh, H5174) appears exclusively in Daniel's Aramaic portions while נְחֹשֶׁת (nᵉchôsheth, H5178) is the standard Hebrew term throughout the OT.
Semantic domains 3 entries
- Metals001002005008
- נְחֹשֶׁת denotes bronze or copper, the metal used extensively in the tabernacle's furnishings, such as the bronze altar and its clasps and bases (Exodus 26:11, 27:2, 27:10), identifying it as a worked metal material.
- Cords001003001001004
- The word is also used of bronze fetters or chains used to bind captives, as prisoners are bound "with bronze chains" (2 Kings 25:7, Judges 16:21), tying the word to a restraining bond made of this metal.
- Desire002004001001001
- The domain classification here reflects a rare, figurative use of this word for a base or degrading appetite (rendered "filthiness" in some translations, e.g. Ezekiel 16:36), a nuance of the term distinct from its dominant literal metal sense sampled in the citations here.
Word family 5 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5178. nechosheth I. נְח֫שֶׁת137 noun masculine1Ki 7:45 (compare AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 108;…
I. נְח֫שֶׁת137 noun masculine1Ki 7:45 (compare AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 108; feminine1 Chronicles 18:8) copper, bronze (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Phoenician נחשת; Palmyrene נחשא Lzb322; Syriac , נְחָשָׁא ᵑ7, Arabic , Ethiopic (so also Old Ethiopic DHMEpigr.Denkm.aus Abess.(1894),52); WMMAs.u.Eur.127 cites Egyptian teµ(µ)ost, copper (= *tenµost), as loan-word from נְחשֶׁת + feminine article); — ׳נ absolute Gen 4:22 +; construct Exo 38:29; suffix נְחֻשְׁתִּי Lam 3:7, נְחֻשְׁתֵךְ Eze 16:36, נְחֻשְׁתָּהּ Eze 24:11, נְחֻשְׁתָּם 2Ki 25:13 2Ki 25:2t.; dual נְחֻשְׁתַּ֫יִם Jdg 16:21 Jdg 16:6t.; —
1 copper, as ore Deu 8:9, compare Zec 6:8; worked by artificer Gen 4:22 (J) 1Ki 7:14 (twice in verse); 2Ch 24:12; material — doubtless hardened with alloy, probably tin, making bronze, compare NowArchaeology i. 243 BenzArchaeology 214 — of armour 1Sa 17:5-6, 1Ki 14:27, utensils 2Ki 25:14 = Jer 52:18; Lev 6:21; Num 17:4 + very often, altar 2Ki 16:14-15, Exo 38:30; Exo 39:39, etc., and other objects Num 21:9 (twice in verse) (JE), 2Ki 18:4; 1Ki 4:13; 1Ki 7:15ff. +, especially in description of tabernacle and temple; cast 1Ki 7:14; polished מְמֹרָט 1Ki 7:45, מָרוּק2Ch 4:16 (compare Lev 6:21); and shining מֻצְהָב Ezr 8:27. On ׳נ קָלָל Eze 1:7; Dan 10:6 see קלל; ׳נ as spoil of war 2Sa 8:8; 2Ki 25:13 = Jer 52:17, Jer 52:20 etc.
2 fetters of copper or bronze, usually dual Jdg 16:21; 2Sa 3:34; 2Ki 25:7 = Jer 39:7; Jer 52:11; 2Ch 36:6, also 2Ch 33:11; singular only Lam 3:7 (figurative of oppression).
3 as less in value than gold but more than wood Isa 60:17 (twice in verse); figurative of worthless people Jer 6:28 (+ בַּרְזֶל), id. (as dross of silver) Eze 22:18 (+ עוֺפֶרֶת בַּרְזֶל, בְּדִיל,). — On Eze 16:36 see IV. נחשׁ.
4 figurative of pitiless sky Deu 28:23.
II. [נְח֫שֶׁת] noun [feminine] suffix נְחֻשְׁתֵּךְ Eze 16:36 where context (|| עֶרְוָה) favours meaning lust, harlotry, or specific sens. obscoen. (Co [citing Ki Ra] Berthol, see also Da); text perhaps corrupt (compare NöZMG xl (1886). 730); Sm proposes תַּזְנוּתַיִךְ, so apparently ToyHpt; Or בָּשְׁתֵּךְ.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 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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