eRhema Explore
Word

נֵס

nêç · H5251 · Hebrew · 21 occurrences

See all 21 in Search

A word for 2 things

Meanings

  1. banner

    A distinctive object in the form of a flag or board attached to a stick, or a metal device or image fitted on the end of a pole; normally used to identify a particular group, or as a rallying point for soldiers in war; often used figuratively to denote an example, or a person or deity that one can rely on, or something that shows the way

    Examples

    Isaiah 5:26 He will also lift up a flag to the distant nation, And whistle for it from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.

    Isaiah 11:10 Then on that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal flag for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.

    Isaiah 11:12 And He will lift up a flag for the nations And assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.

  2. YHWH is my banner

    Altar built by Moses after the victory of Israel over Amalek

    Examples

    Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner;

  3. sail

    Large sheet of fabric attached above a boat to catch the wind and thus move the boat forward through the water

    Examples

    Isaiah 33:23 Your ship’s tackle hangs slack; It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly, Nor spread out the sail. Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided; Those who limp will take the plunder.

    Ezekiel 27:7 “Your sail was of colorfully embroidered linen from Egypt So that it became your flag; Your awning was violet and purple from the coastlands of Elishah.

How it’s used In 4 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

3 occurrences in 2 groups

Named alongside itApposition

1 occurrences in 1 groups

What is done to itIt is the object

13 occurrences in 5 groups

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

7 occurrences in 4 groups

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 1 word
דֶּגֶל degel · H1714 · banner, standard
Both words denote a standard or banner used by military or tribal groups for signaling and identification.
In the other Testament 2 words
σημεῖον sēmeîon · G4592 · sign
σημεῖον (sēmeîon, G4592) renders נֵס (nêç, H5251) when the Hebrew term denotes a visible sign or signal function (banner/standard as indicator), capturing the semantic overlap in 'sign' as distinguishing marker; נֵס (nêç, H5251)'s broader material referents (physical pole, sail structure) fall outside σημεῖον's semantic range.
σύσσημον sýssēmon · G4953 · signal, sign
Greek σύσσημον specializes in the signal/sign function of a banner or standard, emphasizing its role as a prearranged or military signal, whereas Hebrew נֵס encompasses the broader physical object (banner, pole, standard) that may serve various functions including but not limited to signaling.
Semantic domains 3 entries
Signs001003001001016
The word names a raised standard or signal-pole, as when Moses lifts the bronze serpent on a pole for the people to look at and live (Numbers 21:8-9), tying the word to a visible signaling device.
Names of Constructions003001003
The word is also used as part of the altar-name "The LORD is My Banner" that Moses builds after the defeat of Amalek (Exodus 17:15), a specific-construction sense tied to that named memorial.
Ships001003001001015
The word can also denote a ship's sail or mast, a nautical sense of the raised pole distinct from the military/signal-standard citations sampled here.
Word family 2 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

נָסַס nâçaç · H5264 · to be sick, to glitter, to sparkle · 2×נֵסnêç · H5251
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5251. nes נֵס noun [masculine] standard, ensign, signal, sign (Late Hebrew id., flag,…
H5251. nes
נֵס noun [masculine] standard, ensign, signal, sign (Late Hebrew id., flag, usually sign, i.e. miracle; נִסָּא נֵס, ᵑ7 sign, miracle); — ׳נ absolute Num 21:8 +; construct Isa 11:10; suffix נִסִּי Exo 17:15; Isa 49:22; —
1. a. standard, as rallying-point, ׳י נִסִּי Exo 17:15 (E), ׳י my standard (name of altar); conspicuously set on hill Isa 30:17 (simile of solitariness; || הָהָר עַלרֿאֹשׁ תֹּרֶן); signal of war [see SchumacherZPV ix. 232, Across the Jordan, 104 f.] (especially to the nations, for destruction or deliverance of Judah, Isaiah Jeremiah), נ ׳נָשָׂא לַגּוֺיִם Isa 5:26; Isa 11:12; compare Isa 18:3 (on mountains, || שׁוֺפָר תָּקַע); נ ׳אָרִים אֶלעַֿמִּים Isa 49:22 (|| יָדִי אֶלגּֿוֺיִם אֶשָּׂא), — in all these subject ׳י; compare עַמִּים לְנֵס עֹמֵד Isa 10:11 (of Messianic king); נ ׳שְׂאוּ Isa 13:2 (on mountain), Jer 50:2; Jer 51:12 (with אֶלֿ against), Jer 51:27 (|| בַּגּוֺיִם שׁוֺפָר תִּקְעוּ), נ ׳הָרִימוּ עַלעַֿמִּים Isa 62:10, compare Jer 4:21 (|| שׁוֺפָר קוֺל); ׳נָתַתָּהנ֗֗֗ לְהִתְנוֺסֵס Psa 60:6 thou hast set a standard (only) for fleeing.
b. signal, נ ׳שְׂאוּ צִיּ֫וֺנָה Jer 4:6 (i.e. to direct refugees to Zion).
2 standard, as pole, supporting serpent of bronze Num 21:8-9, (JE).
3. a. ensign, signal, לְנֵס לָךְ לִהְיוֺת מִפְרָשֵׁךְ הָיָה שֵׁשׁמִ֗֗֗מִּצְרַיִם Eze 27:7 byssus from Egypt was thy sail, to serve thee for an ensign (so DaToy; on lack of pennon on ancient ships see Co; > strike out Co Berthol); so
b. (since sails were the only ensign) = sail Isa 33:23 (Che Di and others; > pennon Ges Hi Ew De Du).
4 sign (compare Late Hebrew) = warning Num 26:10 (P).

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 3 entries
Ships2 occurrencesSigns18 occurrencesNames of Constructions1 occurrence

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

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.