נְחֹשֶׁת
𐤍𐤇𐤔𐤕
nᵉchôsheth
H5178 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A metallic substance, primarily copper or bronze, used for implements, weapons, and decorative objects in ancient Israelite material culture; occasionally employed in a figurative sense to denote hardness, strength, or baseness in comparison to more valuable metals such as gold and silver.
Semantic Range
copper, bronze, object made of copper/bronze (vessel, fetter, chain, altar, pillar), figurative meaning of strength or baseness
Root / Etymology
Root: נחש (nachash), meaning 'to shine, to be bright', from which the noun נְחֹשֶׁת likely derives, indicating a shiny metal. The word refers to copper in its pure state, but often designates bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) in contexts where alloyed metals are implied. Over time, the boundary between copper and bronze was linguistically and technologically fluid.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, נְחֹשֶׁת most often denotes copper or bronze, reflecting either the pure metal or its alloyed forms, depending on context and period. In the patriarchal and early monarchic periods, copper was a common metal, with bronze (copper alloyed with tin) becoming increasingly important during the later Bronze Age contexts. The term is used for sacred vessels, tools, weapons, and elements of temple construction (e.g., the Bronze Altar and 'pillar of bronze'), as well as for fetters and yokes. Occasionally, the word is used figuratively to signify qualities like strength, resilience, or moral baseness (especially in contrast to more precious metals like silver or gold). The translation tradition sometimes rendered נְחֹשֶׁת as 'brass,' but true brass (copper and zinc) was unknown in biblical times. The use of נְחֹשֶׁת does not indicate modern 'steel.' In later periods, such as during the post-exilic and Second Temple era, the term's spectrum may be more restricted or clarified by context, with Greek translations typically using χαλκός (chalkos). Comparisons with related terms: while זָהָב (zahav) is gold and כֶּסֶף (kesef) is silver, נְחֹשֶׁת covers both native copper and common bronze used for utilitarian and sacred purposes. Modern English translations frequently use 'bronze' rather than 'brass' for accuracy.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
for נְחוּשָׁה; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver); brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נחש (n-ḥ-sh) — to shine, to be bright
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5153 | נָחוּשׁ | bronze-made |
| H5154 | נְחוּשָׁה | copper-bronze |
| H5173 | נַחַשׁ | act of divination |
| H5174 | נְחָשׁ | copper |
| H5180 | נְחֻשְׁתָּן | Bronze-Thing |
Word Forms
18 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5178-09 |
נְחֹ֖שֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
bronze | shining copper | 75 |
H5178-03 |
הַ/נְּחֹ֨שֶׁת֙ | hanechoshet | HTd/Ncfsa |
the bronze | the bronze | 30 |
H5178-13 |
וּ/נְחֹֽשֶׁת | unechoshet | HC/Ncfsa |
and bronze | and bronze | 11 |
H5178-02 |
בַּֽ/נְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם | banechushetayim | HRd/Ncfda |
with bronze shackles | in two bronze pieces | 4 |
H5178-14 |
וּ/בַ/נְּחֹֽשֶׁת | uvanechoshet | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and in bronze | and in the bronze | 3 |
H5178-18 |
וְ/לַ/נְּחֹ֤שֶׁת | velanechoshet | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and for bronze | and to the bronze | 2 |
H5178-11 |
נְחֻשְׁתָּ֖/ם | nechushetam | HNcfsc/Sp3mp |
bronze-of-them | their bronze | 2 |
H5178-01 |
בַּ/נְּחֹ֑שֶׁת | banechoshet | HRd/Ncfsa |
in bronze | in the bright-metal | 2 |
H5178-16 |
בַֽ/נְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם | vanechushetayim | HRd/Ncfda |
in-bronze-fetters | in double-bronze | 2 |
H5178-06 |
לִ/נְחֻשְׁתָּ֖/ם | linechushetam | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3mp |
for their bronze | for their bronze | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
140 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5178-09 |
Genesis 4:22 | נְחֹ֖שֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
bronze | shining copper |
H5178-13 |
Exodus 25:3 | וּ/נְחֹֽשֶׁת | unechoshet | HC/Ncfsa |
and bronze | and bronze |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 26:11 | נְחֹ֖שֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
of bronze | shining copper |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 26:37 | נְחֹֽשֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
bronze | shining copper |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 27:2 | נְחֹֽשֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
with bronze | shining copper |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 27:3 | נְחֹֽשֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
bronze | shining copper |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 27:4 | נְחֹ֑שֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
of bronze | shining copper |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 27:4 | נְחֹ֔שֶׁת | nechoshet-2 | HNcfsa |
of bronze | shining copper |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 27:6 | נְחֹֽשֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
with bronze | shining copper |
H5178-09 |
Exodus 27:10 | נְחֹ֑שֶׁת | nechoshet | HNcfsa |
of bronze | shining copper |