נְחֹשֶׁת

𐤍𐤇𐤔𐤕

nᵉchôsheth

H5178 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נחש to shine, to be bright

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

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Root 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