נִיצוֹץ
𐤍𐤉𐤑𐤅𐤑
nîytsôwts
H5213 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A small, bright particle emitted from a fire or as the result of striking or burning, typically understood as a 'spark.' The word refers concretely to small luminous fragments arising from combustion or from intense heat, with occasional figurative usage to denote a sudden or fleeting emission of light or energy.
Semantic Range
spark from fire, small gleaming particle, glint, fleeting flash, (rarely) fig. a momentary brightness
Root / Etymology
Root: נָצַץ (n-ts-ts), meaning 'to sparkle, glisten, shine.' נִיצוֹץ is a nominal form derived directly from this root, functioning as a diminutive or concrete noun that denotes something which sparkles, i.e., a 'spark.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, נִיצוֹץ occurs sparingly and is generally used in poetic or descriptive passages (e.g., Isaiah 1:31) to evoke the image of fire, destruction, or fleeting luminescence. It does not have broader metaphorical meaning in most passages, but later Hebrew and related Semitic languages occasionally extend the term's use to describe inspiration, flickering hope, or life-force in more figurative contexts. English translations generally render it as 'spark,' which accurately conveys the basic sense. The word is distinct from terms like פֶּחָם (peḥam, 'charcoal') or גַּחֶלֶת (gachelet, 'live coal'), which refer to larger or more lasting sources of burning material, as opposed to the fleeting and minute נִיצוֹץ. The form itself is a relatively late-derived noun, likely not used in the oldest Biblical layers.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָצַץ; a spark; spark.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נצץ (n-ts-ts) — to sparkle, to shine, to glisten
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5322 | נֵץ | her blossom |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5213-01 |
לְ/נִיצ֑וֹץ | lenitsots | HR/Ncmsa |
as a spark | to a spark | as a spark | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5213-01 |
Isaiah 1:31 | לְ/נִיצ֑וֹץ | lenitsots | HR/Ncmsa |
as a spark | to a spark | as a spark |