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נְסַךְ

𐤍𐤎𐤊

nᵉçak

H5261 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נסך to pour, to make a libation, to pour out (liquid ritual offering)

Definition

A ritual libation or drink offering, typically of wine, poured out as part of sacrificial ceremonies. In Aramaic biblical texts, it refers specifically to the liquid offering component accompanying various sacrificial rites within the temple cultus.

Semantic Range

ritual libation, drink offering (typically wine), liquid poured out ceremonially as part of a sacrifice; in some contexts, the act of making such a libation; can refer to the vessel or portion designated for the libation

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root נסך (n-s-k), meaning 'to pour out' or 'to make a libation.' In Aramaic, the form נְסַךְ (nᵉsak) corresponds to the Hebrew noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh), both denoting the act or substance of pouring out a drink offering. The term is a direct nominal derivation from the verb 'to pour out (a liquid offering)'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, drink offerings (נסך) are regularly associated with sacrificial rituals, especially accompanying burnt offerings and grain offerings (e.g., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers). The Aramaic form נְסַךְ occurs in post-exilic literature (notably Daniel 2:46), reflecting the persistence of sacrificial vocabulary after the Babylonian exile, now within an Aramaic-speaking context. While standard translations often render the term as "drink offering" or "libation," these may obscure its function within Israelite and early Second Temple rituals. The drink offering was understood as a substance set apart to be poured out upon the altar or ground, often as wine, accompanying or completing other offerings. The Aramaic term is used in similar ritual and liturgical contexts as the Hebrew, though more rarely in the extant corpus. Unlike the general Hebrew word for "offering" (e.g., קָרְבָּן), נְסַךְ specifically denotes the poured liquid, distinguishing it from solid or burnt sacrificial elements. In later periods, the institution of libations continued to inform both Jewish and non-Jewish ritual vocabularies, but the precise details of libation practice can differ significantly between sources and eras.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to נֶסֶךְ; a libation; drink offering.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נסך (n-s-k) — to pour, to pour out, to make a libation

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4537 מָסַךְ cast-metal image
H4541 מַסֵּכָה the cast-metal image
H4545 מַסֶּכֶת the spread-out textile
H5257 נְסִיךְ their installed prince
H5258 נָסַךְ I will pour out

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5261-01 וְ/נִסְכֵּי/ה֑וֹן venisekeyhon AC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and-their-drink-offerings and their ritual libations 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5261-01 Ezra 7:17 וְ/נִסְכֵּי/ה֑וֹן venisekeyhon AC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and-their-drink-offerings and their ritual libations
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