נֵצַח
𐤍𐤑𐤇
Nêtsach
H5332 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Nêtsach refers primarily to the blood or juice of the grape, often employed as a poetic term for blood in a violent or life-forfeiting context, but also at times emphasizing richness or the vivid color associated with grape juice or blood. The word is often used figuratively or metonymically in poetic passages, particularly in reference to the pouring out of blood in battle or the vivid appearance of grape juice during treading.
Semantic Range
(poetic) grape juice; (figurative) blood (especially blood shed in battle); vividness or splendor associated with the color of grape juice or blood
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root נצח (n-ts-ch), which in its most common verb form means 'to be permanent, endure, excel, be eminent.' As a noun, נֵצַח developed various abstract meanings such as 'splendor,' 'eternity,' or 'eminence.' In the form נֵצַח (H5332), the meaning is more concretely tied to 'juice of the grape' or 'blood,' likely through the conceptual link with the vivid, enduring, or striking color of grape juice and blood. The precise semantic development is debated among scholars, but most lexicons see the sense of 'juice' or 'blood' as derived by extension from the notion of vivacity or brilliance.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Occurrences of נֵצַח (H5332) are rare and appear almost exclusively in poetic contexts (cf. Isaiah 63:3). The term does not appear as the common noun for grape juice or blood in regular narrative but rather as an elevated or literary alternative, whose imagery is closely linked to triumph, dominance, or the spectacle of battle in prophetic and poetic texts. This use likely draws on root associations with brilliance or eminence, emphasizing either the vivid color or the spectacular violence. English translations often render the term as 'blood' or 'juice,' but these may underrepresent the poetic force or nuance of the word. Later, the related term נֶצַח develops other abstract senses, such as 'eternity' or 'splendor,' but these are not directly part of the semantic range of H5332. It is important to note that this term should not be confused with other words for 'blood' (e.g., דָּם) or 'wine' (יָיִן), which are much more common and have different lexical backgrounds.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably identical with נֶצַח, through the idea of brilliancy of color; juice of the grape (as blood red); blood, strength.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נצח (n-ts-ḥ) — to endure, to be eminent, to excel
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5329 | נָצַח | to the overseeing one |
| H5330 | נְצַח | self-exalting one |
| H5331 | נֶצַח | to perpetuity? |
| H5335 | נְצִיחַ | Netsiach |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5332-01 |
נִצְחָ/ם֙ | nitsecham | HNcmsc/Sp3mp |
their lifeblood | their blood-juice | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5332-01 |
Isaiah 63:3 | נִצְחָ/ם֙ | nitsecham | HNcmsc/Sp3mp |
their lifeblood | their blood-juice |
H5332-01 |
Isaiah 63:6 | נִצְחָֽ/ם | nitsecham | HNcmsc/Sp3mp |
their strength | their blood-juice |