נֶשֶׁק
𐤍𐤔𐤒
nesheq
H5402 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Military equipment or weaponry; refers to arms or implements of war, whether offensive (like swords, spears, bows) or defensive in nature. Can denote the concept of weaponry collectively (i.e., an arsenal) or the individual items themselves. Occasionally metonymically refers to those equipped with arms (armed men).
Semantic Range
military equipment, arms, weapons, arsenal, armoury, implements of war, armed force (metonymically)
Root / Etymology
From the root נ-ש-ק (נשק), which at its core means 'to equip with weapons' or 'to arm'; the noun נֶשֶׁק (nesheq) derives directly from this verbal sense. While the root נשק can also mean 'to kiss' in other derivations, in this nominal form it pertains specifically to armament or weaponry. There is a semantic divergence in the root's two main threads: 'to arm' (military) and 'to kiss' (gesture of affection), but these are distinct in biblical usage and do not overlap in meaning for this term.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, נֶשֶׁק consistently designates tangible implements of warfare. In early Israelite narratives and poetic passages, it refers both to the physical weapons (e.g., swords, bows, spears) and, more rarely, to the storehouses or arsenals containing them (e.g., Jeremiah 50:25). Unlike other Hebrew terms for weapons such as כְּלִי (kli, 'vessel, implement, weapon') or צִיּוֹן (tsiyyôn, 'equipment, pack'), נֶשֶׁק is more restricted to the context of war armament specifically. English Bible translations often render נֶשֶׁק as 'arms,' 'weapons,' or 'armoury,' but some nuances (collective sense of a storehouse or arsenal, potential metonymy for armed forces) can be lost. The noun remains consistent in meaning from early monarchical through exilic texts. In later Hebrew (after the biblical period), the term continues to denote weaponry but expands slightly to include military stores or stockpiles more generally. The translation 'armed men' is a metonymic extension in some versions but is not the primary lexical sense.
Translation Consistency
'Weapon' is the simplest, natural English headword that covers individual arms and can be pluralized to express collective force (weapons/weaponry). It fits the typical usage of נֶשֶׁק as arms or implements of war while remaining modern and easy to inflect consistently across all forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or נֵשֶׁק; from נָשַׁק; military equipment, i.e. (collectively) arms (offensive or defensive), or (concretely) an arsenal; armed men, armour(-y), battle, harness, weapon.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
נשק (n-š-q) — to arm, to equip, to supply with weapons
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5390 | נְשִׁיקָה | from kisses of |
| H5400 | נָשַׂק | was kindled |
| H5401 | נָשַׁק | I will kiss you |
Word Forms
8 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5402-04 |
נָֽשֶׁק | nasheq | HNcmsa |
of battle | weaponry | weaponry | 2 |
H5402-05 |
נֶ֖שֶׁק | nesheq | HNcmsc |
the weapons | weaponry of | weaponry | 2 |
H5402-06 |
בַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | vanesheq | HRd/Ncmsa |
with-the-weapons | with the weaponry | with the weaponry | 1 |
H5402-07 |
וְ/הַ/נָּֽשֶׁק | vehanasheq | HC/Td/Ncmsa |
and the weapons | and the weaponry | and the weaponry | 1 |
H5402-01 |
בְּ/נֶ֨שֶׁק | benesheq | HR/Ncmsa |
with weapons | with weaponry | with weapons | 1 |
H5402-02 |
הַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | hanesheq | HTd/Ncmsa |
to the armory | the weaponry | the armory | 1 |
H5402-03 |
מִ/נֵּ֣שֶׁק | minesheq | HR/Ncmsc |
from the weapon | from weaponry | from weaponry | 1 |
H5402-08 |
וְ/נֵ֣שֶׁק | venesheq | HC/Ncmsa |
and weapons | weaponry | and weaponry | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5402-08 |
1 Kings 10:25 | וְ/נֵ֣שֶׁק | venesheq | HC/Ncmsa |
and weapons | weaponry | and weaponry |
H5402-07 |
2 Kings 10:2 | וְ/הַ/נָּֽשֶׁק | vehanasheq | HC/Td/Ncmsa |
and the weapons | and the weaponry | and the weaponry |
H5402-05 |
Isaiah 22:8 | נֶ֖שֶׁק | nesheq | HNcmsc |
the weapons | weaponry of | weaponry of |
H5402-01 |
Ezekiel 39:9 | בְּ/נֶ֨שֶׁק | benesheq | HR/Ncmsa |
with weapons | with weaponry | with weapons |
H5402-06 |
Ezekiel 39:10 | בַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | vanesheq | HRd/Ncmsa |
with-the-weapons | with the weaponry | with the weaponry |
H5402-04 |
Psalms 140:8 | נָֽשֶׁק | nasheq | HNcmsa |
of battle | weaponry | weaponry |
H5402-03 |
Job 20:24 | מִ/נֵּ֣שֶׁק | minesheq | HR/Ncmsc |
from the weapon | from weaponry | from weaponry |
H5402-04 |
Job 39:21 | נָֽשֶׁק | nasheq | HNcmsa |
the weapons | weaponry | weaponry |
H5402-02 |
Nehemiah 3:19 | הַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | hanesheq | HTd/Ncmsa |
to the armory | the weaponry | the armory |
H5402-05 |
2 Chronicles 9:24 | נֵ֣שֶׁק | nesheq | HNcmsa |
weapons | weaponry of | weaponry |