נָסַע
𐤍𐤎𐤏
nâçaʻ
H5265 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To pull up or break camp (particularly tent pegs), to set out or depart on a journey, to remove or cause to move from place to place. In narrative uses, especially denotes the act of beginning a journey (typically by breaking camp) or progressing from one location to another, whether for an individual, family, clan, or whole people. Often used of nomadic movement but also in broader senses such as 'to remove' or 'to set out' in military and non-military contexts.
Semantic Range
to break camp, to set out on a journey, to remove (from a place), to cause to depart, to march (in a military context), to transport (goods, people), to be on the way, to progress stage by stage
Root / Etymology
From the root נ-ס-ע (נסע), meaning 'to pull up.' The root likely originated with the act of uprooting tent pegs, a common task among ancient pastoralists and nomads, expanding metaphorically to denote departure or travel. The derived verb thus conveys movement that begins with the tangible act of breaking camp.
Historical & Contextual Notes
נָסַע is especially prominent in narratives depicting the movements of patriarchal families (e.g., Abraham, Jacob) and the collective journeys of the Israelites, with frequent usage in contexts of encampment and nomadism (Gen 12:9; Exod 12:37; Num 10:12). In priestly writings (notably Numbers), it describes the regulated stages of Israelite migration in the wilderness and is linked with the logistical aspects of tent life. The verb occurs both intransitively (to set out) and transitively (to move/transport something). In later and non-biblical Hebrew, alternative verbs for travel or removal become more common, but נָסַע persists in liturgical language as 'to depart' or 'set out.' English translations often paraphrase its literal sense ('to pull up') as 'to set out' or 'journey,' which captures the broader semantic field, though the nomadic implication may be lost. The verb should be distinguished from צָרַע (to journey, but much rarer) and יָצָא (to go out), which are less specifically associated with breaking camp.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to pull up, especially the tent-pins, i.e. start on ajourney; cause to blow, bring, get, (make to) go (away, forth, forward, onward, out), (take) journey, march, remove, set aside (forward), [idiom] still, be on his (go their) way.
Bantu Hebrew
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נסע (n-s-ʿ) — to pull up, break camp, depart
Word Forms
33 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5265-24 |
וַ/יִּסְעוּ֙ | vayiseu | HC/Vqw3mp |
And they journeyed | and they broke camp | 60 |
H5265-21 |
וַ/יִּסַּ֣ע | vayisa | HC/Vqw3ms |
and moved | and he broke camp | 11 |
H5265-32 |
יִסָּֽעוּ | yisau | HVqi3mp |
they journeyed | they break camp | 9 |
H5265-04 |
נָסַ֣ע | nasa | HVqp3ms |
he had departed | he broke camp | 6 |
H5265-06 |
נָסְע֣וּ | naseu | HVqp3cp |
journeyed | they broke camp | 6 |
H5265-33 |
יִסְע֖וּ | yiseu | HVqi3mp |
they journeyed | they will break camp | 5 |
H5265-27 |
וְ/נָֽסְעוּ֙ | venaseu | HC/Vqq3cp |
and set out | and they broke camp | 5 |
H5265-25 |
וְ/נָסַ֧ע | venasa | HC/Vqq3ms |
And set forward | and he lifted | 4 |
H5265-02 |
בִּ/נְסֹ֣עַ | binesoa | HR/Vqc |
in-setting-out | in breaking camp | 4 |
H5265-05 |
נָסָ֔עוּ | nasau | HVqp3cp |
they journeyed | they broke camp | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
146 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5265-01 |
Genesis 11:2 | בְּ/נָסְעָ֣/ם | benaseam | HR/Vqc/Sp3mp |
as they journeyed | in their breaking camp |
H5265-21 |
Genesis 12:9 | וַ/יִּסַּ֣ע | vayisa | HC/Vqw3ms |
And he journeyed | and he broke camp |
H5265-28 |
Genesis 12:9 | וְ/נָס֖וֹעַ | venasoa | HC/Vqa |
and journeying | and breaking camp |
H5265-21 |
Genesis 13:11 | וַ/יִּסַּ֥ע | vayisa | HC/Vqw3ms |
and journeyed | and he broke camp |
H5265-21 |
Genesis 20:1 | וַ/יִּסַּ֨ע | vayisa | HC/Vqw3ms |
journeyed | and he broke camp |
H5265-08 |
Genesis 33:12 | נִסְעָ֣ה | niseah | HVqh1cp |
let us journey | let us break camp |
H5265-04 |
Genesis 33:17 | נָסַ֣ע | nasa | HVqp3ms |
journeyed | he broke camp |
H5265-23 |
Genesis 35:5 | וַ/יִּסָּ֑עוּ | vayisau | HC/Vqw3mp |
they set out | they broke camp |
H5265-24 |
Genesis 35:16 | וַ/יִּסְעוּ֙ | vayiseu | HC/Vqw3mp |
they journeyed | and they broke camp |
H5265-21 |
Genesis 35:21 | וַ/יִּסַּ֖ע | vayisa | HC/Vqw3ms |
journeyed | and he broke camp |