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נָשָׂא

𐤍𐤔𐤀

nâsâʼ

H5375 verb

SILEX Entry

Root נשׂא to lift, to carry, to bear (in physical or metaphorical sense)

Definition

To lift, carry, or bear, either physically (e.g., to raise objects, bear burdens) or metaphorically (e.g., to bear responsibility, guilt, or a person's countenance). In various contexts, נָשָׂא can also mean to take away, to forgive (i.e., to remove guilt), to exalt or elevate (someone to a position of honor or in self-elevation), or to endure (hardship, punishment).

Semantic Range

to lift up, to carry, to bear (burdens, responsibility, guilt), to take away, to elevate (status, countenance), to pardon or forgive, to endure (suffering), to take as wife, to accept or receive, to exalt, to display, to remove, to bear up under, to show favor, to swear (take an oath, by lifting hand)

Root / Etymology

Root is נשׂא, a common Semitic root with the basic meaning 'to lift' or 'to carry.' The verb form reflects an active transitive function, with derivatives and extended stems taking on a range of physical and figurative nuances. The etymology is well-supported across Semitic languages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Across biblical texts, נָשָׂא is notably polysemic: in early Israelite literature it frequently describes the physical act of bearing burdens or lifting up (e.g., carrying the Ark, Numbers 4:15; Genesis 7:17). In later narrative and poetic passages, its meaning often expands to abstract concepts such as 'bearing guilt' (Leviticus 5:1, Numbers 18:22), 'bearing reproach' (Psalms 69:8), or 'lifting one's eyes' (signaling attention, hope, or desire, e.g., Genesis 13:10). In priestly texts, 'bearing iniquity' refers to accepting responsibility or suffering consequences on behalf of others (cf. Exodus 28:38), and in ritual contexts, the word can mean 'to pardon' or 'forgive' (Leviticus 10:17). The word can also refer to elevation to status (to exalt, see 2 Samuel 6:22), or the act of 'taking a wife' (as in, lifting into one's household, e.g., Exodus 34:16). English translations often flatten this nuance, rendering as 'bear,' 'forgive,' 'take up,' or 'lift,' sometimes missing theological or ritual dimensions specific to priestly or legal contexts. Distinguished from סבל (to bear, carry in the sense of bearing a physical burden) and סָעַד (to support, uphold), נָשָׂא carries a broader scope including abstract and interpersonal contexts. Use persists from early narrative (Genesis) through legal (Leviticus, Numbers) and poetic/prophetic (Psalms, Isaiah) texts, with meaning shaped by genre and context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or נָסָה; (Psalm 4:6 (אֲבַד)), a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative; accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ([phrase] man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, [idiom] needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, [phrase] swear, take (away, up), [idiom] utterly, wear, yield.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נשׂא (n-ś-ʾ) — lifting, carrying, bearing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4864 מַשְׂאֵת lifted-portion of
H5265 נָסַע and he lifted

Word Forms

139 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5375-97 וַ/יִּשְׂאוּ֙ vayiseu HC/Vqw3mp and they carried and they lifted up 43
H5375-91 וַ/יִּשָּׂא vayisa HC/Vqw3ms lifted up and he lifted 42
H5375-128 יִשָּׂ֥א yisa HVqi3ms shall bear he will lift 37
H5375-44 נֹשֵׂ֥א nose HVqrmsa bearing the one who bears 33
H5375-46 נֹשְׂאֵ֖י noseey HVqrmpc bearing bearing-ones of 26
H5375-19 נָשָׂ֥א nasa HVqp3ms brought he lifted 26
H5375-62 תִשָּׂ֣א tisa HVqi2ms you shall take you will lift 25
H5375-14 לָ/שֵׂ֣את laset HR/Vqc to carry to lift up 24
H5375-04 אֶשָּׂ֖א esa HVqi1cs I lift up I lift 23
H5375-58 שְׂא֤וּ seu HVqv2mp Lift up Lift up! 20

Occurrences in Scripture

654 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5375-18 Genesis 4:13 מִ/נְּשֹֽׂא mineso HR/Vqc than I can bear to bear
H5375-97 Genesis 7:17 וַ/יִּשְׂאוּ֙ vayiseu HC/Vqw3mp and lifted and they lifted up
H5375-19 Genesis 13:6 נָשָׂ֥א nasa HVqp3ms bear he lifted
H5375-91 Genesis 13:10 וַ/יִּשָּׂא vayisa HC/Vqw3ms lifted up and he lifted
H5375-51 Genesis 13:14 שָׂ֣א sa HVqv2ms lift up Lift up!
H5375-91 Genesis 18:2 וַ/יִּשָּׂ֤א vayisa HC/Vqw3ms he lifted up and he lifted
H5375-62 Genesis 18:24 תִשָּׂ֣א tisa HVqi2ms spare you will lift
H5375-109 Genesis 18:26 וְ/נָשָׂ֥אתִי venasati HC/Vqq1cs I will spare and I lifted
H5375-22 Genesis 19:21 נָשָׂ֣אתִי nasati HVqp1cs I have lifted up I have lifted
H5375-84 Genesis 21:16 וַ/תִּשָּׂ֥א vatisa HC/Vqw3fs and lifted up and she lifted
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