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.
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 submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot 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 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5402-04 |
נָֽשֶׁק | nasheq | HNcmsa |
of battle | weaponry | 2 |
H5402-05 |
נֶ֖שֶׁק | nesheq | HNcmsc |
the weapons | weaponry of | 2 |
H5402-06 |
בַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | vanesheq | HRd/Ncmsa |
with-the-weapons | with the weaponry | 1 |
H5402-07 |
וְ/הַ/נָּֽשֶׁק | vehanasheq | HC/Td/Ncmsa |
and the weapons | and the weaponry | 1 |
H5402-01 |
בְּ/נֶ֨שֶׁק | benesheq | HR/Ncmsa |
with weapons | with weaponry | 1 |
H5402-02 |
הַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | hanesheq | HTd/Ncmsa |
to the armory | the weaponry | 1 |
H5402-03 |
מִ/נֵּ֣שֶׁק | minesheq | HR/Ncmsc |
from the weapon | from weaponry | 1 |
H5402-08 |
וְ/נֵ֣שֶׁק | venesheq | HC/Ncmsa |
and weapons | weaponry | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5402-08 |
1 Kings 10:25 | וְ/נֵ֣שֶׁק | venesheq | HC/Ncmsa |
and weapons | weaponry |
H5402-07 |
2 Kings 10:2 | וְ/הַ/נָּֽשֶׁק | vehanasheq | HC/Td/Ncmsa |
and the weapons | and the weaponry |
H5402-05 |
Isaiah 22:8 | נֶ֖שֶׁק | nesheq | HNcmsc |
the weapons | weaponry of |
H5402-01 |
Ezekiel 39:9 | בְּ/נֶ֨שֶׁק | benesheq | HR/Ncmsa |
with weapons | with weaponry |
H5402-06 |
Ezekiel 39:10 | בַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | vanesheq | HRd/Ncmsa |
with-the-weapons | with the weaponry |
H5402-04 |
Psalms 140:8 | נָֽשֶׁק | nasheq | HNcmsa |
of battle | weaponry |
H5402-03 |
Job 20:24 | מִ/נֵּ֣שֶׁק | minesheq | HR/Ncmsc |
from the weapon | from weaponry |
H5402-04 |
Job 39:21 | נָֽשֶׁק | nasheq | HNcmsa |
the weapons | weaponry |
H5402-02 |
Nehemiah 3:19 | הַ/נֶּ֖שֶׁק | hanesheq | HTd/Ncmsa |
to the armory | the weaponry |
H5402-05 |
2 Chronicles 9:24 | נֵ֣שֶׁק | nesheq | HNcmsa |
weapons | weaponry of |