Lexical Summary nossion: Young bird, chick Original Word: νοσσίον Strong's Exhaustive Concordance chicken. Diminutive of neossos; a birdling -- chicken. see GREEK neossos Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3556: νοσσίοννοσσίον, νοσσιου, τό (see νοσσία), a brood of birds: Matthew 23:37 and Lachmann text in Luke 13:34 (where others νοσσία, see the preceding word). (Arstph, Aristotle, Aelian; for אֶפְרֹחִים Psalm 83:4 Topical Lexicon Topical Overview νοσσιά pictures the vulnerable “nest” or “brood” of newly hatched chicks gathered beneath the wings of the mother hen. Scripture employs this domestic scene only once in the Greek New Testament, yet the image resonates with earlier biblical revelation that portrays God’s covenantal care in avian metaphors. Scriptural Occurrence Matthew 23:37: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!” (Berean Standard Bible). Here Jesus employs νοσσιά to describe the people of Jerusalem—His covenant nation—whom He desired to shelter from judgment. Old Testament and Second-Temple Background 1. Deuteronomy 32:11 likens the LORD to an eagle that “spreads its wings to catch them.” These antecedents prepare the hearer to recognize the Messiah’s yearning to enfold His people just as God had throughout salvation history. Theological Significance • Covenant Compassion: νοσσιά encapsulates Yahweh’s parental tenderness, affirming that divine holiness never precludes heartfelt mercy (Lamentations 3:22-23). Historical and Cultural Context In first-century agrarian life, the sight of a hen brooding over her young was commonplace. Farmers knew the instinctive peril fledglings faced when wandering from maternal cover—heat, predators, sudden weather. Jesus chooses a universally understood scene to convict hardened hearts and to invite repentance in plain, home-grown speech. Connection to Larger Biblical Themes • Refuge: Psalms 17:8; 36:7; and 57:1 develop the wing motif as a sanctuary, fulfilled climactically in Christ’s redemptive work. Pastoral and Homiletical Insights 1. Assurance for Believers: The imagery invites Christians to rest in the finished work of the cross, where ultimate refuge is secured (Romans 8:1). Practical Ministry Applications • Counseling: Encourage wounded saints to visualize themselves beneath His wings, fostering trust. Intertextual Echoes in Revelation Though νοσσιά itself does not occur in Revelation, the protective imagery reappears when the woman is given “the two wings of a great eagle” (Revelation 12:14), suggesting a thematic culmination of divine shelter amid eschatological conflict. Summary Strong’s Greek 3556 embodies a single, vivid snapshot of divine tenderness. From Torah through Prophets to Gospel, the winged refuge motif converges in Jesus Christ, who yearns to gather a repentant people. The word challenges readers and hearers to dwell continually in the safety He alone provides. Forms and Transliterations νοσσια νοσσία νοσσοποιήσουσιν nossia nossíaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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