Lexical Summary nechosheth: bronze, brass, bronze fetters Original Word: נְחשֶׁת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter of brass, filthiness, steel For nchuwshah; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. Coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver) -- brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel. see HEBREW nchuwshah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition copper, bronze NASB Translation brass (2), bronze (130), bronze chains (1), bronze fetters (2), chain (1), copper (1), fetters (1), fetters of bronze (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. נְח֫שֶׁת137 noun masculine1Kings 7:45 (compare AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 108; feminine1 Chronicles 18:8) copper, bronze (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Phoenician נחשת; Palmyrene נחשא Lzb322; Syriac  , ᵑ7 נְחָשָׁא, Arabic  , Ethiopic  (so also Old Ethiopic DHMEpigr.Denkm.aus Abess.(1894),52); WMMAs.u.Eur.127 cites Egyptian teµ(µ)ost, copper (= *tenµost), as loan-word from נְחשֶׁת + feminine article); — ׳נ absolute Genesis 4:22 +; construct Exodus 38:29; suffix נְחֻשְׁתִּי Lamentations 3:7, נְחֻשְׁתֵךְ Ezekiel 16:36, נְחֻשְׁתָּהּ Ezekiel 24:11, נְחֻשְׁתָּם 2 Kings 25:13 2t.; dual נְחֻשְׁתַּ֫יִם Judges 16:21 6t.; — 1 copper, as ore Deuteronomy 8:9, compare Zechariah 6:8; worked by artificer Genesis 4:22 (J) 1 Kings 7:14 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 24:12; material — doubtless hardened with alloy, probably tin, making bronze, compare NowArchaeology i. 243 BenzArchaeology 214 — of armour 1 Samuel 17:5,6; 1 Kings 14:27, utensils 2 Kings 25:14 = Jeremiah 52:18; Leviticus 6:21; Numbers 17:4 + very often, altar 2 Kings 16:14,15; Exodus 38:30; Exodus 39:39, etc., and other objects Numbers 21:9 (twice in verse) (JE), 2 Kings 18:4; 1 Kings 4:13; 1 Kings 7:15ff. +, especially in description of tabernacle and temple; cast 1 Kings 7:14; polished מְמֹרָט 1 Kings 7:45, מָרוּק2Chronicles 4:16 (compare Leviticus 6:21); and shining מֻצְהָב Ezra 8:27. On קָלָל ׳נ Ezekiel 1:7; Daniel 10:6 see קלל; ׳נ as spoil of war 2 Samuel 8:8; 2 Kings 25:13 = Jeremiah 52:17,20 etc. 2 fetters of copper or bronze, usually dual Judges 16:21; 2 Samuel 3:34; 2 Kings 25:7 = Jeremiah 39:7; Jeremiah 52:11; 2Chronicles 36:6, also 2 Chronicles 33:11; singular only Lamentations 3:7 (figurative of oppression). 3 as less in value than gold but more than wood Isaiah 60:17 (twice in verse); figurative of worthless people Jeremiah 6:28 (+ בַּרְזֶל), id. (as dross of silver) Ezekiel 22:18 (+ בְּדִיל, בַּרְזֶל, עוֺפֶרֶת). — On Ezekiel 16:36 see IV. נחשׁ. 4 figurative of pitiless sky Deuteronomy 28:23. II. [נְח֫שֶׁת] noun [feminine] suffix נְחֻשְׁתֵּךְ Ezekiel 16:36 where context ("" עֶרְוָה) favours meaning lust, harlotry, or specific sens. obscoen. (Co [citing Ki Ra] Berthol, see also Da); text perhaps corrupt (compare NöZMG xl (1886). 730); Sm proposes תַּזְנוּתַיִךְ, so apparently ToyHpt; Or בָּשְׁתֵּךְ. Topical Lexicon General Overview The Hebrew term נְחשֶׁת designates copper and its alloys (bronze, brass). It appears about one-hundred-and-forty times, covering an array of physical objects, metaphors, and theological themes. Scripture speaks of נְחשֶׁת as both a raw material found in the Promised Land and a worked product fashioned into tools, weapons, cultic vessels, royal ornamentation, and instruments of judgment. Metallurgy and Material Culture in Israel Long before the Iron Age, copper ore was mined in the Arabah and worked throughout Canaan. Genesis 4:22 records Tubal-cain as “the forger of every tool of bronze and iron.” The book of Deuteronomy celebrates the land’s mineral wealth: “a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper” (Deuteronomy 8:9). From the wilderness wanderings onward, bronze became the utilitarian metal of Israelite life—mirrors (Exodus 38:8), door bolts (Psalms 107:16), cymbals (1 Chronicles 15:19), and agricultural implements (1 Samuel 13:19). Cultic and Liturgical Use Bronze dominated the outer court of the tabernacle and later the temple. The altar of burnt offering (Exodus 27:1-6), its grating (verse 4), utensils (verse 3), and reinforcing bands were all bronze. The laver for priestly purification was cast “from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Exodus 38:8). Solomon multiplied this usage: “He made the Sea of cast bronze…ten cubits from rim to rim” (2 Chronicles 4:2), together with ten basins, stands, shovels, bowls, and two monumental pillars, Jachin and Boaz (verses 7-12). These vessels, exposed to fire, water, and weather, highlight bronze’s durability and the need for purification before approaching the Holy One. Symbols of Judgment and Salvation The most striking theological image is the bronze serpent raised by Moses: “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, will live” (Numbers 21:8). The cured Israelites acknowledged both judgment (the serpents) and grace (the provided remedy). Centuries later Jesus interpreted it typologically: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up” (John 3:14). When Hezekiah destroyed that same object, now called Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:4), he rejected idolatry while affirming that saving power rests in God, not in bronze artifacts. Bronze also connotes unyielding resistance to God’s word: “I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint” (Ezekiel 3:9) and conversely Israel’s obstinacy: “your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead bronze” (Isaiah 48:4). Royal and Military Applications Militarily, נְחשֶׁת provided armor and weaponry: Goliath’s helmet, coat of mail, greaves, and javelin were bronze (1 Samuel 17:5-6). Chariots are called “like the chariots of Pharaoh…with charioteers in bronze harness” (Jeremiah 46:4). Bronze shields adorned Solomon’s palace (1 Kings 14:27). Fetters of bronze bound captives such as Samson (Judges 16:21) and King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 39:7), embodying humiliation under divine judgment. Conversely, God promises deliverance: “He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron” (Psalms 107:16). Tools, Implements, and Everyday Life Everyday uses range from ax-heads (Deuteronomy 19:5) to door sockets (1 Kings 7:29), trumpets (Numbers 10:2), and musical instruments (1 Chronicles 15:19). The artisan Hiram of Tyre “was filled with wisdom, understanding, and skill to do any work in bronze” (1 Kings 7:14), underscoring the God-given craftsmanship behind Israel’s sacred and civic life. Artistry, Economy, and Trade Ezekiel lists bronze among the commodities exchanged at Tyre’s markets (Ezekiel 27:13). Job 28:2 pairs it with iron as metals drawn from the earth by human ingenuity. By the Persian period, a standard “talent of bronze” served as a unit of weight (Ezra 8:27). Thus נְחשֶׁת touches Israel’s economy as well as its worship. Typological Significance in Christological Perspective Bronze stands at the intersection of justice and mercy. Its fiery association (Numbers 21; Deuteronomy 28:23, “heaven over your head shall be bronze”) illustrates sin’s penalty. Yet the same metal, fashioned into an altar, receives the substitutionary sacrifice—pointing forward to Christ, who endured judgment “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:11-12) that His people might draw near. The bronze serpent prefigures His crucifixion; the bronze altar foreshadows His once-for-all offering; the “feet like polished bronze refined in a furnace” of the risen Lord (Revelation 1:15) symbolize triumphant purity and judicial authority. Moral and Prophetic Imagery Prophets deploy נְחשֶׁת to depict strength or obstinacy. Jeremiah is fortified: “I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze” (Jeremiah 15:20). Yet disobedient Israel experiences “skies as bronze” (Deuteronomy 28:23), a heaven shut to prayer. Thus bronze underscores the ethical polarity of covenant blessings and curses. Summary From Genesis to the Prophets, נְחשֶׁת threads through metallurgy, worship, warfare, economy, and prophecy. It embodies hardness, durability, and fiery judgment while offering glimpses of atonement and redemption. Fashioned by human hands yet sovereignly purposed by God, bronze serves Scripture’s unfolding revelation of holiness, justice, and grace fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations בַּֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם בַּנְּחֹ֑שֶׁת בַּנְּחֹ֨שֶׁת בַֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם בַֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֗יִם בנחשת בנחשתים הַנְּחֹ֑שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֔שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֗שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֙שֶׁת֙ הַנְּחֹ֛שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֜שֶׁת הַנְּחֹֽשֶׁת׃ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת֮ הנחשת הנחשת׃ וְהַנְּחֹ֣שֶׁת וְלַנְּחֹ֤שֶׁת וְלַנְּחֹ֥שֶׁת וּ֠נְחֹשֶׁת וּבִנְחֹ֧שֶׁת וּבַנְּחֹ֣שֶׁת וּבַנְּחֹֽשֶׁת׃ וּנְחֹ֔שֶׁת וּנְחֹ֕שֶׁת וּנְחֹ֖שֶׁת וּנְחֹ֥שֶׁת וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ ובנחשת ובנחשת׃ והנחשת ולנחשת ונחשת ונחשת׃ לִנְחֹ֖שֶׁת לִנְחֻשְׁתַּ֣יִם לִנְחֻשְׁתָּ֖ם לַנְּחֹ֗שֶׁת לנחשת לנחשתים לנחשתם נְ֠חֹשֶׁת נְחָשְׁתִּֽי׃ נְחֹ֑שֶׁת נְחֹ֔שֶׁת נְחֹ֖שֶׁת נְחֹ֗שֶׁת נְחֹ֙שֶׁת֙ נְחֹ֛שֶׁת נְחֹ֜שֶׁת נְחֹ֣שֶׁת נְחֹ֥שֶׁת נְחֹֽשֶֽׁת׃ נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ נְחֹשֶׁת֒ נְחֹשֶׁת֮ נְחֻשְׁתֵּךְ֙ נְחֻשְׁתָּ֖ם נְחֻשְׁתָּ֗הּ נחשת נחשת׃ נחשתה נחשתי׃ נחשתך נחשתם ban·ḥuš·ta·yim ḇan·ḥuš·ta·yim ban·nə·ḥō·šeṯ banchushTayim banḥuštayim ḇanḥuštayim banneChoshet bannəḥōšeṯ han·nə·ḥō·šeṯ hanneChoshet hannəḥōšeṯ lan·nə·ḥō·šeṯ lanneChoshet lannəḥōšeṯ lin·ḥō·šeṯ lin·ḥuš·ta·yim lin·ḥuš·tām linChoshet linchushTam linchushTayim linḥōšeṯ linḥuštām linḥuštayim nə·ḥā·šə·tî nə·ḥō·šeṯ nə·ḥuš·tāh nə·ḥuš·tām nə·ḥuš·têḵ nechasheTi neChoshet nechushTah nechushTam nechushteCh nəḥāšətî nəḥōšeṯ nəḥuštāh nəḥuštām nəḥuštêḵ ū·ḇan·nə·ḥō·šeṯ ū·ḇin·ḥō·šeṯ ū·nə·ḥō·šeṯ ūḇannəḥōšeṯ ūḇinḥōšeṯ uneChoshet ūnəḥōšeṯ uvanneChoshet uvinChoshet vanchushTayim vehanneChoshet velanneChoshet wə·han·nə·ḥō·šeṯ wə·lan·nə·ḥō·šeṯ wəhannəḥōšeṯ wəlannəḥōšeṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 4:22 HEB: כָּל־ חֹרֵ֥שׁ נְחֹ֖שֶׁת וּבַרְזֶ֑ל וַֽאֲח֥וֹת NAS: implements of bronze and iron; KJV: of every artificer in brass and iron: INT: of all artificer of bronze and iron and the sister Exodus 25:3 Exodus 26:11 Exodus 26:37 Exodus 27:2 Exodus 27:3 Exodus 27:4 Exodus 27:4 Exodus 27:6 Exodus 27:10 Exodus 27:11 Exodus 27:17 Exodus 27:18 Exodus 27:19 Exodus 30:18 Exodus 30:18 Exodus 31:4 Exodus 35:5 Exodus 35:16 Exodus 35:24 Exodus 35:32 Exodus 36:18 Exodus 36:38 Exodus 38:2 Exodus 38:3 140 Occurrences |
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