Lexical Summary nesuah: Married woman, wife Original Word: נְשׂוּאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance carriage Or rather, nsutah {nes-oo-aw'}; feminine. Passive participle of nasa'; something borne, i.e. A load -- carriage. see HEBREW nasa' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nasa Definition what is borne about NASB Translation things that you carry (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [נְשׂוּאָה] noun feminine what is borne about; — plural suffix נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶם עֲמוּסוֺת Isaiah 46:1, your things (formerly) borne about in procession (i.e. idols) are now loaded on beasts for exile. Topical Lexicon Semantic Scope and Backgroundנְשׂוּאָה denotes a physical load that must be lifted or borne. The term evokes imagery of weight, encumbrance, and the exertion required to keep something aloft. Because the idea of “bearing” carries moral and spiritual overtones throughout Scripture, the single use of נְשׂוּאָה serves as a vivid emblem of the oppressive weight of false worship. Biblical Occurrence Isaiah 46:1 situates נְשׂוּאָה in the oracle against Babylon: “Bel bows down; Nebo stoops low; their idols are on beasts and cattle. These images you carry are burdensome, a burden to the weary beast.” The word describes the idols themselves—objects that must be hoisted onto pack animals. Instead of providing aid, the gods of Babylon impose exhaustion on all who attempt to transport them. Historical Setting Isaiah 40–48 was written against the backdrop of Judah’s impending exile and the eventual downfall of Babylon. Bel (Marduk) and Nebo were chief deities in the Babylonian pantheon, honored by grand processions in which their images were paraded through the city. During Cyrus’s conquest (539 B.C.), statues that once symbolized invincible power were hastily removed and carted away for safekeeping. Isaiah anticipates this reversal: lifeless figures that demanded worship will be exposed as inert cargo. Theological Insights 1. Idols as Dead Weight נְשׂוּאָה underscores how idolatry transfers the burden to worshipers rather than relieving them (compare Psalm 115:4–8; Jeremiah 10:5). Gods that must be carried cannot carry anyone. 2. Divine Contrast Immediately following, Isaiah 46:3–4 sets Yahweh apart: “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob… you whom I have upheld from your womb… Even to your old age I will sustain you.” The living God bears His people; false gods are mere loads. 3. Judgment and Deliverance The downfall of Babylon’s idols prefigures the wider theme of the overthrow of every false power that exalts itself against God (compare Revelation 18:2). Prophetic Polemic Calling an idol a נְשׂוּאָה turns religious pageantry inside out. Processions designed to glorify deities are reinterpreted as humiliating evacuations. The prophet’s satire unmasking idolatry anticipates Paul’s claim that what pagans sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, not to God (1 Corinthians 10:20). Intertextual Echoes While נְשׂוּאָה appears only once, the motif of burdens recurs: • Numbers 11:11: Moses asks, “Why have You laid the burden of all these people on me?” These passages trace the progression from human inability to divine provision culminating in the mutual care commanded within the body of Christ. Ministry Implications 1. Exposing Modern Idols Any pursuit—success, pleasure, ideology—that demands endless carrying yet yields no rest repeats the Babylonian pattern. Pastoral ministry must name such burdens and direct hearts to the One who bears them. 2. Gospel Invitation Jesus’ call, “Come to Me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30), stands in stark relief to נְשׂוּאָה. Congregations should hear the contrast between idols that weigh down and the Savior who lifts up. 3. Shepherding the Weary Encouraging believers to cast their anxieties on God (1 Peter 5:7) enacts the message of Isaiah 46: God carries; we are carried. Contemporary Application • Worship: Liturgies can incorporate confessions that renounce self-made burdens and celebrate God’s sustaining grace. Christological Reflection At Calvary the burden of sin was placed on the sinless Lamb (Isaiah 53:6). The cross, once a symbol of crushing weight, became the instrument by which burdens are lifted. Thus נְשׂוּאָה, though rare, quietly anticipates the gospel’s climactic exchange: He bears what we cannot so that we may “stand fast in the freedom for which Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Forms and Transliterations נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶ֣ם נשאתיכם nə·śu·’ō·ṯê·ḵem nəśu’ōṯêḵem nesuoteiChemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 46:1 HEB: לַחַיָּ֖ה וְלַבְּהֵמָ֑ה נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶ֣ם עֲמוּס֔וֹת מַשָּׂ֖א NAS: and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, KJV: and upon the cattle: your carriages [were] heavy loaden; INT: the beasts and the cattle the things are burdensome A load 1 Occurrence |
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