Lexical Summary nashak: To bite, to lend on interest, to oppress with interest Original Word: נָשַׁךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bite, lend upon usury A primitive root; to strike with a sting (as a serpent); figuratively, to oppress with interest on a loan -- bite, lend upon usury. Brown-Driver-Briggs נָשַׁךְ verb bite (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew, but also transposed נְכַשׁ Hiph`il); Assyrian našâku DlHWB 486; ᵑ7 נְכֵית (especially of snakes); Syriac  ,  ; Ethiopic  Di642; BaZMG xliii (1889), 188 compare Arabic  , undo threads, untwist rope, disintegrate, dissolve); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular נָשַׁךְ Numbers 21:9, suffix וּנְשָׁכוֺ consecutive Amos 5:19, וּנְשָׁכָם consecutive Amos 9:3; Imperfect3masculine singular יִשֹּׁךְ Ecclesiastes 10:11, יִשָּׁ֑ךְ Proverbs 23:32, suffix יִשְּׁכֶנּוּ Ecclesiastes 10:8; Participle active נשֵׁךְ Genesis 49:17; plural נשְׁכִים Micah 3:5, suffix נשְׁכֶיךָ Habakkuk 2:7; passive נָשׁוּךְ Numbers 21:8; — bite, chiefly of serpent, with accusative, Amos 5:19; Amos 9:3; Genesis 49:17 (poem in J), Numbers 21:8 (passive participle, absolute), Numbers 21:9, Ecclesiastes 10:8 also Ecclesiastes 10:11 (absolute), Proverbs 23:32 (simile of wine); figurative of prophets בְּשִׁנֵּיהֶם ׳הַנּ Micah 3:5 who are biting with their teeth, and crying, Peace! figurative of oppression, etc., נשְׁכֶיךָ Habakkuk 2:7 (with play on sense thy debtors, those that give thee interest). Pi`el Perfect3plural וְנִשְּׁכוּ אֶתְכֶם Jeremiah 8:17 and they shall bite you fatally (figurative); Imperfect3masculine plural וַיְנַשְּׁכוּ אֶתהָֿעָם Numbers 21:5 and they bit the people fatally(both of serpents). [נָשַׁךְ] verb denominative pay, give interest (compare GerberVerba denominative 89); — Qal Imperfect3masculine singular יִשָּׁ֑ךְ Deuteronomy 23:20 interest of anything off which one giveth interest (compare Dr). Hiph`il make one give interest; Imperfect2masculine singular תַּשִּׁיךְ Deuteronomy 23:20 ( + accusative of congnate meaning with verb) Deuteronomy 23:21; Deuteronomy 23:21, all with לְ person Topical Lexicon Literal bite: serpents and sudden death The root nâshakh first appears in Genesis 49:17, “Dan shall be a serpent by the road, a viper in the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward.” The image sets the tone for every later use: a swift, hidden strike that brings unexpected disaster. Numbers 21:6-9 turns the picture from tribal character to a nation-wide tragedy. “So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people; they bit the people and many Israelites died… When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” Here the bite functions as divine chastisement, while the bronze serpent raised on the pole prefigures saving faith that looks upward for healing (John 3:14-15). Ecclesiastes 10:8 and 10:11 and Amos 5:19 repeat the theme of the unsuspecting victim who thinks himself safe, only to be “bitten by a snake.” The warning is moral as well as physical: complacency toward sin invites lethal consequences. Metaphorical bite: interest, credit, and economic oppression In Deuteronomy 23:19-20 the verb shifts from fangs to finance: “You must not charge your brother interest on money, food, or anything that may earn interest.” Interest that drains a neighbor’s livelihood is portrayed as a bite—small at first, yet progressively lethal. Habakkuk 2:7 declares that such creditors will themselves be “suddenly” awakened to judgment, a poetic reversal of the initial bite. Micah 3:5 exposes prophets who “proclaim peace if they have something to eat, but declare war against those who refuse to feed them.” The underlying verb depicts greedy leaders whose demands chew into the very people they should protect. Scripture thus equates predatory lending and corrupt leadership with the venom of a snake. Wisdom literature: the subtlety of temptation Proverbs 23:32 warns that wine “bites like a snake,” capturing how pleasurable beginnings can end with painful aftermath. In Ecclesiastes the same verb frames two proverbs on risk management: reckless demolition (10:8) and unprofitable showmanship (10:11). Both sayings assume a world where unseen dangers lie behind every wall; wisdom therefore respects limits and prepares for the unexpected. Prophetic imagery: unescapable judgment Jeremiah 8:17 intensifies the theme: “For behold, I will send snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares the LORD. Amos 9:3 shows there is no refuge “atop Carmel” or “at the bottom of the sea.” The serpent’s bite here represents the inevitability of divine justice against unrepentant sin. Even attempted flight from judgment only ensures a deeper penetration of the poison. Historical background Ancient Near-Eastern law codes often fixed maximum interest rates, but only Israel linked interest-taking to moral venom. The book of Numbers records that the bronze serpent survived into Hezekiah’s day (2 Kings 18:4), a historical reminder that the LORD alone heals what His judgment inflicts. Within Israel’s economy the Torah’s ban on brotherly interest fostered a community of mutual care, contrasting sharply with surrounding nations where high interest created generational bondage. Ministry and pastoral implications 1. Sin’s appeal carries an embedded toxin; preaching must unveil the bite behind the bait (Proverbs 23:32). New Testament resonance Though nâshakh itself does not appear in Greek, its themes echo: usury forbidden to the helpless (Luke 6:34-35), hypocritical leaders called “brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33), and the assurance that believers will “trample on serpents” (Luke 10:19), a reversal of Genesis 3:15. The cross provides the ultimate antivenom: “He who knew no sin became sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), so that the mortal bite is exchanged for eternal life. Forms and Transliterations הַנָּשׁ֔וּךְ הַנֹּשְׁכִ֤ים הַנֹּשֵׁךְ֙ הנשוך הנשך הנשכים וְנִשְּׁכ֥וּ וַֽיְנַשְּׁכ֖וּ וּנְשָׁכ֖וֹ וּנְשָׁכָֽם׃ וינשכו ונשכו ונשכם׃ יִשְּׁכֶ֥נּוּ יִשָּֽׁךְ׃ יִשָּׁ֑ךְ יִשֹּׁ֥ךְ ישך ישך׃ ישכנו נָשַׁ֤ךְ נֹשְׁכֶ֔יךָ נשך נשכיך תַשִּׁ֑יךְ תַשִּׁ֔יךְ תַשִּׁ֣יךְ תשיך han·nā·šūḵ han·nō·šə·ḵîm han·nō·šêḵ hannaShuch hannāšūḵ hannōšêḵ hannōšəḵîm hannosheCh hannosheChim nā·šaḵ nāšaḵ naShach nō·šə·ḵe·ḵā nōšəḵeḵā nosheCheicha ṯaš·šîḵ tashShich ṯaššîḵ ū·nə·šā·ḵām ū·nə·šā·ḵōw ūnəšāḵām ūnəšāḵōw uneshaCham uneshaCho vaynashsheChu venishsheChu way·naš·šə·ḵū waynaššəḵū wə·niš·šə·ḵū wəniššəḵū yiš·šāḵ yiš·šə·ḵen·nū yiš·šōḵ yishShach yishsheChennu yishShoch yiššāḵ yiššəḵennū yiššōḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 49:17 HEB: עֲלֵי־ אֹ֑רַח הַנֹּשֵׁךְ֙ עִקְּבֵי־ ס֔וּס NAS: in the path, That bites the horse's KJV: in the path, that biteth the horse INT: in the path bites heels the horse's Numbers 21:6 Numbers 21:8 Numbers 21:9 Deuteronomy 23:19 Deuteronomy 23:19 Deuteronomy 23:20 Deuteronomy 23:20 Proverbs 23:32 Ecclesiastes 10:8 Ecclesiastes 10:11 Jeremiah 8:17 Amos 5:19 Amos 9:3 Micah 3:5 Habakkuk 2:7 16 Occurrences |
    |