Lexical Summary resheth: Net Original Word: רֶשֶׁת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance net work From yarash; a net (as catching animals) -- net(- work). see HEBREW yarash NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yarash Definition a net NASB Translation net (20), network (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs רֶ֫שֶׁת noun feminineExodus 27:5 net; — absolute רֶשֶׁת Hosea 5:1 11t.; רָ֑שֶׁת Proverbs 1:17; construct רֶשֶׁת Exodus 27:4; Exodus 38:4; suffix רִשְׁתִּי Hosea 7:12 2t.; רִשְׁתּוֺ Psalm 10:9; Psalm 35:8; רִשְׁתָּם Ezekiel 19:8; Psalm 35:7; — 1 net: a. for catching (birds, etc.) חִנָּם מְזֹרָה הָרָ֑שֶׁת Proverbs 1:17 to no purpose is the net spread in the eyes of any bird; elsewhere figurative (1) of judgment of ׳י, all with פרשׁ: Hosea 7:12 ("" כְּעוֺף הַשָּׁמַיִם אוֺרִידֵם), Ezekiel 12:13; Ezekiel 17:20 (both "" מְצוּדָתִי), Ezekiel 32:3 (of ׳י catching Pharaoh, under figure of sea-monster; "" II. חֵרֶם); (2) of nations capturing king of Israel under figure of lion Ezekiel 19:8 (with פרשׁ; "" שַׁחְתָּם); (3) of priests and rulers (as entangling people in sin) Hosea 5:1 ("" מַּח). b. spread for feet of man (figurative): (1) by ׳י Lamentations 1:13 (with מָּרַשׁ); (2) by wicked (= plot) Proverbs 29:5 (with פרשׁ), Psalm 140:6 (c. id.; "" טָמַן מַּךְ), Psalm 10:9; Psalm 25:15, שֻׁלַּח בְּדֶשֶׁת בְּרַגְלָיו Job 18:8 ("" שְׂבָכָה); elsewhere with טמן Psalm 9:16 ("" שַׁחַת), Psalm 31:5; Psalm 35:7 (שַׁחַת רִשְׁתָּם), Psalm 31:8; with הֵכִין Psalm 57:7 ("" שִׁיחָה). 2 brazen network for altar of tabernacle הָרֶשֶׁת Exodus 27:4,5; נְחשֶׁת ׳מִכְבָּר מַעֲשֵׂה ר Exodus 27:4 = Exodus 38:4 (all P). — On Infinitive רֶשֶׁת, see ירשׁ above רֶ֫שֶׁת net, see ירשׁ. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery רֶשֶׁת (reshet) paints the picture of something woven, interlaced, or latticed. Whether forged in bronze or fashioned from cord, it always retains the idea of interlocking strands designed either to restrain or to entrap. Across its twenty-two appearances the word moves from the literal hardware of Israel’s sanctuary to powerful metaphors of human scheming and divine judgment. Literal Usage in the Tabernacle Exodus 27:4-5 and 38:4 situate reshet at the very heart of public worship. The altar of burnt offering required “a grating, a network of bronze” (Exodus 27:4). Positioned “beneath the ledge…halfway up the altar” (27:5), this forged lattice supported the sacrificial fuel and ensured that the offering was fully consumed. The solid, interwoven bronze testified that atonement rests on a foundation unable to be broken or breached. Every Israelite who approached the altar saw this network glowing red-hot beneath the sacrifice, silently preaching that sin’s penalty must be borne in totality. Hunting and Warfare Contexts Outside the sanctuary reshet describes literal nets used to secure game or enemies. Ezekiel depicts Egypt’s Pharaoh captured like a monstrous beast: “I will spread My net over you with an assembly of many nations” (Ezekiel 32:3). Lion cubs ravaging Judah are “caught in a pit and…brought with hooks to the land of Egypt” (Ezekiel 19:8). In Hosea 7:12 the LORD promises to “bring them down like birds of the sky; I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together.” The imagery is concrete: birds, beasts, and kings all fall helpless once the net is cast. Figurative Portrayal of Wicked Schemes Psalms and Proverbs employ reshet as the preferred metaphor for malicious plotting. Here the net is deceit—carefully arranged, unseen until too late. It reverses upon the plotter (Psalm 35:8; 57:6), revealing a moral universe in which God ensures that sin recoils on the sinner. Divine Judgment Expressed as a Net The prophets expand the figure to show the LORD Himself wielding the net in judgment. Zedekiah attempts flight but the LORD declares, “I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare” (Ezekiel 12:13; cf. 17:20). Hosea 5:1 warns priests and royalty alike: “You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread on Tabor.” In every case God answers hidden rebellion with an inescapable arrest. Deliverance from the Net The same Scriptures celebrate rescue. “My eyes are always on the LORD, for He will pull my feet from the net” (Psalm 25:15). David prays, “You free me from the net laid before me” (Psalm 31:4). Salvation is depicted not merely as avoidance of danger but as active extraction by a personal Redeemer who reaches into the snare and lifts His servant out. Theological Reflections 1. Holiness and Atonement: The bronze network beneath the altar anticipates a perfect, complete sacrifice. Christians see its fulfillment in the cross, where the true Lamb endured the full heat of judgment. Application for Ministry Today • Preaching: Use the altar’s bronze network to illustrate the completeness of Christ’s atonement. Whether glowing beneath sacrificed lambs or springing upon unsuspecting conspirators, reshet consistently reminds Scripture’s readers that woven into reality is a moral lattice: sin entangles, God judges, and yet the Lord stands ready to free all who call upon His name. Forms and Transliterations בְּרֶ֣שֶׁת בְּרֶֽשֶׁת־ בְרִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃ ברשת ברשת־ ברשתו׃ הָרֶ֔שֶׁת הָרֶ֗שֶׁת הָרָ֑שֶׁת הרשת וְרִשְׁתּ֣וֹ וְרֶ֖שֶׁת ורשת ורשתו מֵרֶ֣שֶׁת מרשת רִשְׁתִּ֔י רִשְׁתִּי֙ רִשְׁתָּ֑ם רִשְׁתָּ֖ם רֶ֝֗שֶׁת רֶ֣שֶׁת רֶ֤שֶׁת רֶ֤שֶׁת ׀ רֶ֭שֶׁת רשת רשתי רשתם bə·re·šeṯ bə·re·šeṯ- ḇə·riš·tōw bərešeṯ bərešeṯ- beReshet ḇərištōw hā·rā·šeṯ hā·re·šeṯ hārāšeṯ haRashet hārešeṯ haReshet mê·re·šeṯ mêrešeṯ meReshet re·šeṯ rešeṯ Reshet riš·tām riš·tî rishTam rishTi rištām rištî veReshet verishTo wə·re·šeṯ wə·riš·tōw wərešeṯ wərištōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 27:4 HEB: מִכְבָּ֔ר מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה רֶ֣שֶׁת נְחֹ֑שֶׁת וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ NAS: for it a grating of network of bronze, KJV: [of] brass; and upon the net shalt thou make INT: A grate of network of network of bronze shall make Exodus 27:4 Exodus 27:5 Exodus 38:4 Job 18:8 Psalm 9:15 Psalm 10:9 Psalm 25:15 Psalm 31:4 Psalm 35:7 Psalm 35:8 Psalm 57:6 Psalm 140:5 Proverbs 1:17 Proverbs 29:5 Lamentations 1:13 Ezekiel 12:13 Ezekiel 17:20 Ezekiel 19:8 Ezekiel 32:3 Hosea 5:1 Hosea 7:12 22 Occurrences |