נָסַח (na.sach)
na.sach
to pull
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb nasach carries the forceful meaning of pulling or tearing something away from its place. It describes a violent separation, often involving destruction or removal. In the Old Testament, this word appears only three times, making it a rare term in biblical Hebrew.
Its usage highlights God’s power to dismantle human pride and remove people from their land. For instance, Proverbs 15:25 states that the Lord tears down the house of the proud, using nasach to depict divine judgment against arrogance. Similarly, Deuteronomy 28:63 employs the word in a warning that Israel will be torn away from the land they inhabit if they disobey God’s commands.
The term emphasizes physical and spiritual displacement rather than gentle change. It suggests an abrupt, decisive action where something is ripped loose or destroyed. This imagery reinforces the seriousness of covenant faithfulness and the consequences of rejecting divine authority.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word nasach describes a forceful pulling away or tearing down. It is not a gentle removal, but a decisive act of separation. In Scripture, this verb highlights God’s authority to dismantle structures built on pride and to remove people from their places when they reject His ways.
This imagery reminds us that our security does not rest in human achievements or earthly stability. When we trust in the Lord, we find a foundation that cannot be uprooted. The same power that tears down arrogance is available to sustain those who walk humbly before Him.
For your daily life, this word invites reflection on what you are building. Are your hopes anchored in temporary things or in the eternal character of God? His judgment against pride serves as a warning, but also as a promise that He protects the vulnerable and keeps the faithful secure.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they will be torn away1×
- he tears down1×
- and/ you will be torn away1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יִסַּ֥ח\׀1×
- יִסְּח֥וּ1×
- וְ/נִסַּחְתֶּם֙1×
Key Verses
-
Deuteronomy 28:63
It will happen that as Yahweh rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Yahweh will rejoice over you to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be plucked from the land that you are going in to possess.
This verse uses nasach to describe the painful reversal of blessing, showing how disobedience leads to being plucked from the land as a consequence of breaking the covenant.
-
Proverbs 15:25
Yahweh will uproot the house of the proud, but he will keep the widow’s borders intact.
Here the word depicts God actively tearing down the house of the proud while simultaneously preserving the boundaries for the widow, highlighting His justice and care for the humble.
-
Proverbs 2:22
But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.
Although often translated as 'cut off' or 'rooted out', this occurrence reinforces the theme of total removal from the land for those who act treacherously, mirroring the forceful nature of nasach.