נְשָׂא (ne.sa)
ne.sa
to lift
A:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb nesā means to lift up, carry, or bear something. It appears only three times in Scripture, primarily in the books of Ezra and Daniel. In these contexts, it describes the physical act of taking or transporting items, such as when vessels are moved from one place to another.
While its basic sense is simple movement, the word carries a specific nuance in its Hithpael stem, where it can mean to make a rising or an insurrection. This shift from carrying objects to people rising up adds a layer of political tension to the term when used in historical narratives about rebellion.
Its rarity in the biblical text makes each occurrence significant, grounding abstract concepts of authority and resistance in concrete physical actions. Translators typically render it as "take" or "carry," preserving the straightforward nature of the original Hebrew without adding theological weight beyond what the context provides.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word nesā describes the simple, physical act of lifting or carrying. In the Old Testament, it appears only three times, grounding abstract ideas in tangible actions like moving temple vessels or describing political unrest. This rarity invites us to look closely at how God uses ordinary language to reveal His sovereignty over history and His care for His people.
When we read about these vessels being carried back to Jerusalem, we see a reminder that God preserves what is holy even in difficult times. The same word can describe rising up in rebellion, showing that human actions are never outside His view. Whether carrying something precious or describing a shift in power, nesā reminds us that God is present in the details of our lives and history.
This word encourages us to trust that God holds all things in His hands. Just as He directed the return of sacred items to their rightful place, He guides the events of our days with purpose and care. We can find peace knowing that nothing is beyond His reach or control.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- take!1×
- and/ it carried away1×
- [was] rising up1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שֵׂ֚א1×
- מִֽתְנַשְּׂאָ֑ה1×
- וּ/נְשָׂ֤א1×
Key Verses
-
Ezra 5:15
He said to him, ‘Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let God’s house be built in its place.’
This verse uses nesā to command the physical carrying of temple vessels, highlighting God's provision for rebuilding His house.
-
Daniel 2:35
Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Here the wind carries away debris, illustrating how earthly kingdoms are dispersed by divine judgment and replaced by God's eternal kingdom.
-
Ezra 4:19
I decreed, and search has been made, and it was found that this city has made insurrection against kings in the past, and that rebellion and revolts have been made in it.
The Hithpael form of nesā describes cities rising up in insurrection, showing the word's use for political rebellion against authority.