נְשִׁי (ne.shi)
ne.shi
debt
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun neshe refers specifically to a financial debt or obligation. It appears only once in the entire Old Testament, located in the narrative of the widow’s oil in 2 Kings 4:7. In this context, the word denotes the specific sum of money owed by the woman, which the prophet Elisha instructs her to pay from the proceeds of her miraculous harvest.
Because its usage is so limited, the word carries a very concrete meaning rather than a broad metaphorical range. It does not refer to moral or spiritual indebtedness in this instance, but strictly to a material liability. The singular occurrence highlights the tangible nature of the crisis facing the widow, grounding the miracle in a real-world economic problem.
Translators consistently render neshe as "debt" to preserve this precise legal and financial sense. The word serves as a narrative anchor, emphasizing that God’s provision addresses immediate, practical needs. Its rarity suggests it was a standard term for loans or owed sums, understood clearly by ancient readers without need for further elaboration.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word neshe appears only once in Scripture, anchoring the story of the widow’s oil in a very real financial crisis. It refers to a specific debt that threatened her family’s survival. This rare term reminds us that God is not distant from our practical struggles; He sees the numbers on the page and the weight of obligation pressing down on daily life.
When Elisha tells her to sell the oil and pay her neshe, he points to a tangible solution for an immediate need. Your faith does not ignore economic reality but meets it with divine provision. This single occurrence shows that God cares about the details of your security, offering peace through concrete help rather than vague promises.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- debt/ your1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נִשְׁיֵ֑/ךְ1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 4:7
Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
This is the only occurrence of neshe in the Old Testament, where it specifies the exact financial obligation the widow must clear to secure her family's future.