Hebrew word · H5132

נָצַץ

henetzu

to bud

nāṣâ here is a rare verb, usually read as 'fly, flee' (compare Jeremiah 48:9). A separate verb nāṣâ means 'struggle, fight' (Exodus 2:13), and a third means 'fall in ruins'.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Hiphil) to bloom, blossom

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Lamentations 4:15

Range of meaning

nāṣâ here is a rare verb, usually read as 'fly, flee' (compare Jeremiah 48:9). A separate verb nāṣâ means 'struggle, fight' (Exodus 2:13), and a third means 'fall in ruins'. nûaʿ means to shake, totter, stagger, or wander unsteadily (Psalm 107:27 of drunkards; Amos 8:12; Genesis 4:12, 14 of Cain, nāʿ wānād).

Against the English

'Fled and wandered' (BSB, WEB, KJV) gives the sense but loses the rhyme (nāṣû … nāʿû) and the reeling, unsteady feel of nûaʿ. Some modern versions render the pair as 'fugitives and wanderers', which brings out the Cain echo.

Used elsewhere in the period

Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) list nāṣâ here under 'fly' with a question mark. The Vulgate took it as 'quarrel', and the Septuagint appears to have read a word meaning 'be kindled'.

Where it appears

Song of Songs · 2

  1. Song of Songs 6:11 הֵנֵ֖צוּ had they bloomed?

    I went down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were budding or the pomegranates were in bloom.

    Here: "Had they bloomed?" The question carries over from the previous clause without needing a new question marker. It is related to niṣṣān, "blossoms" (2:12), and means the opening of flowers.

  2. Song of Songs 7:12 הֵנֵ֖צוּ they have bloomed

    Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.

    Here: "Have bloomed." The root may also carry the idea of sparkling or gleaming, which suits the bright red-orange pomegranate flower.

Lamentations · 1

  1. Lamentations 4:15 נָצ֖וּ they fled

    “Go away! Unclean!” men shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, “They can stay here no longer.”

    Here: A rare verb, usually taken as 'they flew off' or 'fled', like a bird scattering. Its meaning is uncertain, and ancient translators read it differently (see textual notes). It also rhymes with nāʿû, the next verb.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.