Hebrew word · H5194

נֶ֫טַע

neta'

plantation

Neta' means a planting, a plant, or a plantation. Sha'ashu'im means delight or pleasure, and especially the fond enjoyment of something one cherishes.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) plantation, plant, planting

1a) plantation

1b) planting (act of)

1c) plant

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 Isaiah 5:7

Range of meaning

Neta' means a planting, a plant, or a plantation. Sha'ashu'im means delight or pleasure, and especially the fond enjoyment of something one cherishes. It is used of a darling child (Jeremiah 31:20, 'a child of delights'), of Wisdom playing before God (Proverbs 8:30–31), and of the psalmist's delight in God's instruction (Psalm 119:24, 77).

Against the English

KJV and WEB 'his pleasant plant' undersells the phrase. 'Plant of His delight' (BSB) is closer. The plural 'delights' adds intensity: his favourite planting.

Used elsewhere in the period

The vine as a picture of Israel is common: Psalm 80:8–16 (the vine brought out of Egypt), Jeremiah 2:21 (a choice vine turned wild), Hosea 10:1.

Where it appears

Job · 1

  1. Job 14:9 נָֽטַע׃ a plant

    at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling.

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 5:7 נְטַ֖ע [is] [the] plantation of

    For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.

    Here: 'The planting of.' It points back to verse 2, 'he planted it with choice vines.' Judah is the vine God himself chose and set in the ground.

  2. Isaiah 17:10 נִטְעֵ֣י plantations of

    For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines—

    Here: 'Plantings of…'. It shares a root with the verb, giving a sound-echo: 'you plant plantings'.

  3. Isaiah 17:11 נִטְעֵךְ֙ planting your

    though on the day you plant you make them grow, and on that morning you help your seed sprout—yet the harvest will vanish on the day of disease and incurable pain.

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