Hebrew word · H5255

נָסַח

venisachtem

to pull

To pull out, tear away, uproot, tear down. It is a forceful verb used of wrenching something from where it is fixed. The Aramaic equivalent is used of a beam pulled out of a house (Ezra 6:11).

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

What it means

1) to pull or tear away

1a) (Qal) to tear away, tear down

1b) (Niphal) to be torn away

Aramaic equivalent: ne.sach (נְסַח "to pull away" H5256)

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 Proverbs 2:22

Range of meaning

To pull out, tear away, uproot, tear down. It is a forceful verb used of wrenching something from where it is fixed. The Aramaic equivalent is used of a beam pulled out of a house (Ezra 6:11).

Against the English

'Rooted out' (KJV), 'uprooted' (BSB, NASB, NLT), 'torn' (NIV) and 'plucked out' (YLT) all keep the violent physical image. Little is lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 28:63, the covenant curse: 'you will be torn (wənissaḥtem) from the land you are entering to possess'. Ps 52:5 (Heb 52:7): God 'will tear you away from your tent and uproot you from the land of the living'. Prov 15:25: 'the LORD tears down (yissaḥ) the house of the proud.'

From the study of Proverbs 15:25

Range of meaning

To tear away, pull out, uproot. A rare verb, found only about four times in the Hebrew Bible: Deuteronomy 28:63 (Israel 'torn off the land'), Psalm 52:5 [Hebrew 52:7] (God will 'tear you from your tent and uproot you from the land of the living'), Proverbs 2:22 (the treacherous 'torn out' of the land), and here.

Against the English

KJV 'destroy' is general. BSB, NIV, ESV and NASB 'tear down' suggest demolishing a building. WEB 'uproot' is closest to the verb's picture of something pulled out of the ground it is set in.

Used elsewhere in the period

In every use the image is removal from land or home: exile from the promised land, eviction from one's tent. A related noun appears in later Hebrew and Aramaic for pulling out or detaching.

From the study of Deuteronomy 28:63

Range of meaning

To pull out, tear away, uproot. It is used of tearing a person from a tent, tearing down a house, or pulling a beam out of a building. The verb occurs only four times in the Hebrew Bible, with an Aramaic cognate in Ezra.

Against the English

"Plucked from off" (KJV, WEB) is gentle; "uprooted" (BSB, NIV) and "torn from" (NASB) are closer to the force of the verb.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 52:5 ("God will … snatch and tear you from your tent, uproot you from the land of the living"); Prov 2:22 ("the treacherous will be torn out of it", i.e. out of the land, against the upright who "dwell in the land", 2:21); Prov 15:25 ("the LORD tears down the house of the proud"); Aramaic Ezra 6:11 (a beam pulled from a violator's house).

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 28:63 וְנִסַּחְתֶּם֙ and you will be torn away

    Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.

    Here: A rare, violent verb: to pull something out of where it is fixed, like a tent peg, a house or a plant. The passive form ("you will be torn out") shows Israel as helpless while it happens.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 52:5 וְיִסָּחֲךָ֣ and he will tear away you

    Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

    Here: 'And he will tear you out.' This is the verb used for Israel being 'plucked off the land' in the covenant curses (Deut 28:63) and for the LORD tearing down the house of the proud (Prov 15:25). It means forcible removal from where one belongs.

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 2:22 יִסְּח֥וּ they will be torn away

    but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.

    Here: 'They will be torn out': a violent, physical picture of something pulled up by the roots or wrenched from its place. It is stronger than 'cut off' and closes the chapter on a hard note.

  2. Proverbs 15:25 יִסַּ֥ח׀ he tears down

    The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but He protects the boundaries of the widow.

    Here: A rare, violent verb for ripping something out of its place, like a tent pulled up or a plant torn out by the roots. Elsewhere it describes people torn off their land (Deuteronomy 28:63; Proverbs 2:22). The form describes what Yahweh does as a rule, not one past event.

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