Hebrew word · H5257

נָסִיךְ

nesikhei

prince

There are two (possibly three) uses of the same form, all from the root nsk, 'to pour'. (1) Something poured or cast: a drink offering, or an image cast from molten metal. Compare massēkhāh, 'molten image', from the same root, used of the golden calf.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

prince, anointed one

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 Daniel 11:8

Range of meaning

There are two (possibly three) uses of the same form, all from the root nsk, 'to pour'. (1) Something poured or cast: a drink offering, or an image cast from molten metal. Compare massēkhāh, 'molten image', from the same root, used of the golden calf. (2) A prince or chieftain: Josh 13:21 ('princes of Sihon'); Ps 83:11 (12 in Hebrew); Ezek 32:30 ('princes of the north'); Mic 5:5 (4 in Hebrew). That sense may come from 'one installed by pouring', that is, by anointing or a libation.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'princes'. Most modern versions (WEB, BSB, ESV, NASB, NIV) have 'molten/metal images'. The supplied lemma gloss, 'libation', is a third sense of the same word and does not fit this list.

How it drifted

Not drift in the English word itself. It is a choice between two Hebrew meanings. The KJV followed a long tradition, partly rabbinic, of reading 'princes' here, perhaps influenced by Ezek 32:30 'princes of the north'.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek translations (Old Greek and Theodotion) read chōneuta, 'cast images'. The Vulgate has sculptilia, 'carved images'. Ptolemaic records back the picture of statues carried off: the Canopus Decree (238 BC) and the Adulis inscription praise Ptolemy III for bringing sacred images back to Egypt.

From the study of Micah 5:5

Range of meaning

Noun nasikh: (1) a drink-offering or a cast image (from nasakh, 'to pour'); (2) a prince or chieftain. The second sense is probably from nasakh, 'to install or set in office' (Ps 2:6), perhaps originally by pouring oil, or else 'one cast or fixed in position'.

Against the English

'Principal men' (KJV), 'leaders of men' (BSB, WEB), 'princes of men', 'commanders' (NIV). YLT's 'anointed' follows one proposed origin of the word. All are acceptable. 'Anointed' is more specific than the evidence allows.

Used elsewhere in the period

Josh 13:21 ('the princes of Sihon'), Ezek 32:30 ('the princes of the north'), Ps 83:11. HALOT and BDB both list the 'prince or chieftain' sense separately. The Septuagint's 'bites of men' (dēgmata) shows the translator did not recognise the word.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 32:38 נְסִיכָ֑ם drink-offering their

    which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let them give you shelter!

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 13:21 נְסִיכֵ֣י [the] princes of

    all the cities of the plateau and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 83:11 נְסִיכֵֽמוֹ׃ princes their

    Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 32:30 נְסִיכֵ֥י princes of

    All the leaders of the north and all the Sidonians are there; they went down in disgrace with the slain, despite the terror of their might. They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit.

Daniel · 1

  1. Daniel 11:8 נְסִֽכֵיהֶם֩ molten images their

    He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North,

    Here: From the root 'to pour'. Next to 'gods' and 'vessels' it most likely means images cast from molten metal. Older translations (KJV, YLT) took the other sense of the same word, 'princes'.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 5:5 נְסִיכֵ֥י princes of

    And He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land and tramples our citadels. We will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.

    Here: A rare word for chieftains or princes (Josh 13:21; Ezek 32:30; Ps 83:11). It probably comes from the verb nasakh, 'to pour out' or 'to install', as in Ps 2:6, 'I have installed my king'. That is why YLT has 'anointed'.

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