Hebrew word · H5340
נָצַץ
venotzetzim
to shine
To sparkle, glitter or flash. It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. In later (Mishnaic) Hebrew and in Aramaic it describes sparks and gleaming. It may be related to nitsots, 'spark', and possibly to nitsan, 'blossom' (as in 'budding into bright colour'), though that link is uncertain.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
(Qal) to shine, sparkle
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
- Range of meaning
To sparkle, glitter or flash. It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. In later (Mishnaic) Hebrew and in Aramaic it describes sparks and gleaming. It may be related to nitsots, 'spark', and possibly to nitsan, 'blossom' (as in 'budding into bright colour'), though that link is uncertain.
- Against the English
KJV and WEB say 'sparkled'. BSB says 'gleaming'. Other versions say 'gleamed'. 'Gleam' suggests a steady glow, but natsats is closer to flashing, darting points of light.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The Vulgate translates it 'scintillae', 'sparks'. The Septuagint has spinthēres, 'sparks'. Both ancient translators heard sparks in the word, not a soft glow.
Where it appears
Ezekiel · 1
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Ezekiel 1:7 וְנֹ֣צְצִ֔ים and [they were] gleaming
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze.
Here: An active participle, so the sparkling is continuous: they kept flashing. The verb occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. Later Hebrew and Aramaic use it for sparks and glitter. The form is masculine plural, so it may refer to the creatures as a whole or to their legs.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.