Lexical Summary
nazid: Stew, pottage
Original Word:נָזִיד
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:naziyd
Pronunciation:naw-zeed'
Phonetic Spelling:(naw-zeed')
KJV: pottage
NASB:stew, cooked food
Word Origin:[fromH2102 (זוּד זִידּ - acted arrogantly)]
1. something boiled, i.e. soup
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
pottage
Fromzuwd; something boiled, i.e. Soup -- pottage.
see HEBREWzuwd
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
zudDefinitionsomething sodden or boiled, pottage
NASB Translationcooked food (1), stew (5).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; absolute
Genesis 25:29 4t.; construct
Genesis 25:34; — a kind of boiled leguminous food, object of
Genesis 25:29 (see ); defined
Genesis 25:34 as (see ); object of
2 Kings 4:38; boiled in a
2 Kings 4:39 compare
2 Kings 4:40; mentioned, apparently as a common food,
Haggai 2:12.
, see below I. .
see below I. .
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Cultural Settingנָזִיד denotes a cooked mixture of ingredients—most naturally rendered “stew” or “pottage.” In ancient Near Eastern households it was an economical, nourishing staple, simmered in a single pot and eaten communally. Because it could incorporate whatever produce or meat was available, stew became a ready symbol for both sustenance and scarcity, blessing and potential danger, depending on context.
Biblical Occurrences and Narrative Significance
1.Genesis 25:29–34
Jacob’s preparation of stew forms the backdrop for Esau’s impulsive sale of his firstborn rights. “One day, when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished” (Genesis 25:29). The ordinary meal highlights an extraordinary spiritual exchange: eternal covenant privilege is forfeited for immediate appetite. The scene warns against valuing temporal relief above God-given promises.
2.2 Kings 4:38–41
During famine at Gilgal, Elisha directs the sons of the prophets to “cook stew” (2 Kings 4:38). An ill-chosen wild vine poisons the pot, but prophetic intervention turns death into life-giving provision. The episode showcases the Lord’s power to redeem even well-intended but hazardous human efforts, underscoring reliance on divine revelation amid crisis.
3.Haggai 2:12
The prophet employs stew in a priestly ruling on ritual purity: contact with holy meat does not transmit holiness to “bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food.” The illustration clarifies that holiness is not mechanically contagious, whereas defilement is (Haggai 2:13). Stew here serves as a neutral object within covenantal teaching on inward righteousness versus external forms.
Symbolic and Theological Insights
• Appetite and Choice: Esau’s craving for stew dramatizes the tension between fleshly desire and spiritual inheritance (cf.Hebrews 12:16-17).
• Life from Death: Elisha’s miracle takes a lethal stew and makes it nourishing, prefiguring the gospel pattern of resurrection life overcoming corruption.
• Holiness and Contamination: Haggai’s ruling uses stew to illustrate that sanctity flows from God’s initiative, not from casual contact—anticipating the need for a new covenant heart.
Historical and Ministry Implications
• Pastoral Counseling: The Genesis narrative counsels believers to weigh long-term spiritual outcomes over short-term relief, a principle applicable to temptation, vocational decisions, and stewardship.
• Leadership Training: Elisha’s classroom for prophets involved practical service (meal preparation) combined with sensitivity to divine guidance—modeling holistic ministry formation.
• Teaching on Purity: Haggai’s use of stew supplies a vivid object lesson for catechesis on the nature of holiness, underscoring that external rituals cannot impart inner cleansing apart from God’s grace.
Christological and Redemptive Foreshadowing
The poisoned stew purified by flour anticipates the redemptive work of Christ, the “bread of life” who nullifies the poison of sin and supplies true nourishment (John 6:35). Likewise, Jacob’s stew episode magnifies the value of the birthright ultimately consummated in the Firstborn over all creation; forfeiting fellowship with Him for fleeting pleasure remains the perennial danger.
Key Themes for Devotional Reflection
1. Immediate gratification versus eternal blessing.
2. Divine intervention transforming scarcity into sufficiency.
3. Authentic holiness originating in God, not in ritual contact.
Forms and Transliterations
הַנָּזִ֖יד הַנָּזִ֜יד הנזיד וּנְזִ֣יד ונזיד מֵהַנָּזִ֜יד מהנזיד נָזִ֑יד נָזִ֖יד נזיד han·nā·zîḏ hannaZid hannāzîḏ mê·han·nā·zîḏ mehannaZid mêhannāzîḏ nā·zîḏ naZid nāzîḏ ū·nə·zîḏ uneZid ūnəzîḏ
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