Lexical Summary
nechosheth: bronze, brass, bronze fetters
Original Word:נְחשֶׁת
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:nchosheth
Pronunciation:nekh-o'-sheth
Phonetic Spelling:(nekh-o'-sheth)
KJV: brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel
NASB:bronze, brass, bronze fetters, bronze chains, chain, copper, fetters
Word Origin:[forH5154 (נְחוּשָׁה נְחוּשָׁה - bronze)]
1. copper
2. (hence) something made of copper, i.e. a coin, a shackle
3. (figuratively) base (as compared with gold or silver)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter of brass, filthiness, steel
Fornchuwshah; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. Coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver) -- brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.
see HEBREWnchuwshah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitioncopper, bronze
NASB Translationbrass (2), bronze (130), bronze chains (1), bronze fetters (2), chain (1), copper (1), fetters (1), fetters of bronze (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I.
1371Kings 7:45 (compare Albr
ZAW xvi (1896), 108; feminine1 Chronicles 18:8) (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Phoenician ; Palmyrene Lzb
322; Syriac
, , Arabic
, Ethiopic
(so also Old Ethiopic DHM
Epigr.Denkm.aus Abess.(1894),52); WMM
As.u.Eur.127 cites Egyptianteµ(µ)ost,
copper (= *
tenµost), as loan-word from + feminine article); — absolute
Genesis 4:22 +; construct
Exodus 38:29; suffix
Lamentations 3:7,
Ezekiel 16:36,
Ezekiel 24:11,
2 Kings 25:13 2t.; dual
Judges 16:21 6t.; —
copper, as oreDeuteronomy 8:9, compareZechariah 6:8; worked by artificerGenesis 4:22 (J)1 Kings 7:14 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 24:12; material — doubtless hardened with alloy, probably tin, makingbronze, compare NowArchaeology i. 243 BenzArchaeology 214 — of armour1 Samuel 17:5,6;1 Kings 14:27, utensils2 Kings 25:14 =Jeremiah 52:18;Leviticus 6:21;Numbers 17:4 + very often, altar2 Kings 16:14,15;Exodus 38:30;Exodus 39:39, etc., and other objectsNumbers 21:9 (twice in verse) (JE),2 Kings 18:4;1 Kings 4:13;1 Kings 7:15ff. +, especially in description of tabernacle and temple; cast1 Kings 7:14; polished1 Kings 7:45, 2Chronicles 4:16 (compareLeviticus 6:21); and shiningEzra 8:27. OnEzekiel 1:7;Daniel 10:6 see ; as spoil of war2 Samuel 8:8;2 Kings 25:13 =Jeremiah 52:17,20 etc.
fetters of copper orbronze, usually dualJudges 16:21;2 Samuel 3:34;2 Kings 25:7 =Jeremiah 39:7;Jeremiah 52:11; 2Chronicles 36:6, also 2 Chronicles 33:11; singular onlyLamentations 3:7 (figurative of oppression).
Isaiah 60:17 (twice in verse); figurative of worthless peopleJeremiah 6:28 (+ ),id. (as dross of silver)Ezekiel 22:18 (+ , , ). — OnEzekiel 16:36 see IV. .
Deuteronomy 28:23.
II. [] suffixEzekiel 16:36 where context ("" ) favours meaninglust, harlotry, or specific sens. obscoen. (Co [citing Ki Ra] Berthol, see also Da); text perhaps corrupt (compare NöZMG xl (1886). 730); Sm proposes , so apparently ToyHpt; Or .
Topical Lexicon
General OverviewThe Hebrew term נְחשֶׁת designates copper and its alloys (bronze, brass). It appears about one-hundred-and-forty times, covering an array of physical objects, metaphors, and theological themes. Scripture speaks of נְחשֶׁת as both a raw material found in the Promised Land and a worked product fashioned into tools, weapons, cultic vessels, royal ornamentation, and instruments of judgment.
Metallurgy and Material Culture in Israel
Long before the Iron Age, copper ore was mined in the Arabah and worked throughout Canaan.Genesis 4:22 records Tubal-cain as “the forger of every tool of bronze and iron.” The book of Deuteronomy celebrates the land’s mineral wealth: “a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper” (Deuteronomy 8:9). From the wilderness wanderings onward, bronze became the utilitarian metal of Israelite life—mirrors (Exodus 38:8), door bolts (Psalms 107:16), cymbals (1 Chronicles 15:19), and agricultural implements (1 Samuel 13:19).
Cultic and Liturgical Use
Bronze dominated the outer court of the tabernacle and later the temple. The altar of burnt offering (Exodus 27:1-6), its grating (verse 4), utensils (verse 3), and reinforcing bands were all bronze. The laver for priestly purification was cast “from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Exodus 38:8). Solomon multiplied this usage: “He made the Sea of cast bronze…ten cubits from rim to rim” (2 Chronicles 4:2), together with ten basins, stands, shovels, bowls, and two monumental pillars, Jachin and Boaz (verses 7-12). These vessels, exposed to fire, water, and weather, highlight bronze’s durability and the need for purification before approaching the Holy One.
Symbols of Judgment and Salvation
The most striking theological image is the bronze serpent raised by Moses: “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, will live” (Numbers 21:8). The cured Israelites acknowledged both judgment (the serpents) and grace (the provided remedy). Centuries later Jesus interpreted it typologically: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up” (John 3:14). When Hezekiah destroyed that same object, now called Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:4), he rejected idolatry while affirming that saving power rests in God, not in bronze artifacts.
Bronze also connotes unyielding resistance to God’s word: “I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint” (Ezekiel 3:9) and conversely Israel’s obstinacy: “your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead bronze” (Isaiah 48:4).
Royal and Military Applications
Militarily, נְחשֶׁת provided armor and weaponry: Goliath’s helmet, coat of mail, greaves, and javelin were bronze (1 Samuel 17:5-6). Chariots are called “like the chariots of Pharaoh…with charioteers in bronze harness” (Jeremiah 46:4). Bronze shields adorned Solomon’s palace (1 Kings 14:27). Fetters of bronze bound captives such as Samson (Judges 16:21) and King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 39:7), embodying humiliation under divine judgment. Conversely, God promises deliverance: “He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron” (Psalms 107:16).
Tools, Implements, and Everyday Life
Everyday uses range from ax-heads (Deuteronomy 19:5) to door sockets (1 Kings 7:29), trumpets (Numbers 10:2), and musical instruments (1 Chronicles 15:19). The artisan Hiram of Tyre “was filled with wisdom, understanding, and skill to do any work in bronze” (1 Kings 7:14), underscoring the God-given craftsmanship behind Israel’s sacred and civic life.
Artistry, Economy, and Trade
Ezekiel lists bronze among the commodities exchanged at Tyre’s markets (Ezekiel 27:13).Job 28:2 pairs it with iron as metals drawn from the earth by human ingenuity. By the Persian period, a standard “talent of bronze” served as a unit of weight (Ezra 8:27). Thus נְחשֶׁת touches Israel’s economy as well as its worship.
Typological Significance in Christological Perspective
Bronze stands at the intersection of justice and mercy. Its fiery association (Numbers 21;Deuteronomy 28:23, “heaven over your head shall be bronze”) illustrates sin’s penalty. Yet the same metal, fashioned into an altar, receives the substitutionary sacrifice—pointing forward to Christ, who endured judgment “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:11-12) that His people might draw near. The bronze serpent prefigures His crucifixion; the bronze altar foreshadows His once-for-all offering; the “feet like polished bronze refined in a furnace” of the risen Lord (Revelation 1:15) symbolize triumphant purity and judicial authority.
Moral and Prophetic Imagery
Prophets deploy נְחשֶׁת to depict strength or obstinacy. Jeremiah is fortified: “I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze” (Jeremiah 15:20). Yet disobedient Israel experiences “skies as bronze” (Deuteronomy 28:23), a heaven shut to prayer. Thus bronze underscores the ethical polarity of covenant blessings and curses.
Summary
From Genesis to the Prophets, נְחשֶׁת threads through metallurgy, worship, warfare, economy, and prophecy. It embodies hardness, durability, and fiery judgment while offering glimpses of atonement and redemption. Fashioned by human hands yet sovereignly purposed by God, bronze serves Scripture’s unfolding revelation of holiness, justice, and grace fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם בַּנְּחֹ֑שֶׁת בַּנְּחֹ֨שֶׁת בַֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם בַֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֗יִם בנחשת בנחשתים הַנְּחֹ֑שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֔שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֗שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֙שֶׁת֙ הַנְּחֹ֛שֶׁת הַנְּחֹ֜שֶׁת הַנְּחֹֽשֶׁת׃ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת֮ הנחשת הנחשת׃ וְהַנְּחֹ֣שֶׁת וְלַנְּחֹ֤שֶׁת וְלַנְּחֹ֥שֶׁת וּ֠נְחֹשֶׁת וּבִנְחֹ֧שֶׁת וּבַנְּחֹ֣שֶׁת וּבַנְּחֹֽשֶׁת׃ וּנְחֹ֔שֶׁת וּנְחֹ֕שֶׁת וּנְחֹ֖שֶׁת וּנְחֹ֥שֶׁת וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ ובנחשת ובנחשת׃ והנחשת ולנחשת ונחשת ונחשת׃ לִנְחֹ֖שֶׁת לִנְחֻשְׁתַּ֣יִם לִנְחֻשְׁתָּ֖ם לַנְּחֹ֗שֶׁת לנחשת לנחשתים לנחשתם נְ֠חֹשֶׁת נְחָשְׁתִּֽי׃ נְחֹ֑שֶׁת נְחֹ֔שֶׁת נְחֹ֖שֶׁת נְחֹ֗שֶׁת נְחֹ֙שֶׁת֙ נְחֹ֛שֶׁת נְחֹ֜שֶׁת נְחֹ֣שֶׁת נְחֹ֥שֶׁת נְחֹֽשֶֽׁת׃ נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ נְחֹשֶׁת֒ נְחֹשֶׁת֮ נְחֻשְׁתֵּךְ֙ נְחֻשְׁתָּ֖ם נְחֻשְׁתָּ֗הּ נחשת נחשת׃ נחשתה נחשתי׃ נחשתך נחשתם ban·ḥuš·ta·yim ḇan·ḥuš·ta·yim ban·nə·ḥō·šeṯ banchushTayim banḥuštayim ḇanḥuštayim banneChoshet bannəḥōšeṯ han·nə·ḥō·šeṯ hanneChoshet hannəḥōšeṯ lan·nə·ḥō·šeṯ lanneChoshet lannəḥōšeṯ lin·ḥō·šeṯ lin·ḥuš·ta·yim lin·ḥuš·tām linChoshet linchushTam linchushTayim linḥōšeṯ linḥuštām linḥuštayim nə·ḥā·šə·tî nə·ḥō·šeṯ nə·ḥuš·tāh nə·ḥuš·tām nə·ḥuš·têḵ nechasheTi neChoshet nechushTah nechushTam nechushteCh nəḥāšətî nəḥōšeṯ nəḥuštāh nəḥuštām nəḥuštêḵ ū·ḇan·nə·ḥō·šeṯ ū·ḇin·ḥō·šeṯ ū·nə·ḥō·šeṯ ūḇannəḥōšeṯ ūḇinḥōšeṯ uneChoshet ūnəḥōšeṯ uvanneChoshet uvinChoshet vanchushTayim vehanneChoshet velanneChoshet wə·han·nə·ḥō·šeṯ wə·lan·nə·ḥō·šeṯ wəhannəḥōšeṯ wəlannəḥōšeṯ
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