Lexical Summary
natsir: Branch, shoot, protector
Original Word:נָצִיר
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:natsiyr
Pronunciation:naw-tseer'
Phonetic Spelling:(naw-tsere')
KJV: preserved
NASB:preserved
Word Origin:[fromH5341 (נָצַר - observe)]
1. (properly) conservative
2. but used passively, delivered
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
preserved
Fromnatsar; properly, conservative; but used passively, delivered -- preserved.
see HEBREWnatsar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
natsarDefinitionpreserved
NASB Translationpreserved (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] ; — only plural construct
Isaiah 49:6 Kt, Qr q. v.
ParticiplePsalm 141:3 see I. Qal Imperative
II. (√ of following; compare perhaps Arabic
be fresh, bright, grow green; Ecclus 40:15 , margin ,branch; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew).
Topical Lexicon
Divine Preservation in the Prophetic VocabularyThe noun נָצִיר identifies those whom God has set aside for safekeeping. The term signals not merely survival but purposeful conservation. Whereas other Hebrew words speak of guarding objects or watching locations, נָצִיר focuses on persons whom the LORD preserves for His redemptive agenda.
Old Testament Usage
Isaiah employs the word once, embedding it in a sweeping salvation oracle (Isaiah 49:6). The Servant will “restore the protected ones of Israel”, a promise that assumes both dispersion and divine custody. This singular appearance does not limit the concept; rather, it stands as a concentrated witness to the broader prophetic motif of a preserved remnant (for example,Isaiah 10:20–21;Micah 2:12;Zephaniah 3:12). The Servant’s mission depends on God’s prior act of protecting a people for Himself.
Isaiah 49:6 in Context
1. Restoration of Israel’s tribes: The verse binds נָצִיר to national reconstitution. The preserved ones have endured exile, yet remain traceable as covenant heirs.
2. Messianic mediation: The Servant is indispensable. Human perseverance alone does not explain the remnant’s survival; their preservation is Christ-ward, awaiting the One who will “raise up the tribes of Jacob.”
3. Extension to the nations: Immediately after naming the preserved Israelites, the oracle expands, “I will also make You a light for the nations.” God’s safeguarding of Israel is never an end in itself; it is the staging ground for universal salvation.
Theological Threads
• Sovereignty and Responsibility: Divine preservation upholds human responsibility by making obedience possible. The remnant must respond, yet its very existence is secured by grace.
• Continuity of the Covenant: נָצִיר underscores that the Abrahamic promise never lapses. Even in judgment God keeps a lineage alive to receive further blessing (Romans 11:1–5).
• Missionary Momentum: The safeguarded community becomes the launchpad for Gospel light. Preservation and proclamation are twin strands of God’s plan.
New Testament Resonance
Though the exact Hebrew term does not reappear, its reality echoes in passages such asLuke 1:68–75, where Zacharias blesses God for having “raised up a horn of salvation” in remembrance of His holy covenant. Paul draws the same line from preserved remnant to worldwide mission when he cites Isaiah inActs 13:47 and applies the Servant’s commission to the Church’s witness among the Gentiles.
Historical and Ministry Significance
Early Jewish interpreters readIsaiah 49 as confirmation that God would keep a faithful nucleus through whom He would act in the latter days. The early Church—many of whom were “protected ones” in dispersion—identified Jesus as the Servant and themselves as beneficiaries and agents of His saving light.
For contemporary ministry the term highlights:
1. Assurance: God preserves individuals and congregations amid cultural exile.
2. Purpose: Preservation is never passive; the safeguarded are commissioned.
3. Hope for Israel: The word affirms an ongoing divine commitment to ethnic Israel, balanced with a universal missionary mandate.
Practical Application
Pastors and evangelists can draw confidence from נָצִיר when laboring in hostile settings. God still keeps a people for Himself, sometimes hidden, always intentional, ready to be raised up for witness “to the ends of the earth.”
Forms and Transliterations
וּנְצוּרֵ֥י ונצורי ū·nə·ṣū·rê ūnəṣūrê unetzuRei
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