H5178a H5178a
Copper or bronze as raw metal and crafted material; in dual form, bronze fetters used to bind prisoners.
One of the most frequently mentioned metals in the Hebrew Bible, nechoshet spans the full range from raw copper ore (Deut 8:9) to the refined bronze used in tabernacle and temple construction. Tubal-cain is credited as the first to forge it (Gen 4:22), and Solomon's temple required enormous quantities (1 Kgs 7:14-47). The dual form nechushtayim appears exclusively for fetters — the paired shackles clamped onto prisoners like Samson (Judg 16:21) and King Zedekiah (2 Kgs 25:7). Spanish and French consistently render 'bronce,' while German distinguishes Kupfer (raw) from Bronze (worked), reflecting the same material spectrum the Hebrew covers in a single word.
Senses
1. bronze/copper as metal — The metal bronze or copper in all its applications — raw ore mined from the earth (Deut 8:9), refined material for sacred vessels and architectural overlays (Exod 26:11; 1 Kgs 7:45), and a symbol of strength or stubbornness. Cross-linguistic glosses uniformly converge on a single metallurgical term (bronce, Bronze, bronze), confirming this as the core, undifferentiated sense covering 131 of 139 occurrences. 131×
AR["النُّحَاسِ", "نُحاساً", "نُحاسٌ", "نُحاسٍ", "نُحَاسًا", "نُحَاسٍ"]·ben["তামার", "পিতল", "পিতলের"]·DE["Bronze", "in-Kupfer"]·EN["bronze"]·FR["bronze"]·heb["נחושת"]·HI["काँसा", "काँसे-की", "काँसे-के", "काँसे-से", "ताँबे-की", "ताँबे-के", "तांबा"]·ID["tembaga"]·IT["bronzo"]·jav["prunggu", "prunggu,", "prunggu.", "tembaga", "tembaga.", "tembagi"]·KO["놋의", "농", "농의", "놓쇠로", "놓쇠의", "롭", "롭으로", "청동"]·PT["bronze", "de-bronze"]·RU["меди", "медное", "медной", "медную", "медные", "медный", "медными", "медных", "медь", "медью"]·ES["bronce"]·SW["kwa-shaba", "la-shaba", "shaba", "vya-shaba", "wa-shaba", "ya-shaba", "za-shaba"]·TR["tunç", "tunçla"]·urd["تانبے", "پیتل-سے", "پیتل-کا", "پیتل-کی", "پیتل-کے"]
Gen 4:22, Exod 26:11, Exod 26:37, Exod 27:2, Exod 27:3, Exod 27:4, Exod 27:4, Exod 27:6, Exod 27:10, Exod 27:11, Exod 27:17, Exod 27:18 (+38 more)
2. bronze fetters or shackles — The dual form nechushtayim designating a pair of bronze fetters or shackles used to imprison captives. All eight occurrences describe binding — Samson at Gaza (Judg 16:21), Zedekiah by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kgs 25:7), Manasseh in Assyrian captivity (2 Chr 33:11). Spanish renders 'con bronces' (with bronzes) and Hindi uses a chains-specific term, both capturing the metonymy where the material stands for the instrument of bondage. 8×
AR["إِلَى-نُحَاسٍ", "بِ-النُّحَاسِ", "بِالسَّلَاسِلِ", "بِالنُّحَاسِ", "بِالنُّحَاسِ-بِ", "سِلْسِلَتِي"]·ben["-পিতলের-শিকলে", "-শিকলে", "আমার-শৃঙ্খল", "পিতলের-শিকল-দিয়ে", "পিতলের-শিকলে", "পিতলের-শৃঙ্খলে-দিয়ে", "শিকলে", "শিকলে-"]·DE["Bronze", "[נחשתי]", "mit-Bronze-fetters", "zu-Bronze-fetters"]·EN["my-bronze-chains", "to-bronze-fetters", "with-bronze-fetters", "with-bronze-shackles"]·FR["avec-bronze-fetters", "bronze", "à-bronze-fetters"]·heb["ב-ה-נחושת", "ב-נחושתיים", "ל-נחושתיים", "נחושתי"]·HI["जंजीरों-से", "पीतल-की-बेड़ियों-से", "ब-पीतल", "बेड़ियों-में", "में-बेड़ियों", "मेरी-जंजीरों-को"]·ID["dengan-rantai-perunggu", "dengan-rantai-tembaga", "ke-belenggu", "rantai-rantaiku"]·IT["a-bronzo-fetters", "bronzo", "con-bronzo-fetters"]·jav["dhateng-rantai-tembaga", "ing-rante-kuningan", "kaliyan-rante-tembaga", "kanthi-ranté-gangsa", "mawi-ranthè-tembaga", "ngangge-rantai-tembaga", "rante-tembaga-kawula"]·KO["그-청동-사슬들-로", "내-쇠사슬-을", "놋쇠에", "놓쇠로", "에-그-청동-사슬들로", "에-놓쳐-쇠", "에서-놓쇠들", "청동-사슬로"]·PT["com-bronze", "com-bronzes", "com-grilhões-de-bronze", "em-bronzes", "em-cadeias-de-bronze", "em-correntes", "minha-cadeia", "nos-bronzes"]·RU["бронзовыми-оковами", "в-оковы", "в-оковы-бронзовые", "в-оковы-медные", "оковами", "оковы-мои", "цепями"]·ES["a-bronces", "con-bronces", "con-cadenas-de-bronce", "mis-cadenas"]·SW["baּnchushtaּyim", "katika-pingu-za-shaba", "kwa-minyororo-ya-shaba", "minyororo-yangu"]·TR["-ile-bron zincirler", "tunclara", "ve-bağladılar-onu", "zincirlerimi", "zincirlerle", "zincirlerle-bron"]·urd["بیڑیوں-میں", "زنجیروں-سے", "زنجیروں-سے-پیتل-کی", "میری-زنجیر", "میں-زنجیروں-پیتل-کی", "پیتل-کی-زنجیروں-سے"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)H1259 1. hail (weather phenomenon) (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. נְחֹ֫שֶׁת137 n.m. 1 K 7:45 (cf. AlbrechtZAW xvi (1896), 108; f. 1 Ch 18:8) copper, bronze (NH = BH; Ph. נחשׁת; Palm. נחשא Lzb 322; Syriac ܢܚܳܫܳܐ 𝔗 נְחָשָׁא, Arabic نُحَاسٌ Ethiopic ናሕስ (so also OEth. DHMEpigr. Denkm. aus Abess. (1894), 52); WMMAs. u. Eur. 127 cites Egyptian teḥost, copper (= tenḥost), as loan-wd. from נְחשֶׁת + fem. art.);—נ׳ abs. Gn 4:22 +; cstr. Ex 38:29; sf. נְחָשְׁתִּי La…