H5329 H5329
Choirmaster or musical director (Piel ptcp.); to oversee or supervise work (Piel); enduring, perpetual (Nifal ptcp.).
Best known from the Psalm titles — lamnatseach, 'to the choirmaster' — this verb root natsach carries the core meaning of eminence and endurance. In its Piel participial form, it appears over fifty times at the head of psalms as a technical musical term, directing performance to the worship leader. Spanish al director, French au chef de musique, and German dem Chorleiter all capture this liturgical office. Beyond music, the Piel extends to general oversight: Levitical supervisors 'direct' (menatschim) temple construction in Chronicles. A single Nifal occurrence in Jeremiah 8:5 preserves the root's deeper sense of duration — a 'perpetual' (nitsachat) backsliding that will not relent.
Senses
1. choirmaster, musical director (Piel ptcp.) — The Piel participle used as a substantive in 56 psalm superscriptions: lamnatseach, 'to the choirmaster' or 'for the music director.' This is the most frequent and recognizable use, functioning as a technical liturgical rubric. Spanish al director, French au chef de musique, and Korean indobajayege ('to the conductor') all identify a specific worship leader responsible for performance. Habakkuk 3:19 uses the same form outside the Psalter, confirming it as a recognized office rather than a mere scribal notation. 56×
AR["لِ-المُغَنّي","لِ-رَئِيسِ-المُغَنِّينَ","لِلْمُنْشِدِ"]·ben["প্রধান-গায়কের-জন্য","প্রধান-সংগীত-পরিচালকের-জন্য","প্রধান-সঙ্গীতকারের-জন্য","সংগীত-পরিচালকের-জন্য"]·DE["zu-der-dem-Chorleiter"]·EN["to-the-choirmaster"]·FR["à-au-chef-de-musique"]·heb["ל-מנצח"]·HI["प्रधान-गायक-के-लिए","ले-प्रधान-गायक","ले-प्रधान-गायक-के","ले-प्रधान-गायक-को","ले-प्रधान-संगीतकार-के"]·ID["Untuk-pemimpin-musik"]·IT["al-maestro-di-coro"]·jav["Kanggé-pangageng-kidung","Kanggé-pangarsaning-kidung"]·KO["-인도자-에게","인도자-에게","인도자에게"]·PT["Ao-mestre-de-canto","Ao-regente"]·RU["для-начальника-хора","начальнику-хора","руководителю-хора"]·ES["Al-director","al-director"]·SW["Kwa-kiongozi-wa-kwaya","Kwa-kiongozi-wa-muziki","Kwa-msimamizi-wa-uimbaji"]·TR["Koro-şefi-için","şef-müzisyen-için"]·urd["-سرکردہ-موسیقار-کے-لیے","-موسیقی-کے-سالار-کے-لیے","مُوسیقار-کے-لئے"]
2. oversee, direct, supervise (Piel) — The Piel infinitive and participle meaning 'to oversee, direct, or supervise,' applied to construction and administrative work rather than music. First Chronicles 23:4 assigns 24,000 Levites 'to oversee' (lenatseach) the work of the temple, and 2 Chronicles 2:2, 2:18, 34:12-13 use the plural participle menatschim for foremen and supervisors. Spanish capataces ('foremen'), French diriger ('to direct'), and the contextual pairing with temple building distinguish this managerial sense from the musical one. 8×
AR["لِ-يُدَبِّرُوا","لِ-يُشْرِفُوا","لِلْإِشْرَافِ","لِيُشْرِفُوا","مُشْرِفِينَ","وَ-الْمُشْرِفِينَ","وَ-مُشْرِفِينَ"]·ben["-তত্ত্বাবধান-করতে","আর-তত্ত্বাবধায়কেরা","ও-তত্ত্বাবধায়কদের","তত্ত্বাবধান-করতে","তত্ত্বাবধায়ক","তদারক-করতে","শমীনীৎ"]·DE["[ומנצחים]","[לנצח]","[מנצחים]","fuer-immer"]·EN["and-overseeing","and-overseers","overseers","to-lead","to-oversee"]·FR["diriger","et-diriger"]·heb["ו-מנצחים","ל-נצח","מנצחים"]·HI["अगुवाई-करने","अध्यक्ष","और-अध्यक्ष","और-निगरानों-के","निगरानी-करने-के-लिए","निगरानी-करने-को"]·ID["dan-mandor","dan-mengawasi","mandor","untuk-memimpin","untuk-mengawasi"]·IT["dirigere","e-dirigere"]·jav["kang-nindakaken","kanggé-mimpin","kanggé-ngawasi","lan-mandori","lan-para-mandor","mandor"]·KO["감독들","감독하기-위해","그리고-감독들","그리고-감독자들","에-인도하다","위해-감독하다","을-감독하려고"]·PT["e-supervisores","para-dirigir","para-supervisionar","supervisores"]·RU["вести","для-надзора","и-надзирателей","и-надзирающие","надзирателей","надзирать","руководить"]·ES["capataces","para-dirigir","para-supervisar","y-capataces","y-supervisores"]·SW["kuongoza","kusimamia","lnatseּcha","na-wasimamizi","wasimamizi","wּmnatsּchiym"]·TR["denetlemek-için","denetçi","ve-denetleyenler","ve-denetçiler","yonetmek-icin","yönetmek-için"]·urd["اور-نگران","اور-نگرانوں-پر","رہنمائی-کرنے-کے-لیے","لے-نگرانی-کرنے-کو","نگران","نگرانی-کرنے","نگرانی-کرنے-کو"]
3. perpetual, enduring (Nifal ptcp.) — A sole Nifal participle feminine in Jeremiah 8:5: meshuvah nitsachat, 'perpetual backsliding.' Here the root's underlying sense of endurance and permanence surfaces — not leadership but unceasing duration. Spanish perpetua and the contextual meaning of 'unrelenting apostasy' set this apart from both the musical and supervisory senses. The Nifal passive voice suggests a quality that persists of its own momentum. 1×
AR["دَائِمًا"]·ben["চিরস্থায়ী"]·DE["[נצחת]"]·EN["backsliding"]·FR["[נצחת]"]·heb["נצחת"]·HI["निरन्तर"]·ID["terus-menerus"]·IT["[נצחת]"]·jav["langgeng"]·KO["영원한"]·PT["perpétua"]·RU["вечным"]·ES["perpetua"]·SW["wa-kudumu"]·TR["sürekli"]·urd["ہمیشہ-کی"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [נָצַח] vb. be pre-eminent, enduring (Ecclus [Pi.] make brilliant 43:5, 13 [?] (cf. Oxford ed.xxxiii); NH נָצַח conquer, etc.; Ph. נצח, Aramaic נְצַח, ܢܨܰܚ shine, be illustrious, pre-eminent, victorious; Arabic نَصَحَ be pure, reliable; Ethiopic ነድሐ be pure, innocent; both classes of meaning prob. derived from shine, be bright, brilliant, v. also Dr 1 S 15:29);— Niph. Pt. act. f. נִצַּ֫חַת…