H5391a H5391a
To bite, especially of serpents; intensively, to inflict repeated bites; metaphorically, to exact usurious interest.
Nashakh is first and foremost the serpent's bite—the primal danger that runs from Genesis to Ecclesiastes. Jacob's oracle pictures Dan as a viper that 'bites' the horse's heels (Gen 49:17), and the bronze serpent narrative hinges on this word for both the biting and the bitten (Num 21:8-9). Cognate Assyrian nashaku and Ethiopic nasaka confirm the core meaning. The Piel intensifies the image into deadly, repeated assault, as when the fiery serpents 'bit' the people in the wilderness (Num 21:6). Most striking is the metaphorical leap in Habakkuk 2:7: creditors who 'bite' their debtors through usury—the financial predator as serpent.
3. exact interest, oppress financially — A metaphorical extension to financial predation: exacting usurious interest or 'biting' a debtor through oppressive lending. Habakkuk 2:7 asks the tyrant, 'Will not your creditors (literally, your biters) suddenly arise?' Spanish 'los que te muerden' preserves the vivid image. The semantic path from serpent's fangs to the creditor's grip reflects an ancient intuition that financial exploitation is a form of venomous attack. 1×
AR["عاضّوكَ"]·ben["যারা-কামড়ায়-তোমাকে"]·DE["[נשכיך]"]·EN["your-creditors"]·FR["mordre"]·heb["נושכיך"]·HI["तेरे-काटने-वाले"]·ID["penggigit-penggigitmu,"]·IT["[נשכיך]"]·jav["tiyang-kang-cokot"]·KO["너-를-무는-자-들이"]·PT["os-que-te-mordem"]·RU["кусающие-тебя"]·ES["los-que-te-muerden"]·SW["wanaokung'ata"]·TR["ısıranların-senin"]·urd["تجھے-کاٹنے-والے"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. bite (literal, Qal) — The literal bite of a creature, especially a serpent, in the Qal stem. Spanish 'el que muerde' and French 'mordre' render the basic action. Genesis 49:17 envisions Dan as a serpent biting at the horse's heels; Numbers 21:8-9 uses both the active participle ('the one biting') and the passive ('the one bitten'). Proverbs 23:32 and Ecclesiastes 10:8, 11 extend the image to wine that 'bites like a serpent' and walls whose stones may conceal a biting snake. 9×
AR["اللَّادِغُ","الْعَاضِّينَ","الْمَلْدُوغِ","تَلْدَغُ","فَ-تَلْدَغُهُمْ","لَدَغَتْ","وَ-تَلْدَغُهُ","يِشُّوكْ","يِشِّكِنُّو"]·ben["ও-তাকে-দংশন-করে","ও-সে-তাদের-দংশন-করবে","কামড়াত","কামড়ানো","কামড়াবে","কামড়ায়","তাকে-দংশন-করবে","যারা-কামড়ায়","যে-দংশন-করে"]·DE["[הנשכים]","[ונשכו]","[ונשכם]","[ישך]","[ישכנו]","bit","der-bitten","die-beißt"]·EN["and-bites-him","and-it-will-bite-them","bit","bites","it-bites","the-biting","the-bitten","the-ones-biting","will-bite-him"]·FR["bit","et-mordre","le-bitten","le-mordant","mordre"]·heb["ה-נושכים","ה-נשוך","ה-נשך","וּ-נשׁכוֹ","וּ-נשׁכם","יישוך","יישכנו","נשך"]·HI["और-काट-ले-उसको","और-काटेगा-उन्हें।","काटता-है-जो","काटती-है","काटने-वालों","काटे","काटेगा-उसे","जो-डसा-हुआ-है","डसा"]·ID["dan-menggigitnya","digigit","ia-menggigit","menggigit","yang-digigit","yang-menggigit"]·IT["[הנשכים]","[ונשכו]","[ונשכם]","bit","bites","esso-bites","il-biting","il-bitten","will-bite-lui"]·jav["ingkang-dipun-cakot","ingkang-nyokot","nyakot","nyokot","para-tiyang-nggerèt","piyambakipun-dipuncokot"]·KO["그-무는-자들","그-물린-자-가","그리고-물리라","물-것이다-그를","물리라","물면","물었다"]·PT["a-que-morde","e-o-morde","e-os-morderá","morder","morderá","mordia","o-morderá","o-mordido","os-que-mordem"]·RU["жалящий","и-жалит-его","и-ужалит-их","кусающих","укусил","укусит","укусит-его","укушенный"]·ES["el-mordido","el-que-muerde","lo-morderá","los-que-muerden","morderá","mordía","muerde","y-le-muerde","y-los-morderá"]·SW["akiuma","aliyeumwa","ameumwa","ataumwa","huuma","na-akaumwa-na","na-atawaumia","wanaotafuna","yule-akachimba"]·TR["-ısıran","isirirsa","sokar-onu","ve-ısıracak","ve-ısırdı","ısıranların-o","ısırdıysa","ısırılan","ısırır"]·urd["اور-کاٹے-اُسے","اور-کاٹے-گا-اُنہیں","کاٹتا","کاٹتا-ہے","کاٹنے-والا","کاٹنے-والے","کاٹے","کاٹے-گا-اُسے","کٹا-ہوا"]
2. bite severely (Piel intensive) — Severe or repeated biting in the Piel intensive stem, emphasizing the deadliness of the attack. Numbers 21:6 records the fiery serpents that 'bit' the people with fatal results; Jeremiah 8:17 threatens serpents that 'shall bite you' beyond any charmer's power. Spanish 'y mordieron/y os morderán' and French forms capture the intensified, relentless quality—not a single nip but a sustained, lethal assault. 2×
AR["فَ-لَدَغَتْ","فَتَلْدَغُكُمْ"]·ben["এবং-তারা-কামড়াল","এবং-তারা-দংশন-করবে"]·DE["[ונשכו]","und-bit"]·EN["and-bit","and-they-shall-bite"]·FR["[ונשכו]","et-bit"]·heb["ו-ינשכו","ו-נשכו"]·HI["और-वे-डसते-थे","और-वे-डसेंगे"]·ID["dan-menggigit","dan-mereka-akan-menggigit"]·IT["[ונשכו]","e-bit"]·jav["lan-badhé-nyakot","lan-sami-nyakot"]·KO["그리고-그것들이-물리라","그리고-물었다"]·PT["e-morderam","e-morderão"]·RU["и-жалили","и-ужалят"]·ES["y-mordieron","y-os-morderán"]·SW["na-wakawauma","na-watawauma"]·TR["ve-ısıracaklar","ve-ısırdılar"]·urd["اور-کاٹیں-گے","اور-کاٹے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נָשַׁךְ vb. bite (NH = BH, but also transp. נְכַשׁ Hiph.); Assyrian našâku DlHWB 486; 𝔗 נְכֵית (especially of snakes); Syriac ܢܟܰܬ, ܢܟܶܬ; Ethiopic ነሰከ Di 642; BaZMG xliii (1889), 188 cp. Arabic نَكَثَ, undo threads, untwist rope, disintegrate, dissolve);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. נָשַׁךְ Nu 21:9, sf. וּנְשָׁכוֹ consec. Am 5:19, וּנְשָׁכָם consec. 9:3; Impf. 3 ms. יִשֹּׁךְ Ec 10:11, יִשֹּׁ֑ךְ Pr 23:32,…