---
title: נַחַשׁ — divination · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נַחַשׁ (5173), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 2 times: divination. BDB 1906: divination, enchantment. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# נַחַשׁ

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«נַחַשׁ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **divination** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 2 times · **Key:** 5173 · **BDB:** נַ֫חַשׁ

### Glosses

enchantment (1); omens (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

divination [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5173/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

divination, enchantment [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5173/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.\[m.\] divination, enchantment, only abs. נ׳ Nu 23:23 (JE; ‖ קֶסֶם), and pl. abs. נְחָשִׁים Nu 24:1 (JE), both in story of Balaam.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (8 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (5 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נַחַשׁ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5173/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Numbers 23:23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/NUM.23.23/)

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כִּ֤י לֹא־נַ֙חַשׁ֙ בְּיַעֲקֹ֔ב וְלֹא־קֶ֖סֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כָּעֵ֗ת יֵאָמֵ֤ר לְיַעֲקֹב֙ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מַה־פָּ֖עַל אֵֽל׃

*Word for word:* (dm) not enchantment \[is\].in Jacob and not divination \[is\].in Israel about this time it.will.be.said of Jacob and of Israel what! has.he.done God

*JPS 1917:* For there is no enchantment with Jacob, neither is there any divination with Israel; now is it said of Jacob and of Israel: 'What hath God wrought!'

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[Numbers 24:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/NUM.24.1/)

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וַיַּ֣רְא בִּלְעָ֗ם כִּ֣י ט֞וֹב בְּעֵינֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ לְבָרֵ֣ךְ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְלֹא־הָלַ֥ךְ כְּפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם לִקְרַ֣את נְחָשִׁ֑ים וַיָּ֥שֶׁת אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר פָּנָֽיו׃

*Word for word:* and he.saw Balaam (dm).that \[was\].good in the.eyes of.Yahweh to bless (et) Israel and not he.went as time on time to meet omens and he.set to the wilderness face his

*JPS 1917:* And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

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- ↑ back to [נ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1504-2.md)