the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Language Studies
Hebrew Thoughts
neâtsâh - נְאָצָה (Strong's #5007)
Blasphemy, provocation
The word נְאָצָה nâtsâh / נֶאָצָה neâtsâh (Strong's #5007, x5) is twice rendered "provocation" and three times "blasphemy". It derives from נָאָץ nââts (Strong's #5006, x27) "to despise, reject, treat with contempt", whose first use is in Numbers 14:11, "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me", where it is paralleled with unbelief.
The English term comes from the Middle English blasfemen, via Old French blasfemer and Latin blasphêmâre, which all proceed from the Greek βλασφημος blasphêmos (Strong's #989), meaning "evil-speaking".
In English the term "blasphemy" only occurs in one instance in the Hebrew bible, mentioned by Hezekiah in Isaiah 37:3 // 2 Kings 19:3 during the invasion by Sennacherib.
A more obvious use is in Nehemiah 9:18,26 referring back to the golden calf incident and described as a "provocation", but essentially it was idolatry.
Finally, blasphemy occurs in Ezekiel 35:12, "I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, 'They are desolate; they are given to us to consume'", where it seems to indicate presumption.
All these uses are different to the word described in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:7) as not taking the name of the Lord God in "vain" for which Hebrew uses ְא shâv' (Strong's #7723, x53) "vain" or "worthless".
The New Testament usage of the word "blasphemy" particularly in Mathew's gospel (12:31; 15:19; 26:25) concerns the idolatrous making of oneself or another out to be God. So blasphemy might be considered as oral idolatry. Blasphemy does not concern the use of coarse language but may extend to putting false words in the mouth of God by ascribing statements to him that he either did not say or that are against his name and character.
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