Lexical Summary neked: Spotted, speckled Original Word: נֶכֶד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance nephew, son's son From an unused root meaning to propagate; offspring -- nephew, son's son. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition progeny, posterity NASB Translation posterity (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs נֶ֫כֶד noun [masculine] progeny, posterity, always with נִין in standing phrase (Ecclus 41:5; 47:22c; both with נין); — absolute בְּעַמּוֺ ׳לֹא נִין וְלֹא נ Job 18:19, compare שֵׁם ׳וּשְׁאָר וְנִין וְנ Isaiah 14:22; suffix לִי וּלְנִינִי וּלְנֶכְדִּי Genesis 21:23 to me and to my offspring and to my posterity. Topical Lexicon Semantic Scope and Old Testament Usage Strong’s Hebrew 5220 denotes the second generation that follows a father—grandsons in the narrow sense, but by extension any posterity that perpetuates a family line. Each of its three occurrences sits in a context where future generations stand as evidence of either blessing or curse, underscoring the biblical conviction that lineage is never morally neutral. Occurrences in Canonical Context • Genesis 21:23 records Abimelech’s treaty with Abraham: “Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my children or with my descendants” (Genesis 21:23). The term is invoked to secure ethical faithfulness that will safeguard Abraham’s future lineage after his sojourn in Philistine territory. Covenantal Theology of Generations Neched surfaces in the first text associated with Abraham, anchoring it in the foundational promises of Genesis 12:1–3. God’s blessing on Abraham specifically involved offspring “as numerous as the stars” (Genesis 15:5), assuring that faith-rooted obedience would ripple through time. By contrast, Job and Isaiah expose the other side of the covenant equation: the line of the wicked is snuffed out so that injustice will not reproduce itself. Scripture thus presents the second generation as a moral barometer of divine favor or displeasure. Intergenerational Blessing and Curse 1. Continuity of Covenant—The survival of neched confirms God’s fidelity, seen supremely when Jesus Christ is proclaimed the ultimate Seed who secures an everlasting posterity comprised of all who believe (Galatians 3:16, 29). Historical Resonance In the Ancient Near East, royal dynasties measured legitimacy by the stability of succession. Isaiah’s oracle targets Babylon’s dynastic ambitions by promising there will be no grandson to ascend its throne. Likewise, Job’s dialogue mirrors wisdom traditions that connected moral order with social stability: the disappearance of progeny signals cosmos-level disorder brought upon oneself. Practical Ministry Implications • Family Discipleship—The promise and warning implicit in neched urge parents and church leaders to transmit the faith “to children yet unborn” (Psalm 78:6). Christological Fulfillment While Isaiah foresees Babylon’s line ended, the New Testament presents Jesus as the Davidic King whose lineage “will endure forever” (Psalm 89:29; Luke 1:32-33). Every believer becomes His spiritual descendant, ensuring that, in Christ, the vision of a righteous neched finds eternal realization. Forms and Transliterations וָנֶ֖כֶד וּלְנֶכְדִּ֑י ולנכדי ונכד נֶ֣כֶד נכד ne·ḵeḏ Neched neḵeḏ ū·lə·neḵ·dî ulenechDi ūləneḵdî vaNeched wā·ne·ḵeḏ wāneḵeḏLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 21:23 HEB: לִ֔י וּלְנִינִ֖י וּלְנֶכְדִּ֑י כַּחֶ֜סֶד אֲשֶׁר־ NAS: with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness KJV: with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: [but] according to the kindness INT: deal my offspring my posterity to the kindness which Job 18:19 Isaiah 14:22 3 Occurrences |
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