5257. nciyk

Lexical Summary

nciyk: Drink offering, libation

Original Word: נְסִיךְ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: nciyk
Pronunciation: neh-seek
Phonetic Spelling: (nes-eek')
KJV: drink offering, duke, prince(-ipal)
Word Origin: [from H5258 (נָסַך - To pour out)]

1. (properly) something poured out, i.e. a libation
2. (also) a molten image
3. (by implication) a prince (as anointed)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

drink offering, duke, principal

From nacak; properly, something poured out, i.e. A libation; also a molten image; by implication, a prince (as anointed) -- drink offering, duke, prince(-ipal).

see HEBREW nacak

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. [נָסִיךְ] noun masculine

1 libation;

2 molten image; —

1 suffix יֵין נְסִיכָם wine of their drink-offering Deuteronomy 32:38.

2 molten image, suffix נְסִכֵיהֶם Daniel 11:8.

II. [נָסִיךְ] noun masculine prince; — plural construct נְסִיכֵי Joshua 13:21; Ezekiel 32:30; Micah 5:4; suffix נְסִיכֵמוֺ Psalm 83:12.

נִסְמָן see סמן.

Topical Lexicon

Etymology and Range of Meaning

Derived from a verb meaning “to pour out,” נְסִיךְ embraces both what is poured (a libation) and the one upon whom oil is poured (an anointed ruler). The term therefore links two spheres—worship and governance—both of which come under the sovereign evaluation of God in Scripture.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. Deuteronomy 32:38 – libations offered to false gods.
2. Joshua 13:21 – Midianite chiefs allied with Sihon.
3. Psalm 83:11 – hostile princes arrayed against Israel.
4. Ezekiel 32:30 – defeated rulers consigned to Sheol.
5. Daniel 11:8 – captured princes of the Seleucids.
6. Micah 5:5 – leaders God raises to defend His people.

Drink Offering in Pagan Worship

Deuteronomy 32:38 exposes the futility of idolatry: “the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings”. The libation—here denoted by נְסִיךְ—highlights Israel’s lapse into Canaanite practice. Moses’ song mocks such misplaced trust, underscoring that lifeless idols can neither “rise up” nor “help” (verse 38). The lone occurrence referring to a libation thus serves as a polemic: any act of worship not directed to the LORD is empty, regardless of its costliness or sincerity.

Princes of the Nations

In the remaining verses נְסִיךְ designates rulers outside the covenant community:

• Joshua 13:21 catalogs “Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon”. Israel’s conquest of these chiefs prefigures God’s ultimate victory over every hostile authority.
• Psalm 83:11 pleads, “Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna”, recalling Gideon’s triumph and urging God to repeat such deliverance.
• Ezekiel 32:30 pictures “all the princes of the north” overthrown and lying with the slain, affirming the certainty of divine judgment upon arrogant powers.
• Daniel 11:8 foretells that Egypt’s king will “seize their gods, their metal images, and their precious articles of silver and gold, along with the captives”, including their princes—evidence that political might is no match for providence.
• Micah 5:5 promises that when Assyria invades, the LORD will raise up “seven shepherds and eight leaders of men”. Here נְסִיךְ, often negative elsewhere, becomes a badge of deliverance because the leaders are God-appointed.

Theological Themes

1. Transience of Human Power: Each pagan נְסִיךְ is eventually overthrown, whether by Joshua’s armies, Gideon’s band, imperial shifts in Daniel, or God’s direct judgment in Ezekiel.
2. Sovereignty of God: The same term that marks defeated foreign rulers also describes those God raises for Israel’s defense. Leadership is not autonomous; it is granted and removed at His discretion (Psalm 75:6-7).
3. True versus False Worship: The libation text (Deuteronomy 32:38) and the leadership texts together teach that both worship and government must align with the LORD. Idolatry corrupts both realms.
4. Foreshadowing of Messiah: The “anointed” sense anticipates the ultimate Prince of Peace. Micah 5:5 explicitly links deliverance to the coming Ruler from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), whose reign secures lasting peace.

Ministry Significance

• Leadership: Church leaders are reminded that authority is a stewardship, not a personal possession. The fall of pagan princes warns against pride.
• Worship: Believers are called to examine whether their offerings—time, talent, treasure—are poured out to God alone.
• Preaching and Teaching: נְסִיךְ offers a bridge text to proclaim Christ as both the poured-out sacrifice (Isaiah 53:12) and the anointed Prince (Acts 5:31).
• Missions: The term underscores that the gospel confronts both religious idolatry and political powers, calling every nation’s “princes” to bow to the King of kings.

Application for Believers Today

1. Place no confidence in human rulers; pray for them, but trust solely in God.
2. Reject any worship practice that displaces Christ, no matter how culturally persuasive.
3. Embrace servant leadership, remembering that anointing is for service and sacrifice, not status.
4. Await the consummation when every earthly נְסִיךְ yields to the everlasting reign of Jesus Christ, the true Anointed One.

Forms and Transliterations

נְסִֽכֵיהֶם֩ נְסִיכֵ֣י נְסִיכֵ֥י נְסִיכֵֽמוֹ׃ נְסִיכָ֑ם נסיכי נסיכם נסיכמו׃ נסכיהם nə·sî·ḵām nə·sî·ḵê nə·si·ḵê·hem nə·sî·ḵê·mōw nesiCham nesiChei nesicheiHem nesiChemov nəsîḵām nəsîḵê nəsiḵêhem nəsîḵêmōw

Englishman's Concordance

Deuteronomy 32:38
HEB: יִשְׁתּ֖וּ יֵ֣ין נְסִיכָ֑ם יָק֙וּמוּ֙ וְיַעְזְרֻכֶ֔ם
NAS: the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise
KJV: the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up
INT: drank the wine of their drink abide and help

Joshua 13:21
HEB: וְאֶת־ רֶ֔בַע נְסִיכֵ֣י סִיח֔וֹן יֹשְׁבֵ֖י
NAS: and Reba, the princes of Sihon,
KJV: and Reba, [which were] dukes of Sihon,
INT: and Hur and Reba the princes of Sihon lived

Psalm 83:11
HEB: וּ֝כְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע כָּל־ נְסִיכֵֽמוֹ׃
NAS: And all their princes like Zebah
KJV: and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah,
INT: and Zalmunna and all their princes

Ezekiel 32:30
HEB: שָׁ֣מָּה נְסִיכֵ֥י צָפ֛וֹן כֻּלָּ֖ם
NAS: There also are the chiefs of the north,
KJV: There [be] the princes of the north,
INT: There are the chiefs of the north all

Daniel 11:8
HEB: אֱ‍ֽלֹהֵיהֶ֡ם עִם־ נְסִֽכֵיהֶם֩ עִם־ כְּלֵ֨י
NAS: their gods with their metal images [and] their precious
KJV: their gods, with their princes, [and] with their precious
INT: their gods with their metal with vessels

Micah 5:5
HEB: רֹעִ֔ים וּשְׁמֹנָ֖ה נְסִיכֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃
NAS: shepherds and eight leaders of men.
KJV: shepherds, and eight principal men.
INT: shepherds and eight leaders of men

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5257
6 Occurrences

nə·sî·ḵām — 1 Occ.
nə·sî·ḵê — 3 Occ.
nə·si·ḵê·hem — 1 Occ.
nə·sî·ḵê·mōw — 1 Occ.