5402. nesheq
Lexical Summary
nesheq: Weapon, Armament

Original Word: נֶשֶׁק
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: nesheq
Pronunciation: neh-shek
Phonetic Spelling: (neh'-shek)
KJV: armed men, armour(-y), battle, harness, weapon
NASB: weapons, armory, battle, weapon
Word Origin: [from H5401 (נָשַׁק - To kiss)]

1. military equipment, i.e. (collectively) arms (offensive or defensive), or (concretely) an arsenal

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
armed men, armoury, battle, harness, weapon

Or nesheq {nay'-shek}; from nashaq; military equipment, i.e. (collectively) arms (offensive or defensive), or (concretely) an arsenal -- armed men, armour(-y), battle, harness, weapon.

see HEBREW nashaq

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from nashaq
Definition
equipment, weapons
NASB Translation
armory (1), battle (1), weapon (1), weapons (7).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
נֶ֫שֶׁק, נֵ֫שֶׁק noun [masculine] equipment, weapons (collective) armoury; — absolute נֶ֫שֶׁק Ezekiel 39:9 2t., נֵ֫שֶׁק 1 Kings 10:25; 2Chronicles 9:24, נָָֽשֶׁק 2 Kings 10:2 2t., construct ׳נֶ Isaiah 22:8, ׳נֵ Job 20:24; —

1 equipment, weapons 1 Kings 10:25; 2 Kings 10:2; Isaiah 22:8; 2Chronicles 9:24; Ezekiel 39:9 (general term, followed by specific), Ezekiel 39:10; בַרְזֶל ׳נ Job 20:24 (קֶשֶׁת נְחשֶׁת); יוֺם נָָֽשֶׁק Psalm 140:8 i.e. day of battle; so ׳נ alone Job 39:21.

2 apparently armoury Nehemiah 3:19.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scope

Used ten times in the Old Testament, נֶשֶׁק embraces the whole idea of armament—individual weapons, collective arsenals, and even the clash of battle itself. Whether appearing as “weapons,” “armory,” or “battle,” the term gathers every implement devised for war under a single concept: the capacity of fallen humanity to defend, attack, dominate, or protect.

Weapons in Royal Tribute

1 Kings 10:25 and 2 Chronicles 9:24 record foreign envoys bringing “articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules” to Solomon. Because the king already possessed unrivaled might (1 Kings 4:24), the weapons were symbolic gifts. They honored the king who needed no extra arms, highlighting the peace and prosperity God granted Israel when its ruler walked in wisdom. The text quietly reminds readers that true security for the nation traces back to covenant faithfulness, not to stockpiles.

Armory and Civic Defense

In Nehemiah 3:19, the restored community repairs a section “opposite the ascent to the armory at the Angle.” After exile, the first defensive structure native Judeans re-establish is the armory—evidence of practical realism. Yet the same book stresses prayer and vigilance (Nehemiah 4:9), showing that trust in the Lord and responsible preparation are not rivals but partners.

Regime Change and Military Assets

Jehu’s dramatic purge begins with a letter emphasizing chariots, horses, a fortified city, and “weapons” (2 Kings 10:2). Succession disputes were settled by control of weaponry. Scripture exposes the fleeting nature of dynastic power: while Jehu ascends through military means, he too is judged by the divine word (2 Kings 10:31). Human arsenals cannot secure long-term dynasty; covenant obedience alone does.

Personal Combat and Divine Retribution

Job 20:24 paints the wicked man fleeing from an iron weapon, only to be struck by a bronze-tipped arrow—portraying inescapable judgment. Job 39:21 pictures the warhorse that “charges into battle,” celebrating physical might, yet the larger divine speech underscores that such power is ultimately subordinate to its Creator. Psalm 140:7 uses the imagery for spiritual refuge: “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle.” Believers recognize that every physical weapon finds its limiting countermeasure in the Lord’s sovereign protection.

National Apostasy and Misplaced Trust

Isaiah 22:8 rebukes Jerusalem: “On that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest.” Rather than repent when God “removed the defenses of Judah,” the people rushed to inventory their arsenals. The prophet unmasks the sin of relying on military hardware while neglecting the One who commands angelic hosts. The passage ties trust in weapons to spiritual blindness.

Eschatological Disposal of Weapons

Ezekiel 39:9–10 foresees a day when Israel will gather the invaders’ weapons and burn them for seven years, needing no wood from the forest. The prophecy anticipates God’s climactic victory over Gog: He alone disarms the enemy, and the very instruments of war become fuel for peace. The detail that nothing else need be gathered underscores complete deliverance and divine sufficiency.

Theological Trajectory

Across Scripture נֶשֶׁק charts a trajectory from treasured tribute, through pragmatic defense, to final obsolescence. The motif culminates in prophetic visions where God renders weapons unnecessary, foreshadowing the messianic peace when “nation will no longer take up arms against nation” (compare Isaiah 2:4). Thus the term serves both as a sober reminder of human conflict and as a signpost toward the promised restoration where the Prince of Peace reigns.

Ministry Reflections

• Encourage believers to steward earthly resources responsibly while confessing that “salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9).
• Expose the futility of trusting in modern equivalents of the armory—technology, economics, or politics—apart from obedience.
• Fuel hope: every arsenal is temporary; Christ’s kingdom alone is everlasting.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּנֶ֨שֶׁק בַנֶּ֖שֶׁק בנשק הַנֶּ֖שֶׁק הנשק וְהַנָּֽשֶׁק׃ וְנֵ֣שֶׁק והנשק׃ ונשק מִנֵּ֣שֶׁק מנשק נֵ֣שֶׁק נֶ֖שֶׁק נָֽשֶׁק׃ נשק נשק׃ ḇan·ne·šeq ḇannešeq bə·ne·šeq bənešeq beNeshek han·ne·šeq hannešeq hanNeshek min·nê·šeq minnêšeq minNeshek nā·šeq nāšeq Nashek ne·šeq nê·šeq nešeq nêšeq Neshek vanNeshek vehanNashek veNeshek wə·han·nā·šeq wə·nê·šeq wəhannāšeq wənêšeq
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Kings 10:25
HEB: זָהָ֤ב וּשְׂלָמוֹת֙ וְנֵ֣שֶׁק וּבְשָׂמִ֔ים סוּסִ֖ים
NAS: garments, weapons, spices,
KJV: and garments, and armour, and spices,
INT: and gold garments weapons spices horses

2 Kings 10:2
HEB: וְעִ֥יר מִבְצָ֖ר וְהַנָּֽשֶׁק׃
NAS: and a fortified city and the weapons,
KJV: a fenced city also, and armour;
INT: city fortified and the weapons

2 Chronicles 9:24
HEB: זָהָ֤ב וּשְׂלָמוֹת֙ נֵ֣שֶׁק וּבְשָׂמִ֔ים סוּסִ֖ים
NAS: garments, weapons, spices,
KJV: and raiment, harness, and spices,
INT: and gold garments weapons spices horses

Nehemiah 3:19
HEB: מִנֶּ֕גֶד עֲלֹ֥ת הַנֶּ֖שֶׁק הַמִּקְצֹֽעַ׃ ס
NAS: of the ascent of the armory at the Angle.
KJV: over against the going up to the armoury at the turning
INT: front of the ascent of the armory the Angle

Job 20:24
HEB: יִ֭בְרַח מִנֵּ֣שֶׁק בַּרְזֶ֑ל תַּ֝חְלְפֵ֗הוּ
NAS: from the iron weapon, [But] the bronze
KJV: from the iron weapon, [and] the bow
INT: may flee weapon the iron will pierce

Job 39:21
HEB: יֵ֝צֵ֗א לִקְרַאת־ נָֽשֶׁק׃
NAS: He goes out to meet the weapons.
KJV: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
INT: goes to meet the weapons

Psalm 140:7
HEB: לְ֝רֹאשִׁ֗י בְּי֣וֹם נָֽשֶׁק׃
NAS: my head in the day of battle.
KJV: my head in the day of battle.
INT: my head the day of battle

Isaiah 22:8
HEB: הַה֔וּא אֶל־ נֶ֖שֶׁק בֵּ֥ית הַיָּֽעַר׃
NAS: you depended on the weapons of the house
KJV: in that day to the armour of the house
INT: he on the weapons of the house of the forest

Ezekiel 39:9
HEB: וּבִעֲר֡וּ וְ֠הִשִּׂיקוּ בְּנֶ֨שֶׁק וּמָגֵ֤ן וְצִנָּה֙
NAS: fires with the weapons and burn
KJV: and burn the weapons, both the shields
INT: and make and burn the weapons shields and bucklers

Ezekiel 39:10
HEB: הַיְּעָרִ֔ים כִּ֥י בַנֶּ֖שֶׁק יְבַֽעֲרוּ־ אֵ֑שׁ
NAS: fires with the weapons; and they will take
KJV: for they shall burn the weapons with fire:
INT: the forests with the weapons will make fires

10 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5402
10 Occurrences


bə·ne·šeq — 1 Occ.
han·ne·šeq — 1 Occ.
min·nê·šeq — 1 Occ.
nā·šeq — 2 Occ.
nê·šeq — 2 Occ.
ḇan·ne·šeq — 1 Occ.
wə·han·nā·šeq — 1 Occ.
wə·nê·šeq — 1 Occ.

5401b
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