נָחוּשׁ
coppery, i.e. (figuratively) hard
Definition
The Hebrew word נָחוּשׁ (nâchûwsh) is a noun meaning 'coppery' or 'made of bronze/brass.' It is used figuratively to describe something as hard, unyielding, or resilient, much like the properties of the metal itself. Its sole biblical occurrence is in Job 6:12, where Job laments, 'Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh of bronze?' Here, it metaphorically describes a heart or nature that has become hardened and insensible to suffering. While the primary sense is metallic, its figurative application to emotional or spiritual hardness is its most significant usage in Scripture.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in the poetic book of Job. In Job 6:12, Job uses it in a rhetorical question to express his profound weakness and brokenness, contrasting his actual fragile state with a hypothetical, impossible state of being made of unfeeling, hard metal. The context is a personal lament, employing the metal as a metaphor for invulnerability and insensibility, which Job explicitly denies possessing.
Etymology
נָחוּשׁ is likely derived from the root נָחַשׁ (nâchash, H5172), which can mean to practice divination or to hiss (like a snake). One proposed derivation connects it to the idea of a 'hissing' sound, perhaps like metal ringing when struck. Alternatively, it may be a denominative verb from נָחָשׁ (nâchâsh, H5175, 'serpent'), possibly relating to the serpent's shiny, coppery appearance. The word thus connects the concepts of metal, sound, and the visual characteristic of a serpent.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, נָחוּשׁ contributes to the profound theology of suffering in the book of Job. It highlights the human condition of vulnerability, contrasting mortal flesh with an imagined, metallic hardness that would make one immune to pain and grief. This enriches the reading of Job by emphasizing that true strength in suffering is not about becoming emotionally 'hard as bronze,' but about honest lament and dependence on God amidst fragility. It subtly critiques a stoic, unfeeling response to adversity.
In the ancient Near East, bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) was a primary metal for tools, weapons, and ceremonial objects, valued for its hardness and durability. Describing something as 'of bronze' was a natural metaphor for strength and imperviousness. The association with serpents might also tap into cultural perceptions of the snake as a shiny, cunning, and dangerous creature. The metaphor would have been immediately understood by an ancient audience as representing ultimate resilience.
נְחֹשֶׁת (nᵉchôsheth, H5178) — The more common word for 'bronze' or 'copper,' used for literal objects (e.g., the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:9) and figuratively for strength (e.g., 'sky like bronze' in Leviticus 26:19). נָחוּשׁ appears to be a rarer, possibly poetic synonym with a stronger figurative leaning.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →