נְחֻשְׁתָּן
something made of copper, i.e. the copper serpent of the Desert
Definition
The Hebrew word נְחֻשְׁתָּן (Nᵉchushtân) is a proper noun referring specifically to the copper serpent that Moses made in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9). King Hezekiah later destroyed this object, which had become an idol, calling it 'Nehushtan,' meaning 'a thing of copper' or 'just a piece of bronze' (2 Kings 18:4). The term carries a dual sense: it originally denoted a divinely appointed instrument for healing, but by Hezekiah's time, it represented a corrupted object of superstitious worship. Its single biblical occurrence marks a critical moment of religious reform in Judah.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 18:4. It is employed in the context of King Hezekiah's religious reforms, where he breaks the copper serpent made by Moses because the people had begun burning incense to it. The usage is polemical; Hezekiah uses the term dismissively to reduce the revered object to mere metal, stripping it of any divine power it was wrongly thought to possess.
Etymology
Derived from the noun נְחֹשֶׁת (nᵉchōsheth, H5178), meaning 'copper' or 'bronze.' The suffix -ן (-ān) is likely a diminutive or pejorative ending, turning 'copper' into 'a mere piece of copper' or 'that copper thing.' This formation emphasizes the object's material nature in contrast to any spiritual significance it had wrongly acquired.
Semantic Range
Nehushtan is profoundly theological, illustrating the human tendency to idolize religious artifacts and the need for continual reform to maintain pure worship. The copper serpent itself points to Christ (John 3:14-15), but its corruption into Nehushtan warns against mistaking the symbol for the reality. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches reading by highlighting the tension between God-given means of grace and their potential for idolatrous misuse.
In ancient Near Eastern culture, serpent imagery was often associated with healing deities (e.g., the Greek Asclepius). The copper serpent, initially a God-commanded symbol of faith and healing, was later venerated as an independent source of power, a common syncretistic practice in Israel. Hezekiah's act and his derogatory naming of it were a direct rejection of this pagan-influenced superstition, reasserting that worship belongs to Yahweh alone.
נָחָשׁ (nāchāsh, H5175) — a general term for 'serpent,' distinguishing the living creature from the metal object. נְחֹשֶׁת (nᵉchōsheth, H5178) — the base word meaning 'copper' or 'bronze,' referring to the material itself.
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.
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