נְשִׁי
a debt
Definition
The Hebrew noun נְשִׁי (nᵉshîy) specifically denotes a debt or something that is owed. It refers to a financial obligation incurred by one party to another. In its sole biblical occurrence, it describes the monetary debt of a widow, which she is able to pay off after a miraculous provision of oil (2 Kings 4:7). The word carries the concrete sense of a liability that must be settled, distinct from a voluntary gift or offering.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in 2 Kings 4:7. It appears in the narrative of the prophet Elisha and the widow whose sons were to be taken as debt-slaves. The context is a legal and financial crisis, where the widow reports to Elisha that a creditor has come to collect on her late husband's debt. The usage is singular and specific, highlighting a pressing social and economic obligation within ancient Israelite society.
Etymology
נְשִׁי (nᵉshîy) is a noun derived from the root verb נָשָׁה (nāshâ, H5383), which means 'to lend, to be a creditor,' or 'to forget.' The connection to debt is primary, relating to the act of lending and the resulting obligation. Cognate words in other Semitic languages also relate to lending and forgetting, though in biblical Hebrew, the financial sense is dominant for this noun form.
Semantic Range
While a simple financial term, this word's single use carries theological weight within a story of divine provision and covenant faithfulness. The debt in 2 Kings 4:7 threatens to break up a family, a direct consequence of poverty. God's miraculous intervention through Elisha not only provides oil to sell but specifically provides the exact means to pay this נְשִׁי. This underscores God's concern for the vulnerable (the widow and orphan) and His power to redeem people from impossible obligations, a theme that foreshadows spiritual redemption from the debt of sin.
In ancient Israel, debt was a serious matter with severe social consequences, as seen in this passage where failure to pay could lead to debt-slavery (2 Kings 4:1). The legal system allowed creditors to claim a debtor's children as indentured servants. Understanding this harsh reality amplifies the desperation of the widow's situation and the magnitude of God's deliverance. The debt was not a modern, impersonal loan but a weight that could destroy a family's future.
חוֹב (ḥôḇ, H2259) — A more common general term for debt or obligation. נֶשֶׁךְ (neshek, H5392) — Specifically refers to interest or usury charged on a loan. מַשָּׁא (mashshā’, H4859) — Refers to the thing lent, a loan or debt.
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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