English · KJV
H5261

נְסַךְ

nᵉçak /nes-ak'/ Ask about this word
Root(Aramaic) corresponding to נֶסֶךְ
Meaninga libation
KJV usagedrink offering.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of nᵉçak — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Aramaic word nᵉçak, represented by H5261, is the term for a drink offering or libation. It appears only 1 time in 1 unique verse in the entire Bible. As the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew נֶסֶךְ, its single appearance marks a specific instruction related to sacrificial rites for the temple.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The sole use of H5261 is found in the decree of King Artaxerxes to Ezra. The king commands Ezra to use the provided money to purchase animals for sacrifice, explicitly including "their meat offerings and their drink offerings" Ezra 7:17. This instruction was for the purpose of presenting complete and proper sacrifices "upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem," highlighting the restoration of formal temple worship.

Related Words & Concepts

One key related word appears in the same context, illustrating the nature of the sacrifices:

  • H4504 minchâh (a sacrificial offering; oblation, meat offering): This Aramaic term is used directly alongside H5261 in Ezra 7:17. Their pairing as "meat offerings and their drink offerings" demonstrates that the libation was a required component of a larger sacrificial act. The word is also used when Nebuchadnezzar commands an "oblation" be offered to Daniel Daniel 2:46.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H5261, despite its rarity, is tied to its specific context.

  • Restoration of Proper Worship: Its inclusion in the king's decree emphasizes the importance of restoring not just the physical temple but the full and correct system of sacrifices as prescribed, including the libation.
  • Completeness of Sacrifice: The mention of a drink offering alongside a meat offering shows that specific, detailed elements were necessary for an acceptable sacrifice upon God's altar.
  • Sovereign Provision: The command to purchase items for a drink offering comes from a gentile king, demonstrating God's sovereignty in providing for and ensuring the continuation of His worship, even through foreign rulers.

Summary

In summary, while H5261 is one of the rarest words in the biblical text, its single mention is highly specific and significant. It functions as a precise technical term for a drink offering, and its appearance in Ezra's time underscores a key moment in Israel's history: the careful and complete restoration of the sacrificial system at the heart of their covenant relationship with God.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • נִסְכֵּי

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H4504 מִנְחָה (Aramaic) corresponding to מִנְחָה; a sacrificial offering; oblation, meat offering.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

1 verse, all in Ezra — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.