Original Word: נְחָשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: nchash
Pronunciation: nekh-ash'
Phonetic Spelling: (nekh-awsh')
KJV: brass
NASB: bronze
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H5154 (נְחוּשָׁה נְחוּשָׁה - bronze)]

1. copper

brass

(Aramaic) corresponding to nchuwshah; copper -- brass.

see HEBREW nchuwshah

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to nechushah
Definition
copper, bronze
NASB Translation
bronze (9).

נְחָשׁ noun masculine copper, bronze (ᵑ7 Syriac; Biblical Hebrew נְחשֶׁת, נְחוּשָׁה, √ III. נחשׁ); — as material: absolute ׳נ Daniel 2:32; Daniel 4:12; Daniel 4:20; Daniel 7:19; emphatic נְחָשָׁא Daniel 2:35,39,45; Daniel 5:4,23.

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew (Aramaic) 5174, נְחָשׁ, designates bronze or copper in the Aramaic sections of Daniel. Although the metal is common throughout the Old Testament, this particular form appears nine times, all in Daniel, where bronze becomes a key literary and prophetic motif contrasting the transient splendor of human empires with the unshakable kingdom of God.

Material and Historical Setting

Bronze was the work-horse metal of the ancient Near East prior to widespread iron production. Harder than copper yet workable at lower temperatures than iron, it supplied weapons, tools, musical instruments, and cultic objects. From Genesis 4:22, where Tubal-cain forges bronze, to the bronze sea of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:23–47), Scripture records its value. In Daniel’s sixth–century context Babylonian craftsmen mastered bronze casting, making the metal an apt emblem of imperial might and cultural achievement.

Bronze in the Dreams and Visions of Daniel

1. Daniel 2:32–45. Nebuchadnezzar’s colossus moves from gold to silver to bronze, depicting successive kingdoms. The third, “a third kingdom, one of bronze, which will rule over all the earth” (Daniel 2:39), historically aligns with the Hellenistic empire of Alexander the Great and his successors. Bronze’s renowned military use—shields, armor, spearheads—mirrors the Greek phalanx that swept the Near East, fulfilling the prophecy of a dominion “over all the earth.”
2. Daniel 4:15, 23. The band of iron and bronze around the stump of the felled tree symbolizes restraint and preservation during Nebuchadnezzar’s period of insanity. Bronze here conveys divine containment: the king is protected for future restoration yet confined under judgment.
3. Daniel 5:4, 23. Belshazzar praises the “gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.” Bronze stands in the blasphemous litany of lifeless idols, underscoring the emptiness of human-crafted glory when set against the living God whose vessels the king profanes.
4. Daniel 7:19. The fourth beast has “bronze claws,” accenting ferocity and destructive power. While iron teeth denote crushing strength, bronze claws portray an ability to seize and tear—imagery befitting Rome’s rapacious expansion.

Symbolic Thematics

• Transience versus permanence. Bronze dazzles yet corrodes; the stone “cut without hands” shatters it (Daniel 2:45). All human sovereignty, however formidable, yields to God’s everlasting reign.
• Judgment and restraint. Fastening the stump with bronze (Daniel 4) communicates both chastisement and mercy—God disciplines rulers yet preserves them for His purposes.
• Idolatry exposed. Bronze idols cannot “see or hear or understand” (Daniel 5:23). The narrative mocks trust in created artifacts, directing worship toward the Creator.
• Military prowess. Greece’s bronze epitomizes speed and reach; Rome’s bronze claws highlight aggression. Both foreshadow the recurring pattern of worldly power that rises, dominates, and falls under divine oversight.

Connections to Wider Biblical Theology

Bronze often relates to judgment—e.g., the bronze altar where sacrifices atone for sin (Exodus 27:1–8) and the bronze serpent lifted for healing (Numbers 21:9; John 3:14). Daniel’s use is consistent: kingdoms of bronze face ultimate judgment; Nebuchadnezzar’s pride is judged; idolatry is judged; the beast with bronze claws is judged by the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9–11). Thus the metal, whether in sanctuary or empire, points beyond itself to God’s righteous dealings with humanity.

Christological Foreshadowing

The statue’s destruction by the stone prefigures the Messiah’s kingdom. Bronze—representing Greece’s philosophical brilliance and military strength—is reduced to chaff. “The stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35). All lesser metals, bronze included, find their terminus in Christ’s eternal dominion.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching and Teaching: Daniel’s bronze reminds congregations that cultural, intellectual, or military achievements, though impressive, are temporary. Use the imagery to contrast human accomplishment with the permanence of the gospel.
• Discipleship: The band of bronze encourages believers undergoing discipline; divine restraint is evidence of God’s commitment to restore.
• Apologetics: The precise historical fulfillment of the bronze kingdom strengthens confidence in the reliability of biblical prophecy.
• Worship: Reject every modern equivalent of Belshazzar’s bronze idols by directing praise exclusively to God who “holds in His hand your life and all your ways” (Daniel 5:23).

See Also

Numbers 21:9; Exodus 27:1–8; 1 Kings 7:23–47; John 3:14; Revelation 1:15.

וּנְחָ֔שׁ ונחש נְחָ֔שׁ נְחָֽשׁ׃ נְחָשָׁ֔א נְחָשָׁ֜א נְחָשָׁ֤א נְחָשָׁ֥א נְחָשָׁ֨א נחש נחש׃ נחשא nə·ḥā·šā nə·ḥāš neChash nechaSha nəḥāš nəḥāšā ū·nə·ḥāš uneChash ūnəḥāšInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts