Original Word: נְטִישָׁה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ntiyshah
Pronunciation: neh-tee-SHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (net-ee-shaw')
KJV: battlement, branch, plant
NASB: branches, spreading branches, tendrils
Word Origin: [from H5203 (נָטַשׁ - abandon)]

1. a tendril (as an offshoot)

battlement, branch, plant

From natash; a tendril (as an offshoot) -- battlement, branch, plant.

see HEBREW natash

Word Origin
from natash
Definition
a twig, tendril
NASB Translation
branches (1), spreading branches (1), tendrils (1).

[נְטִישָׁה] noun feminine twig, tendril of vine (as spreading, compare √ Niph`al 3); — only plural הַנְּטִישׁוֺת הֵסִיר הֵתַז Isaiah 18:5 the tendrils he hath removed, compare הָסִירוּ נְטִישׁוֺתֶיהָ Jeremiah 5:10 (apparently cited from Isaiah; explanation by Finn^{Journ. Trans. Vict. Inst. xxii. 306 f.} from use by shepherds of poterium spinosum, called nettsh, as defence of sheepfolds), — in both of destroying city (under figure of vineyard); נְטִישֹׁתַיִךְ עָ֑בְרוּ יָם Jeremiah 48:32 thy tendrils went over the sea (figurative of prosperity of Moab).

[נִי] see נהה.

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 5189 denotes the flexible “tendril” or young “branch” of a vine. Its three appearances lie within prophetic oracles of impending judgment. Each context pairs the word with decisive divine action—either pruning, cutting, or withering—so that the physical image of a severed vine shoot serves as a metaphor for nations or people who have overreached the bounds set by the covenant Lord.

Semantic Range and Imagery

In ancient viticulture a tendril stabilizes the vine, enabling upward reach and fruit production. When a grower trims these offshoots, he is not attacking the plant but regulating growth for the sake of a healthier harvest. Prophets appropriate this agricultural practice to illustrate both God’s patience in cultivating His people and His right to sever what proves unfaithful or invasive. A tendril thus conveys promise (expansion, fruitfulness) or peril (removal, exposure) depending on its connection to the vine and the vinedresser’s will.

Old Testament Occurrences

• Isaiah 18:5 – “He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives and clear away the spreading branches.” Spoken before Cush’s presumed “harvest,” Yahweh intervenes early, halting political aspirations the way a vintner clips unnecessary growth.

• Jeremiah 5:10 – “Go up through her vineyards and destroy. But do not completely destroy them. Cut off the branches of her vines, for they do not belong to the Lord.” Babylonian forces become pruning shears against Jerusalem; the command preserves a root while removing unfaithful tendrils, ensuring a remnant remains.

• Jeremiah 48:32 – “Your tendrils spread out to the sea… The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit and grape harvest.” Moab’s prosperity, symbolized by Sibmah’s prolific vine, reaches beyond its borders, yet divine judgment meets it at the furthest extent.

Prophetic Themes

1. Divine Pruning before Harvest: Isaiah 18:5 highlights early intervention—God acts “before the harvest” to prevent corrupt fruit from maturing.
2. Selective Judgment and the Remnant: Jeremiah 5:10 balances destruction with mercy, echoing repeated covenant promises that God’s chastisement never annihilates Israel.
3. Hubris Exposed: Jeremiah 48:32 contrasts Moab’s ambitious spread with abrupt devastation, reminding hearers that unchecked expansion without covenant allegiance invites reaping of judgment, not blessing.

Historical Context

Isaiah’s oracle addresses regional powers south of Egypt in the late eighth century B.C., warning that alliances or tributary missions will not shield them from Yahweh’s sovereignty. Jeremiah ministers a century later in Judah’s waning days, and his companion oracle against Moab follows Babylon’s rise. Viticulture imagery would resonate deeply with agrarian audiences for whom the grape harvest marked economic lifeblood and festival joy (cf. Judges 9:27).

Intertextual Connections

• Isaiah 5:1-7, “the song of the vineyard,” establishes the vineyard as a figure for Israel’s covenant relationship.
• Psalm 80:8-16 portrays Israel as a transplanted vine needing divine attention.
• Romans 11:17-24 draws on pruning and grafting language to teach about Israel and the Gentiles.
• John 15:1-8, where Jesus declares, “I am the true vine,” intensifies the prophetic background: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away… and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes” (John 15:2). The Lord’s careful removal of fruitless tendrils in the Old Testament foreshadows the Messiah’s teaching on abiding and spiritual fruitfulness.

Theological Significance

1. Sovereign Husbandry: God alone determines what is fruitful and what must be removed; human status, national strength, or apparent success cannot override His pruning shears.
2. Covenant Accountability: Whether Israel or foreign nations, all are measured against the standards of righteousness and justice.
3. Hope through Pruning: Cutting is not merely punitive; it is preparatory. Even severe judgment aims at restored fruitfulness, anticipating the fuller revelation of redemption in Christ.

Practical and Ministry Implications

• Discipleship requires readiness for divine pruning—removal of habits, alliances, or ambitions that hinder authentic fruit (Hebrews 12:11).
• Leaders must recognize that outward expansion (ministries, programs, influence) is meaningful only when rooted in obedience; otherwise, the very growth that seems impressive may invite pruning.
• Intercession and preaching should include both warnings against spiritual presumption and reassurance that God’s cutting can lead to richer harvest.
• Encouraging believers to abide in the “true vine” guards against the fate of Judah’s and Moab’s tendrils: severed branches wither; abiding branches flourish.

Conclusion

Strong’s 5189 reminds readers that the Lord of the vineyard watches every offshoot. When necessary He trims tendrils that overstep, but His goal is always a vintage worthy of His glory. The prophets’ imagery still calls churches and individuals to continual dependence on the gracious Vinedresser, whose wise pruning yields enduring fruit.

הַנְּטִישׁ֖וֹת הנטישות נְטִ֣ישׁוֹתֶ֔יהָ נְטִֽישֹׁתַ֙יִךְ֙ נטישותיה נטישתיך han·nə·ṭî·šō·wṯ hannetiShot hannəṭîšōwṯ nə·ṭî·šō·ṯa·yiḵ nə·ṭî·šō·w·ṯe·hā netishoTayich neTishoTeiha nəṭîšōṯayiḵ nəṭîšōwṯehāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts