Original Word: נָסַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: nacach
Pronunciation: naw-sakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-sakh')
KJV: destroy, pluck, root
NASB: tear away, tear down, torn, uprooted
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to tear away

destroy, pluck, root

A primitive root; to tear away -- destroy, pluck, root.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to pull or tear away
NASB Translation
tear away (1), tear down (1), torn (1), uprooted (1).

[נָסַח] verb pull or tear away (Late Hebrew נָסַח, ᵑ7 נְסַח both remove; Assyrian nasâ—u = Biblical Hebrew, so Old Aramaic נסח Cook⁸² Lzb³²³; Arabic annul, supersede, change by substitution, copy; compare Assyrian nis—u, nus—u, extract, excerpt Dl^{HWB 472} Meissn^{ZA iv (1889), 267}; Late Hebrew נָסְחָה, Nabataean נסחת id., also Aramaic נוסחא (whence Arabic ) Hoffm^{ZMG xxxii. 760} compare Frä²⁵¹; Syriac copy); —

Qal Imperfect3masculine singular ׳בְּית גֵּאִים יִסַּח י Proverbs 15:25 the house of proud men will ׳י tear down; וְיִסָּֽחֲךָ מֵאֹהֶל Psalm 52:7 yea, he [׳י] shall tear thee away, without a tent; 3 masculine plural יִסְּחוּ מִן Proverbs 2:22 transgressors shall (men) tear away from the land (read perhaps יִנָָּֽסְחוּ shall be torn away; "" יִכָּרֵ֑תוּ; compare Ges^{§ 144}, 3b. R Da^{Synt. § 108. b}).

Niph`al Perfect2masculine plural consecutive וְנִסַּחְתֶּם מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה Deuteronomy 28:63 and ye shall be torn away from off the land.

מַסָּח 2 Kings 11:6, see above

[נְסַח] verb pull away (ᵑ7; see Biblical Hebrew); —

Hithpe`el be pulled away: Imperfect3masculine singular יִתְנְסַךְ Ezra 6:11 (מִן).

Semantic Range and Conceptual Overview

נסח conveys forcible removal: to tear away, yank out, or uproot something firmly fixed. Throughout Scripture it describes decisive divine action that dislodges people, households, or nations from places of apparent security, underscoring the sovereignty of God over every human foundation.

Occurrences and Literary Settings

• Deuteronomy 28:63 – covenant sanction of national uprooting
• Psalm 52:5 – personal judgment on a violent, boastful man
• Proverbs 2:22 – categorical end of the treacherous
• Proverbs 15:25 – dismantling the proud household

Covenant Warning and National Exile (Deuteronomy 28:63)

The Mosaic covenant ends its blessings-and-curses section with the stark threat: “You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.” The verb pictures the whole nation ripped from its promised inheritance if it persists in covenant violation, foreshadowing the exiles of 722 and 586 BC. The agricultural metaphor of pulling a plant from soil stands in deliberate contrast to the promise that Israel would be “planted” in the land (Exodus 15:17). God alone decides whether His people are planted or pulled up.

Retributive Justice in the Psalms (Psalm 52:5)

David, addressing Doeg, announces, “He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living”. The verb intensifies the image of a tree wrenched from earth, signifying not a mere setback but irreversible displacement. The psalm pairs נסח with eternal ruin, highlighting that divine judgment matches the moral outrage of exploiting the vulnerable.

Wisdom Literature and Moral Stability

Proverbs twice applies נסח to everyday life:
• “The treacherous will be uprooted” (Proverbs 2:22). The wisdom father contrasts the rootedness of the upright with the removal of the deceitful, teaching young hearers that integrity is the only secure foundation for dwelling in God’s land.
• “The LORD tears down the house of the proud” (Proverbs 15:25). Here the verb shifts from horticulture to architecture, picturing beams wrenched apart. Pride triggers the same divine response as national apostasy: forcible eviction.

Unifying Theological Themes

1. Divine prerogative: Whether the object is a nation, an individual, or a household, God alone decides who stays planted.
2. Moral fitness for the land: Occupancy of the covenant space depends on obedience, humility, and truth.
3. Finality: נסח signals an act that is not easily reversed; once God uproots, only repentance and divine mercy can restore (compare Jeremiah 12:14-15).
4. Protection of the vulnerable: The same verse that threatens the proud (Proverbs 15:25) promises the safeguarding of widows, revealing a moral polarity in God’s governance.

Historical Resonances

The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles give historical embodiment to Deuteronomy’s warning. Chroniclers later saw those events as God “uprooting” Israel and Judah exactly as foretold (2 Chronicles 7:19-22). Post-exilic prophets announce a gracious re-planting (Jeremiah 24:6; Ezekiel 36:36), showing that נסח, though severe, operates within a redemptive storyline.

Prophetic Echoes and New Testament Continuity

Jesus reiterates the principle: “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots” (Matthew 15:13). Paul warns Gentile believers not to become proud, “for God did not spare the natural branches” (Romans 11:21). The apostolic writers thus apply the נסח motif to church life, urging perseverance in faith and humility.

Ministry and Discipleship Implications

• Preaching: Use נסח to illustrate both the seriousness of sin and the steadfast hope offered in Christ, who alone can “root and establish” believers in love (Ephesians 3:17).
• Pastoral care: Confront habitual pride or treachery with the biblical warning that apparent security can be swiftly dismantled.
• Mission: Present the gospel as the only safeguard against ultimate uprooting, inviting hearers into the rootedness of abiding in Christ.

Homiletical Outline Sample

1. Planted by Grace (Psalm 1:3; Ephesians 3:17)
2. Perils of Presumption (Deuteronomy 28:63; Proverbs 15:25)
3. The Uprooting Judgment (Psalm 52:5; Matthew 15:13)
4. The Promise of Re-Planting (Jeremiah 24:6; 1 Peter 5:10)

Devotional Reflection

Ask: Am I cultivating deep roots in obedience and humility, or cracks of pride that invite removal? Thank God that through Christ believers are “a planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).

וְיִסָּחֲךָ֣ וְנִסַּחְתֶּם֙ ויסחך ונסחתם יִסְּח֥וּ יִסַּ֥ח ׀ יסח יסחו venissachTem veyissachaCha wə·nis·saḥ·tem wə·yis·sā·ḥă·ḵā wənissaḥtem wəyissāḥăḵā yis·saḥ yis·sə·ḥū yisSach yissaḥ yisseChu yissəḥūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts