① standing firm and upright
⦁ Deuteronomy 29:10-13
10(9H) “All of you stand (h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ) today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, 11 your little ones and your wives—also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water— 12 that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath, which the LORD your God makes with you today, 13 that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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⦁ Genesis 28:11-12
11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up (h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ) on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
⦁ Genesis 28:11-12
11 וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּקֹ֜ום וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּקֹ֔ום וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּקֹ֥ום הַהֽוּא׃
12 וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשֹׁ֖ו מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בֹּֽו׃
- See below under #7 the entry from Appendix 5 ⦁ Where מ Reflects נ ⦁
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⦁ Genesis 37:1
1 Now Jacob {dwelt} (h3427. יָשַׁב yâšaḇ) in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
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⦁ Exodus 14:13-14
13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still (h3320. יָצַב yâṣaḇ), and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
② erecting
⦁ Genesis 33:18-20
18 Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. 19 And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. 20 Then he erected (h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ) an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.
- נצב not listed as a root in EDBH – see more discussion below under #7.
- Many times have we explained that Christian and Jew have “been at war” for some 2000 years now, so some differences in presentation of Scripture may well be intentionally setting one apart from the other. I have listed before as possibly ”purposeful deviation.” It is not this writer’s place to judge the motivation behind the differences in such places, only to make the reader aware in order that there remains an amount of healthy skepticism. As Albert Einstein said, “Question everything.”
③ fixing; enduring
⦁ Deuteronomy 32:8
8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons of Adam,
He set (h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ) the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the children of Israel.
▸ h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ; a prim root; to station, in various applications (literally or figuratively): — appointed, deputy, erect, establish, x Huzzah (by mistake for a proper name), lay, officer, pillar, present, rear up, set (over, up), settle, sharpen, establish, (make to) stand(-ing, still, up, upright), best state.
AV (75) – stand 34, set 12, officers 6, set up 7, upright 2, appointed 1, deputy 1, erected 1, establish 1, Huzzab 1, misc 9;
- to stand, take one’s stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish
- (Niphal)
- to station oneself, take one’s stand
- to stand, be stationed
- to stand, take an upright position
- to be stationed, be appointed
- deputy, prefect, appointed, deputed (subst)
- to stand firm
- (Hiphil)
- to station, set
- to set up, erect
- to cause to stand erect
- to fix, establish
- (Hophal) to be fixed, be determined, be stationary
- (Niphal)
- נצב not listed as a root in EDBH – see more discussion below under #7.
④ memorial stone
⦁ Deuteronomy 16:22
22 You shall not set up a (sacred) pillar (h4676. מַצֵּבָה maṣêḇâ), which the LORD your God hates.
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⦁ Genesis 28:18
18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar (h4676. מַצֵּבָה maṣêḇâ), and poured (h3332. יָצַק yâṣaq) oil on top of it. ✖︎
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⦁ Leviticus 26:1
1 ‘You shall not make idols for yourselves;
neither a carved image nor a (sacred) pillar (h4676. מַצֵּבָה maṣêḇâ) shall you rear up for yourselves;
nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it;
for I (am) the LORD your God.
▸ h4676. מַצֵּבָה maṣêḇâ; feminine (causatively) participle of h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ; something stationed, i.e. a column or (memorial stone); by analogy, an idol: — garrison, (standing) image, pillar.
AV (32) – image 19, pillar 12, garrisons 1;
- pillar, mastaba, stump
- pillar
- as monument, personal memorial
- with an altar
- (Hoph) stock, stump (of tree)
- pillar
⑤ pillar
⦁ Genesis 19:26
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar (h5333. נְצִיב neṣîyḇ) of salt.
▸ h5333. נְצִיב neṣîyḇ; or נְצִב ntsib; from h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ; something stationary, i.e. a prefect, a military post, a statue: — garrison, officer, pillar.
AV (12) – garrison 9, officer 1, pillar 1, variant 1;
set over, something placed, pillar, prefect, garrison, post
- pillar
- prefect, deputy
- Note, this is NOT the only Hebrew word translated as pillar in NKJV (h5982. עַמּוּד ‘ammûḏ is actually more common), but it is notably used in Genesis 28:18 and 22, Jacob setting up a pillar at Bethel, house of God.
- This is as what defines us. We know very little about Job’s wife; what defines her for us is that she looked back, just as some of the Israelites in the Exodus looked back at what was before in Egypt (Numbers 11:5).
⑥ military position
⦁ 1 Samuel 13:23
23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
▸ h4673. מַצָּב maṣâḇ; from h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ; a fixed spot; figuratively, an office, a military post: — garrison, station, place where…stood.
AV (10) – garrison 7, place…stood 2, station 1;
station, garrison, standing-place
- standing-place (of feet)
- station, office, position
- garrison, post, outpost
⑦ stem of a tree
⦁ Isaiah 6:13
13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump (h4678. מַצֶּבֶת maṣeḇeṯ) remains when it is cut down.
So the holy seed shall be its stump.”
▸ h4678. מַצֶּבֶת maṣeḇeṯ; from h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ; something stationary, i.e. a monumental stone; also the stock of a tree: — pillar, substance.
AV (6) – pillar 4, substance 2;
- pillar, mastaba, stump
- pillar
- as monument, personal memorial
- with an altar
- (Hoph) stock, stump (of tree)
- pillar
See that Strong’s indicates from ▸ h5324. נָצַב nâṣaḇ; a prim root; to station, in various applications (literally or figuratively): — appointed, deputy, erect, establish, x Huzzah (by mistake for a proper name), lay, officer, pillar, present, rear up, set (over, up), settle, sharpen, establish, (make to) stand(-ing, still, up, upright), best state.
AV (75) – stand 34, set 12, officers 6, set up 7, upright 2, appointed 1, deputy 1, erected 1, establish 1, Huzzab 1, misc 9;
- to stand, take one’s stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish
- (Niphal)
- to station oneself, take one’s stand
- to stand, be stationed
- to stand, take an upright position
- to be stationed, be appointed
- deputy, prefect, appointed, deputed (subst)
- to stand firm
- (Hiphil)
- to station, set
- to set up, erect
- to cause to stand erect
- to fix, establish
- (Hophal) to be fixed, be determined, be stationary
- (Niphal)
EDBH does not list נצב as a root at all. Therefore in my Two Letter research, the צב family did not include נצב. The ▶︎ צב family meaning (direct action), however, clearly fits with the Strong’s definition. In addition, see this from LogAndSpeck Appendix 5. Where מ reflects נ:
See these other two references – listed in the Partial Bibliography under References…
נצב cognate permutations (move/break physically/emotionally)
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
יצב cognate permutations (encourage/discourage movement)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
✖︎ Important side-journey from Genesis 28:18, where Jacob pours יצק oil on the pillar.
▸ h3332. יָצַק yâṣaq; a primitive root; properly, to pour out (transitive or intransitive); by implication, to melt or cast as metal; by extension, to place firmly, to stiffen or grow hard: — cast, cleave fast, be (as) firm, grow, be hard, lay out, molten, overflow, pour (out), run out, set down, stedfast.
AV (53) – pour 21, cast 11, …out 7, molten 6, firm 2, set down 1, fast 1, groweth 1, hard 1, overflown 1, stedfast 1;
- to pour, flow, cast, pour out
- (Qal)
- to pour, pour out
- to cast
- to flow
- (Hiphil) to pour, pour out
- (Hophal)
- to be poured
- cast, molten (participle)
- being firmly established (participle)
- (Qal)
Impression יצק cognate permutations (establish/withhold)
Impression קץ cognate permutations interact (challenge/encourage)
▸ h7093. קֵץ qêṣ; contracted from h7112. קָצַץ qâṣaṣ; an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after: — + after, (utmost) border, end, (in-)finite, x process.
AV (67) – end 52, after 10, border 3, infinite 1, process 1;
- end
- end, at the end of (of time)
- end (of space)
▸ h7112. קָצַץ qâṣaṣ; a primitive root; to chop off (literally or figuratively): — cut (asunder, in pieces, in sunder, off), x utmost.
AV (14) – cut off 6, utmost 3, cut in pieces 2, cut 1, cut asunder 1, cut in sunder 1;
- to cut off
- (Qal) to cut off
- (Piel) to cut or hew off, cut in two, cut in pieces
- (Pual) to be cut or hewn off
Two important things I want to tie in to these cognate permutation groups.
- First, notice that the name Isaac h3327. יִצְחָק iyṣḥâq includes within it יצק. Isaac, son of Abraham, played a very important role in establishing the covenant between God and Abraham, in establishing the bloodline and in establishing the land (re-digging the wells that Abraham had dug).
- Notice please how that fits with the h3332. יָצַק yâṣaq meaning in Strong’s.
קץ cognate permutations interact (challenge/encourage)
- Also, the word Messiah משׁיח includes a member of the קץ cognate permutation group, and thus would include an idea of (challenge/encourage)
- The משיח cognate permutations group meaning we derived as (influence favorably/adversely). It then falls upon us to understand how the idea of interact (challenge/encourage) fits in the continuum of (influence favorably/adversely). I ask myself and must ponder whether such usages fit within the realm of Remez (the “hinting” aspect in PaRDeS). 🤔 ((First introduced in Post 12. Levels of Meaning.)) That is not part of the classic definition of “hint.”
- Hopefully this writer made it clear long ago that Judaism focuses on three-letter roots. Some, including myself and Jeff Benner, have looked into two-letter combinations (see Partial Bibliography in References for: Benner, J.A. (2005). The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient Cultural Context and for Clementson, Ze’ev, Biblical Hebrew App., with listing of two-letter word occurrences. (The App was available in 32 bit, but not upgraded to 64 bit. If you still have a device that can use 32 bit, you may be able to access it.)) My Two Letter Research began with the framework of Clementson’s work and has greatly expanded beyond what was available on that App. I go into that detail because of another word that appears in Scripture that the reader might want to consider 🧐, which is also in the קץgroup, the word קש “chaff/stubble.” (Ex. 5:12; 15:7; Job 13:25; 41:28(20),29(21); Ps. 83:13(14); Isa. 5:24; 33:11; 40:24; 41:2; 47:14; Jer. 13:24; Joel 2:5; Obad. 1:18; Nah. 1:10; Mal. 4:1(3:19).) Can you see the idea of interact (challenge/encourage) in these usages?
- Is not the idea of personal interaction both in life and in Scripture inherent as either challenge or encouragement in community, having a spouse or siblings or children, and in the idea of Messiah as one who walks with us, Immanuel.
- Are we not at our best when we are doing for others? And are not our greatest challenges in dealing with others? And is this not why in giving the “Greatest Commandment” (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke10:27) loving God AND loving neighbor are listed? And why John says:
⦁ 1 John 4:20-21
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
So, recall we first began today’s journey on the root יצב and then moved to a side journey of יצק. And, of course you see that the two letter cognate permutation group קץ/יץ is included in both, and thus interact (challenge/encourage). Interaction with others in our lives may either challenge us or encourage us. Indeed other people in our lives bring meaning to life, be it for good or for evil. What are our responses? And in our own lives, do we encourage or discourage? The LORD certainly challenges and encourages us to learn by way of the circumstances of our lives, the greatest elements of which are other people.
⦁ Genesis 2:18
18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Remember the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the purview of the LORD: he defines what is good and evil.
page 94 EDBH טוב be good; advance benefit to man;; impact positively/negatively (D17).
Evil is a two-letter word, רע. Strong’s indicates its derivation is from רעע. From our two-letter work,
If you look at the cognate meaning of good טוב, impact positively/negatively, and the cognate meaning of רע derived in our two-letter work encourage/discourage, you see they have virtually the same spectrum of meaning. And thus you can see why assigning value was to be the tree that was God’s alone. We can never sort out, in our own perspective, what is, in the eyes of God, what is good and what is evil – recall that definition – “advance benefit to man.”
A thought to ponder… 🤔
Blessings, PG
Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates; LogAndSpeck.com March 2025.