Lexical Definition

‎נָשִׂיא‎ nâsîyʼ (naw-see') leader ^H:N-M
or נָשִׂא nâsiʼ (naw-see'); from ‎נָשָׂא‎

captain, chief, cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour.

• properly, an exalted one, i.e. a king or sheik
• also a rising mist

1) one lifted up, chief, prince, captain, leader
2) rising mist, vapour

See Greek: ἀνήρ · ἀρχηγός · ἄρχων · βασιλεύς · ἔθνος · ἡγέομαι · νεφέλη · νέφος

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎נָשִׂיא‎₁₂₈ noun masculine one lifted up, i.e. a chief prince; — absolute ‎׳‎‎נ‎ Exod 22:27* +; construct ‎נְשִׂיא‎ Gen 23:6 +; plural ‎נְשִׂיאִים‎ Josh 22:32 +, ‎נְשִׂיאִים‎ Josh 22:32 +, ‎נְשִׂאִים‎ Exod 34:31 + 7 t., ‎נְשִׂיאִם‎ Gen 17:20 + 3 t., ‎נְשִׂאִם‎ Exod 35:27 construct ‎נְשִׂיאֵי‎ Exod 16:22 +; suffix ‎נְשִׂיאַי‎ Ezek 45:8, ‎נְשִׂיאֶיהָ‎ Ezek 32:29, ‎נְשִׂיאֵיהֶם‎ Num 17:21*, ‎נְשִׂיאֵהֶם‎ v.Num 17:17*, etc.; — mostly in Israel:

1. ‎בְּעַמְּךָ‎ ‎׳‎‎נ‎ of any chief man, Exod 22:27* (E; human ruler, over against ‎אֱלֹהִים‎).

2. of Solomon 1Kgs 11:34. Elsewhere only Ezekiel, P, Chronicles: —

3. of Abraham Gen 23:6, and heads of Ishmaelite tribes Gen 17:20; Gen 25:16.

4. rulers of the congregation, ‎נְשִׂיאֵי הָעֵדָה‎ Exod 16:22; Josh 9:15; Josh 9:18; Josh 22:30, ‎בָּעֵדָה‎ ‎׳‎‎הַנּ‎ Exod 34:31, compare Exod 35:27; Lev 4:22; Josh 9:18b; Josh 9:19; Josh 9:21 (twice in verse); Josh 17:4; Josh 22:14 (3 t. in verse); Josh 22:32 (all P); especially

5. tribal chiefs and representatives, according to the religious organization of P, Num 1:16; Num 1:44; Num 2:3 + 57 t. Numbers (especially chapters 2, 7, 34; note ‎נְשִׂיא נְשִׂיאֵי הַלֵּוִי‎ Num 3:32); compare 1Chr 2:10; 1Chr 4:38; 1Chr 5:6; 1Chr 7:40; 2Chr 1:2, also 1Kgs 8:1 (probably gloss, omitted by ᵐ5 Benz), 2Chr 5:2.

6. in Ezekiel:
a. of Zedekiah (for ‎מֶלֶךְ‎ see Böhmer^{8K 1900, 112 ff.}), Ezek 7:27; Ezek 12:10; Ezek 12:12; Ezek 21:30*, + Ezek 19:1 (read singular ᵐ5 Ew Hi Co Berthol Toy).
b. chief men of Judah Ezek 21:17*; Ezek 22:6; Ezek 45:8; Ezek 45:9.
c. future Davidic king Ezek 34:24; Ezek 37:25, compare Ezek 44:3 (twice in verse) + 16 t. Ezek 45, 46, 48.
d. foreign princes Ezek 26:16; Ezek 27:21; Ezek 30:13; Ezek 32:29; Ezek 38:2; Ezek 38:3; Ezek 39:1; Ezek 39:18.

7. leader of exiles returning under Cyrus, according to Ezra 1:8.

8. non-Israel chiefs in P: Gen 34:2; Num 25:18; Josh 13:21.

II. [‎נָשִׂיא‎] noun [masculine] rising mist, vapour (Arabic , ); — only plural ‎נְשִׂאִים‎ vapours, forming clouds, and portending rain, Jer 10:13 = Jer 51:16, Ps 135:7, ‎נְשִׂיאִים‎ Prov 25:14.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References