נוֹצָה
no.tsah (H5133)
plumage
AI Word Study
# Analysis of נוֹצָה (no.tsah) - Plumage The Hebrew word נוֹצָה refers to plumage, the feathers that cover a bird's body. Based on its four biblical occurrences, this term represents a specific and concrete zoological feature rather than a general or metaphorical concept. The word's definition anchors it to the physical characteristic of bird feathers as a functional unit—the complete covering system that enables flight and provides insulation. The rarity of this word in biblical texts (appearing only four times) suggests it was used in contexts where the specific visual or physical quality of feathers required explicit mention. Rather than being a common everyday term, נוֹצָה appears to have served a more specialized descriptive purpose, perhaps in passages where the appearance or condition of birds needed precise characterization. The four occurrences represent the complete biblical evidence for understanding how ancient Hebrew speakers employed this particular lexical choice. This word exemplifies how biblical Hebrew maintained distinct vocabulary for specific natural phenomena. While Hebrew had other terms for birds and feathers more broadly, נוֹצָה provided a way to reference plumage as a distinct anatomical feature. For modern readers, the word demonstrates the biblical text's capacity for concrete botanical and zoological precision when describing the created world.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
and he shall take away its crop and its feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes.
“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the feathers and plumage of love?
and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar.
“ ‘ “There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. Behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot out its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.