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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadInternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Neesing
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nē´zing (, the King James Version, the English Revised Version “by his neesings a light doth shine,†the American Standard Revised Version “sneezingsâ€): “Neese†in Elizabethan English (through two distinct derivations) could mean either “sneeze†or “snort,†and it is impossible to say which force was intended by the King James Version editors. The Hebrew is עטיש××”, ‛ăṭı̄shaÌ„h, a word found only here, but connected with a Semitic root meaning “sneeze,†or, perhaps, “snort.†is part of the description of the “leviathan†or crocodile. This animal has a habit of inflating himself, and after this he discharges through his nostrils the moist, heated vapor, which sparkles in the sunlight. The act is neither a “sneeze†nor a “snort,†but the latter word is sufficiently descriptive. There is no allusion to legendary “fire-spouting†monsters. Compare ; .
In the older editions of the King James Version “neesed†is found in : “and the child neesed seven times†(later editions and the Revised Version (British and American) “sneezedâ€).