We are in chapter eighteen of Exodus with our word for today. נָשַׁק kiss, join, meet. It is used 31 times in the Old Testament. Our word can be used in the sense of joining or meeting. Psalm 85:10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace נָשָֽׁקוּkiss each other. 1 Kings 19:18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not נָשַׁ֖ק kissed him. Psalm 2:12 נַשְּׁקוּ Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Our word is used to touch with the lips or press the lips as an expression of love or greeting. We find it used as an expression of intimate love between a man and a woman. Genesis 29:11 Then Jacob וַיִּשַּׁ֥ק kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. Proverbs 7:13, 18 She took hold of him וְנָ֣שְׁקָהand kissed him and with a brazen face she said… Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! Song of Solomon 1:2 Let him יִשָּׁקֵ֙נִי֙kiss me with the מִנְּשִׁיק֣וֹתkisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. Most of the time our word used to show affection toward family members. Genesis 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, וַיִּשַּׁק and kiss me.” Genesis 45:15 וַיְנַשֵּׁ֥ק And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. We also find our word is used to describe what one does as part of a greeting. Exodus 4:27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God וַיִּשַּׁק and kissed him. This is how our word is used in our chapter today. Exodus 18:7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down וַיִּשַּׁק and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. We find this tradition carried into the New Testament as part of a greeting with another word accompanying it. Romans 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. 1 Corinthians 16:20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 2 Corinthians 13:12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 1 Thessalonians 5:26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I think this reinforces how God describes his church as a close family. I’ll close with this great example of the affection that Paul shows his brothers and sisters in Christ. Philippians 1:7-8 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
