The word neked refers to a grandchild, offspring, or descendant — those who carry on the family line into the future. It is a relatively rare term in Hebrew, but it carries great weight in a culture where lineage, inheritance, and the continuation of one's name were of paramount importance. To have a neked was to have a future; to be cut off from posterity was one of the most dreaded curses.
The covenant promise to Abraham (Genesis 12; 17) was fundamentally about neked — God promised descendants as numerous as the stars. The hope of every patriarch was that the covenant promises would pass to the next generation and beyond. The judgment on the wicked often includes the cutting off of their neked (Isaiah 14:22; Job 18:19), while God's blessing to the righteous is fruitful posterity. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant line — the true seed (Galatians 3:16) through whom all the nations receive blessing.