The Hebrew verb nashaq (נָשַׁק) primarily means "to kiss" — an act of greeting, affection, allegiance, or worship. The same root word, through a different stem, also means "to be armed" or "to handle weapons," suggesting that the gesture of touching face-to-face is connected to the notion of close physical contact. Nashaq appears in greetings between family members, in the idolatrous kissing of Baal images, and in deeply theological contexts of God's mercy.
The most theologically charged use of nashaq appears in Psalm 2:12: "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way." The command to "kiss" the divine Son is an act of homage, submission, and allegiance — the opposite of rebellion against God's anointed. Idolatry is described as kissing Baal (1 Kings 19:18; Hosea 13:2), while true worship is submitted allegiance to Yahweh's king. The kiss also appears in the father's restoration of the prodigal son (Luke 15:20, Greek kataphileo) — God's welcome of the repentant sinner. Elijah's lament that "7,000 in Israel have not bowed to Baal or kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18) reveals that a faithful remnant always remains.