Don't Be Deceived

Does “NASA” Secretly Mean “Deception” in Hebrew? The Truth Behind the Viral Claim

If you’ve spent any time in certain corners of the internet, you’ve probably seen the claim:

“NASA comes from a Hebrew word that means ‘to deceive.’ The space agency is literally named Deception!”

It sounds shocking. It fits certain narratives perfectly. There’s only one problem: it isn’t true.

Let’s clear this up once and for all.

What “NASA” Actually Is

NASA is an English acronym coined in 1958: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. That’s it. No hidden meaning, no ancient code.

Yes, “nasa” Was Already a Word in English — But It Had Nothing to Do With Lying

Long before 1958, “nasa” (or more commonly “nese,” “næss,” “naze,” or “ness”) was an Old Norse and Old English word referring to a headland or cape jutting out into the sea.

That’s why you still see British place names like Dungeness, Skegness, and the Naze. It literally meant the “nose” of land.

Zero deception involved.

The Hebrew Claim, Examined

Hebrew does have a very common verb: נָשָׂא (nāśāʾ, pronounced roughly “naw-SAW”). It appears over 650 times in the Old Testament.

Its primary meanings are:

• to lift up
• to carry
• to bear
• to forgive (as in “lift away” sin)
• to exalt

Famous examples:

• Genesis 4:13 – Cain says his punishment is “too great to bear” (nāśāʾ).
• Exodus 34:7 – God “forgiving iniquity” (nōśēʾ ʿāwōn).

There is also a separate, rare Hebrew root spelled the same in consonants (נשא) but pointed differently (nāšāʾ) that can mean “to deceive” or “to beguile.”

It appears only a handful of times and is considered by scholars to be a distinct word — a homonym, not the same verb.

Because ancient Hebrew manuscripts were written without vowel markings, the two words look identical in their raw form. That visual similarity is the entire basis of the modern claim.

In reality, linguists do not treat “to lift/carry/forgive” and “to deceive” as the same word.

Bottom Line

• NASA the agency is an English acronym.
• The Old English/Scandinavian word “nasa” meant a coastal promontory — not deception.
• The everyday Hebrew verb נָשָׂא means “to lift,” “to bear,” or “to forgive.”
• The “deception” meaning comes from a rare, unrelated Hebrew root.

So no — the space agency is not secretly telling you it’s all a lie by hiding a Hebrew joke in its name.

Sometimes an acronym is just an acronym.
And sometimes a viral etymology is just creative wishful thinking.