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קָצָה

𐤒𐤑𐤄

qâtsâh

H7096 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To cut off, remove, or sever something physically; by extension, to terminate, bring an end to, or reduce in duration or extent. The word can refer to actual acts of cutting or shearing off part of an object, person, or group, and it can also take on figurative senses such as destroying, ending, or abbreviating.

Semantic Range

to cut off, to cut short, to scrape off, to remove, to destroy (in some contexts), to shorten, to abbreviate

Root / Etymology

Root: קצה (q-tz-h). The root's fundamental sense is 'to cut, to sever.' The verb קָצָה represents an intensive or simple action derived directly from the root, signifying the act of cutting or removing a portion from a larger whole.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קָצָה appears comparatively rarely in the Hebrew Bible, and most occurrences refer to concrete acts of cutting or scraping off a portion, whether from a physical object or a group (Numbers 11:33; 2 Kings 10:32). The verb can also extend metaphorically to the notion of bringing something to an abrupt or partial end. In later biblical Hebrew and post-biblical texts, the root develops additional senses, but in the standard biblical corpus, the dominant sense remains that of severance or reduction. The nuance differentiates קָצָה from related roots such as כרת (H3772), which more often emphasize a complete cutting off, sometimes with covenantal or legal implications, while קָצָה typically refers to a partial removal, scraping, or abridgement. Standard English renderings ('cut off,' 'cut short,' 'scrape off') often suffices but may obscure the distinction between partial and total separation found in the Hebrew root. No significant semantic shift is discernible between monarchic and exilic or post-exilic usage.

Translation Consistency

primary "cut" 1 occurrence

“Cut” is the natural, versatile English verb that best covers the primary senses of קָצָה: physical severing or scraping, and the figurative senses of ending, shortening, or removing. It is concise, common in idiomatic uses (e.g. “cut off,” “cut short”), and will yield natural renderings across all forms.

Alternatives (4 occurrences):
"scraped off" (1x) "scraping" (1x) "cutting off of" (1x) "cutting-off one" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to cut off; (figuratively) to destroy; (partially) to scrape off; cut off, cut short, scrape (off).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

קצה (qâtsâh) — to cut, to sever, to remove

Root קצה to cut, to sever, to remove
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7097 קָצֶה at his extremity
H7098 קָצָה to the extremities of
H7099 קֶצֶו extremities of
H7101 קָצִין deciding leader
H7117 קְצָת the portions

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7096-01 הִקְצ֥וֹת hiqetsot HVhc scraping to cause to cut off scraping 1
H7096-02 הִקְצ֔וּ hiqetsu HVhp3cp they have scraped off they caused to cut off they scraped off 1
H7096-03 לְ/קַצּ֖וֹת leqatsot HR/Vpc to cut off to cut off to cut off 1
H7096-04 מְקַצֶּ֣ה meqatseh HVprmsa cuts off cutting-off one cutting-off one 1
H7096-05 קְצוֹת qetsot HVqc cutting off extremities of cutting off of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7096-02 Leviticus 14:41 הִקְצ֔וּ hiqetsu HVhp3cp they have scraped off they caused to cut off they scraped off
H7096-01 Leviticus 14:43 הִקְצ֥וֹת hiqetsot HVhc scraping to cause to cut off scraping
H7096-03 2 Kings 10:32 לְ/קַצּ֖וֹת leqatsot HR/Vpc to cut off to cut off to cut off
H7096-05 Habakkuk 2:10 קְצוֹת qetsot HVqc cutting off extremities of cutting off of
H7096-04 Proverbs 26:6 מְקַצֶּ֣ה meqatseh HVprmsa cuts off cutting-off one cutting-off one
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