קֶטֶב
𐤒𐤈𐤁
qeṭeb
H6986 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A destructive force or agent, often personified, associated with disaster, plague, or ruin. In biblical passages, qeṭeb refers typically to a threatening, fatal power—sometimes conceived as a demonic entity or supernatural affliction, especially one striking swiftly or pervasively. Used figuratively for devastating calamity or a sudden destructive pestilence.
Semantic Range
destructive force, ruin, pestilence, fatal plague, calamity; personified disaster agent; supernatural affliction
Root / Etymology
The Hebrew form קֶטֶב is likely derived from the root קטב, which is not otherwise attested in the Hebrew Bible (etymology uncertain). The presumed root meaning is 'to cut off, sever, destroy.' The noun qeṭeb is thus formed and used to represent destruction, but the root itself does not appear separately.
Historical & Contextual Notes
qeṭeb appears four times in the Hebrew Bible (Deut 32:24; Ps 91:6; Isa 28:2; Hos 13:14). In Deut 32:24 and Hos 13:14, it is coupled with images of divine judgment, famine, or disease, suggesting an almost personal or mythological character to the destructive force. In Psalm 91:6, qeṭeb is parallel to 'pestilence' and 'plague,' reinforcing its connection to fatal epidemic; it is distinguished from mere disease by being depicted as an almost autonomous scourge, active at midday. Later ancient translations, such as the Septuagint, often render it with terms for destruction, pestilence, or plague, flattening its potentially mythic nuance. In post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, qeṭeb comes to denote a demon or evil spirit associated with disease. English versions usually render the word as 'destruction' or 'pestilence,' which can obscure the original senses of an independent or even supernatural destructive agent. Unlike other Hebrew terms for destruction (e.g., חֶרֶם ḥerem: total ban/devotion to destruction; דֶּבֶר deber: pestilence), qeṭeb has a narrower, more ominous or personified nuance.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to cut off; ruin; destroying, destruction.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קטב (q-ṭ-b) — to cut off, to sever, to destroy
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6987 | קֹטֶב | your deadly plague |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6986-03 |
וְ/קֶ֣טֶב | veqetev | HC/Ncmsa |
and destruction | cutting-off destroyer | 1 |
H6986-02 |
קָ֑טֶב | qatev | HNcmsa |
destroying | cutting-off force | 1 |
H6986-01 |
מִ֝/קֶּ֗טֶב | miqetev | HR/Ncmsa |
from destruction | from destructive force | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6986-03 |
Deuteronomy 32:24 | וְ/קֶ֣טֶב | veqetev | HC/Ncmsa |
and destruction | cutting-off destroyer |
H6986-02 |
Isaiah 28:2 | קָ֑טֶב | qatev | HNcmsa |
destroying | cutting-off force |
H6986-01 |
Psalms 91:6 | מִ֝/קֶּ֗טֶב | miqetev | HR/Ncmsa |
from destruction | from destructive force |