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קָלַס

𐤒𐤋𐤎

qâlaç

H7046 verb

SILEX Entry

Root קלס to mock, to scorn, to ridicule

Definition

To deride, ridicule, or mock; to hold up to contempt, often through verbal insult or scornful speech. The verb frequently connotes open disrespect or the act of jeering at another. Its primary lexical sense centers on treating someone or something as contemptible through speech or gesture. While direct, intentional verbal ridicule is its main context, it can also convey the more general act of subjecting a person or object to public dishonor or derision.

Semantic Range

to scoff openly, to hold up to ridicule, to deride with contempt, to subject to public humilitation, to taunt, to jeer

Root / Etymology

Root: ק־ל־ס. The root's primary sense relates to making light of, belittling, or showing disrespect through words or gestures. The verb קָלַס is derived directly from this root, maintaining the idea of ridiculing or openly disparaging; the precise development of the root is unclear beyond its attested uses in the Hebrew Bible.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קָלַס appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, with concentrated use in poetic or prophetic passages, where it serves to emphasize the severity of mockery or the shaming of individuals or communities. The term is stronger and more overtly negative than related verbs such as חָרַף (ḥaraf, to reproach, insult) or לָעַג (laʿag, to mock, ridicule), as קָלַס often implies active, public derision, sometimes in ritualistic or communal settings. In post-biblical Hebrew, forms of this root become less common, but in later usage or derivative languages (e.g., Aramaic), similar roots carry the meaning of coarse joking or scoffing. Standard English translations, such as 'mock,' 'scoff,' or 'scorn,' capture the core idea but sometimes miss the nuance of aggressive or communal mockery implied in biblical contexts. The word does not appear to undergo significant semantic shift between early and late biblical usage, though its rarity suggests a specialized or emphatic function in the literary register. No evidence links this term to later ethnic or religious terminology such as 'Jew' or 'Judaism.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to disparage, i.e. ridicule; mock, scoff, scorn.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קלס (q-l-s) — to mock, to scorn, to ridicule

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7047 קֶלֶס and to a laughing-stock
H7048 קַלָּסָה derisive mockery

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7046-03 יִתְקַלָּ֔ס yiteqalas HVti3ms scoffs he will mock himself 1
H7046-01 לְ/קַלֵּ֥ס leqales HR/Vpc to disdain to openly mock 1
H7046-02 וַ/יִּתְקַלְּסוּ vayiteqalesu HC/Vtw3mp mocked and they mocked themselves 1
H7046-04 יִתְקַלְּסוּ yiteqalesu HVti3mp will-mock they will mock one another 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7046-02 2 Kings 2:23 וַ/יִּתְקַלְּסוּ vayiteqalesu HC/Vtw3mp mocked and they mocked themselves
H7046-01 Ezekiel 16:31 לְ/קַלֵּ֥ס leqales HR/Vpc to disdain to openly mock
H7046-04 Ezekiel 22:5 יִתְקַלְּסוּ yiteqalesu HVti3mp will-mock they will mock one another
H7046-03 Habakkuk 1:10 יִתְקַלָּ֔ס yiteqalas HVti3ms scoffs he will mock himself
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