קִרְאָה
𐤒𐤓𐤀𐤄
qirʼâh
H7125 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
An act or instance of meeting, encounter, or engagement—whether by chance or arrangement; can denote an encounter with either friendly or hostile implications, or an occurrence of something coming to meet or face someone. In some contexts, the term may also convey the idea of 'happening' or an event that occurs along one's path.
Semantic Range
meeting, encounter, engagement, occurrence, confrontation; accidental meeting, appointed meeting, hostile or friendly encounter, an event occurring along one's path
Root / Etymology
From the root קרא (q-r-ʾ), whose core meaning is 'to call, summon, read aloud.' The noun קִרְאָה (qir'âh) develops a nuance distinct from the core root meaning, shifting from the idea of summoning or calling out to that of meeting or encountering someone or something—i.e., a coming together initiated either by overt summons or by chance.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, קִרְאָה refers primarily to a meeting or encounter, sometimes implying a chance or accidental meeting (cf. Numbers 35:11, Deuteronomy 25:18), but also used of purposeful or solicited encounters. The emotional or relational quality of the encounter can be neutral, hostile, or positive depending on context; it may indicate battle ('coming out to meet'), greeting, or simply the fact of an occurrence. The term appears rarely and mostly in narrative or legal texts. While later translation traditions sometimes render this as 'against' or 'in the way,' the sense of direct confrontation or engagement is not always adversarial. The meaning is distinct from other similar terms such as פְּגִיעָה (pegîʿâh, 'intercession, coming upon') or מִקְרֶה (miqreh, 'chance, occurrence'), with קִרְאָה emphasizing the event of an encounter or meeting, whether intentional or random. In post-biblical Hebrew, the term remains rare.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from קָרָא; an encountering, accidental, friendly or hostile (also adverbially, opposite); [idiom] against (he come), help, meet, seek, [idiom] to, [idiom] in the way.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קרא (q-r-ʾ) — call, summon, invite, read aloud
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4744 | מִקְרָא | in the summoned assembly |
| H6981 | קוֹרֵא | the one who calls |
| H7121 | קָרָא | in my calling |
| H7122 | קָרָא | to encounter |
| H7123 | קְרָא | I will call out |
Word Forms
8 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7125-01 |
לִ/קְרַ֣את | liqerat | HR/Vqc |
to meet | to encounter | 40 |
H7125-08 |
לִ/קְרָאת/וֹ֒ | liqerato | HR/Vqc/Sp3ms |
to meet him | to meet him | 25 |
H7125-03 |
לִ/קְרָאתָ/ם֙ | liqeratam | HR/Vqc/Sp3mp |
to meet them | to encounter them | 14 |
H7125-06 |
לִ/קְרָאתֵ֔/נוּ | liqeratenu | HR/Vqc/Sp1cp |
to meet us | to encounter us | 6 |
H7125-04 |
לִ/קְרָֽאתְ/ךָ֔ | liqeratekha | HR/Vqc/Sp2ms |
to meet you | for encountering you | 5 |
H7125-07 |
לִ/קְרָאתִ֖/י | liqerati | HR/Vqc/Sp1cs |
to meet me | to encounter me | 5 |
H7125-02 |
לִ/קְרָאתָ֑/הּ | liqeratah | HR/Vqc/Sp3fs |
to meet her | to encounter her | 3 |
H7125-05 |
לִ/קְרַאתְ/כֶ֔ם | liqeratekhem | HR/Vqc/Sp2mp |
against you | to encounter you | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
100 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7125-08 |
Genesis 14:17 | לִ/קְרָאת/וֹ֒ | liqerato | HR/Vqc/Sp3ms |
to meet him | to meet him |
H7125-01 |
Genesis 15:10 | לִ/קְרַ֣את | liqerat | HR/Vqc |
opposite | to encounter |
H7125-03 |
Genesis 18:2 | לִ/קְרָאתָ/ם֙ | liqeratam | HR/Vqc/Sp3mp |
to meet them | to encounter them |
H7125-03 |
Genesis 19:1 | לִ/קְרָאתָ֔/ם | liqeratam | HR/Vqc/Sp3mp |
to meet them | to encounter them |
H7125-02 |
Genesis 24:17 | לִ/קְרָאתָ֑/הּ | liqeratah | HR/Vqc/Sp3fs |
to meet her | to encounter her |
H7125-06 |
Genesis 24:65 | לִ/קְרָאתֵ֔/נוּ | liqeratenu | HR/Vqc/Sp1cp |
to meet us | to encounter us |
H7125-08 |
Genesis 29:13 | לִ/קְרָאת/וֹ֙ | liqerato | HR/Vqc/Sp3ms |
to meet him | to meet him |
H7125-08 |
Genesis 30:16 | לִ/קְרָאת֗/וֹ | liqerato | HR/Vqc/Sp3ms |
to meet him | to meet him |
H7125-04 |
Genesis 32:7 | לִ/קְרָֽאתְ/ךָ֔ | liqeratekha | HR/Vqc/Sp2ms |
to meet you | for encountering you |
H7125-08 |
Genesis 33:4 | לִ/קְרָאת/וֹ֙ | liqerato | HR/Vqc/Sp3ms |
to meet him | to meet him |