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קָבַע

𐤒𐤁𐤏

qâbaʻ

H6906 verb

SILEX Entry

Root קבע to hollow out, to gouge, to remove by force

Definition

To dig out, hollow, or gouge; by extension, to seize or take forcibly, often with the connotation of robbing, stealing, or carrying away through violence or deceit. In some contexts, refers to the act of extracting (such as piercing or hollowing out), and figuratively to exploiting or oppressing.

Semantic Range

to dig out, to hollow out, to gouge, to seize forcibly, to rob, to plunder, to exploit, to oppress, to extract through violence or deceit

Root / Etymology

Root קבע (q-b-ʿ), meaning 'to hollow out, to gouge, to dig.' The derived verb קָבַע in the qal stem primarily denotes an action of removing by force or extraction, and by metaphorical extension, robbery or taking by force. The physical act (to dig out, to hollow) is the original root meaning, with the sense of robbery developing from the idea of forcibly taking away.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קָבַע appears infrequently in the Hebrew Bible, most notably in Proverbs 1:13 and Malachi 3:8, where it refers to seizure or taking away possessions, either through open theft or more subtle exploitation. In Proverbs, the context is criminal violence; in Malachi, the word is applied metaphorically to Israelite failure to dedicate tithes, described as "robbing" God—a rhetorical extension of the verb's core meaning. The root bears some conceptual overlap with גָּנַב (ganav, 'to steal'), but tends to emphasize the violence or exploitative seizure rather than mere theft. English translations often render קָבַע as 'rob' or 'defraud,' but these may not fully capture the underlying sense of forcible extraction or loss. In later Hebrew, the root acquires additional abstract nuances of exploitation or oppression. The term is unrelated to later rabbinic or legal distinctions between theft (secret taking) and robbery (violent taking); its usage in the biblical context focuses on the act of forcible or deceitful removal.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to cover, i.e. (figuratively) defraud; rob, spoil.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קבע (q-b-ʿ) — to hollow out, to gouge, to remove by force

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6907 קֻבַּעַת deep goblet of
H6959 קוֹבַע helmet of

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6906-04 קֹבְעִ֣ים qoveim HVqrmpa are robbing force-seizing ones 2
H6906-03 קֹבְעֵי/הֶ֣ם qoveeyhem HVqrmpc/Sp3mp those who rob them those who seize them by force 1
H6906-05 וְ/קָבַ֖ע veqava HC/Vqq3ms and will rob and he gouged out 1
H6906-01 הֲ/יִקְבַּ֨ע hayiqeba HTi/Vqi3ms Will rob? Will he gouge out 1
H6906-02 קְבַעֲנ֑וּ/ךָ qevaanukha HVqp1cp/Sp2ms have we robbed you we have plundered you 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6906-01 Malachi 3:8 הֲ/יִקְבַּ֨ע hayiqeba HTi/Vqi3ms Will rob? Will he gouge out
H6906-04 Malachi 3:8 קֹבְעִ֣ים qoveim HVqrmpa are robbing force-seizing ones
H6906-02 Malachi 3:8 קְבַעֲנ֑וּ/ךָ qevaanukha HVqp1cp/Sp2ms have we robbed you we have plundered you
H6906-04 Malachi 3:9 קֹבְעִ֑ים qoveim HVqrmpa are robbing force-seizing ones
H6906-05 Proverbs 22:23 וְ/קָבַ֖ע veqava HC/Vqq3ms and will rob and he gouged out
H6906-03 Proverbs 22:23 קֹבְעֵי/הֶ֣ם qoveeyhem HVqrmpc/Sp3mp those who rob them those who seize them by force
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