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קַו־קַו

𐤒𐤅־𐤒𐤅

qav-qav

H6978 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קוּ to stretch, mark, measure (with a cord or line)

Definition

Onomatopoetic or repetitive expression, used as an unintelligible or stammering sound; also, a symbolic term meant to represent disconnected syllables, conveying the impression of meaningless speech. The expression is not standard Hebrew but is used in a figurative sense within prophetic literature to mimic or parody speech that is incomprehensible or perceived as foreign.

Semantic Range

unintelligible speech, stammering, parody of repetitive instruction, sound imitation, meaningless or childish talk

Root / Etymology

Reduplication of קַו (qav), itself from the root קוּ, generally meaning ‘to stretch’, as in a measuring line or cord. Here, the word is not used in its concrete sense, but reduplicated to serve as a form of onomatopoeia or imitation of incomprehensible or childish speech. The reduplication serves to intensify the sound or further the sense of reiteration and incomprehensibility. Thus, קַו־קַו is not an original noun, but a literary device derived from the root ca. ק-ו- (קוּ), 'to stretch, mark a line'; actual lexical meaning is figurative and idiomatic, not derived directly from the physical object (cord or line).

Historical & Contextual Notes

קַו־קַו appears only in Isaiah 28:10,13, among satirical oracles against some in Jerusalem who ridicule prophetic messages as childish or repetitive—'line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little.' The phrase is paired with other similar reduplications (e.g., צוּ לָצוּ, tzav-latzav) to evoke the experience of repetitive, monotonous, or nonsensical speech. Ancient versions struggled to translate these phrases, sometimes rendering them literally, sometimes treating them as foreign words or even leaving them untranslated to indicate their sound rather than sense. Later translation traditions sometimes attempted to render the idiom as 'precept upon precept' or 'rule upon rule,' but the primary intent in context is mockery or the suggestion of unintelligibility, not measured instruction. The term is unique to late First Temple prophetic usage, with no evidence of literal usage as a noun outside this satirical or idiomatic context. It is distinct from the ordinary use of קַו as 'measuring line.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

lemma קַו־קַי yod, corrected to קַו־קַו; from קַו (in the sense of a fastening); stalwart; [idiom] meted out.

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Root Family

קו (q-w) — stretching, marking, measuring with a line

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6978-01 קַו qav HNcmsa powerful babble-line of 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6978-01 Isaiah 18:2 קַו qav HNcmsa powerful babble-line of
H6978-01 Isaiah 18:2 קָ֣ו qav-2 HNcmsa powerful babble-line of
H6978-01 Isaiah 18:7 קַו qav HNcmsa meted out babble-line of
H6978-01 Isaiah 18:7 קָ֣ו qav-2 HNcmsa and babble-line of
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