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קִמּוֹשׁ

𐤒𐤌𐤅𐤔

qimmôwsh

H7057 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קמש to sting, to be sharp (uncertain), to burn (uncertain)

Definition

A type of prickly or stinging plant, likely referring to nettle or similar noxious weeds; denotes a general sense of uncultivated, invasive, or desolate vegetation, especially as a sign of abandonment or curse.

Semantic Range

prickly plant, stinging weed, nettle, desolate weed, thistle-like plant

Root / Etymology

The form קִמּוֹשׁ (qimmôwsh) is probably related to the root קמש, though no attested root with this exact form exists in the Hebrew Bible. The etymology is uncertain, but it is possibly associated with an idea of sharpness or stinging (as with nettles). The word may be related to קִמָּשׁוֹן (qimāshôn), another term for a nettle or stinging plant.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קִמּוֹשׁ is a rare botanical term, occurring in Isaiah 34:13 and Proverbs 24:31, both times in lists of wild, unwanted plants growing in ruined or neglected places, alongside words like חוֹחַ (thorn) and דַּרְדַּר (thistle). The exact species indicated is uncertain; traditional identification as 'nettle' may reflect the plant's stinging nature, but the term could denote any prickly, stinging weed that invades abandoned land. In post-biblical Hebrew and later traditions, it is usually rendered as 'nettle.' The word's rarity and context of usage emphasize desolation and neglect, often as part of a prophetic image of judgment or consequence. In neither biblical nor subsequent contexts does it refer to cultivated or beneficial plants, always carrying a negative connotation. Standard English translations render it as 'nettle' or 'thistle,' but the precise species is not identifiable.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or קִימוֹשׁ; from an unused root meaning to sting; a prickly plant; nettle. Compare קִמָּשׁוֹן.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קמש (q-m-sh) — to sting, to be sharp, to burn

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7063 קִמָּשׁוֹן withered prickly weeds

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7057-01 קִמּ֥וֹשׂ qimos HNcmsa nettles stinging weed 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7057-01 Isaiah 34:13 קִמּ֥וֹשׂ qimos HNcmsa nettles stinging weed
H7057-01 Hosea 9:6 קִמּוֹשׂ֙ qimos HNcmsa thistles stinging weed
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