קֶצַח
𐤒𐤑𐤇
qetsach
H7100 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An annual plant producing small, pungent seeds, used as a spice and for culinary purposes. In biblical contexts, קֶצַח ('qetsach') chiefly denotes the plant known as black cumin (Nigella sativa), whose seeds were valued for their distinctive flavor and were threshed and processed differently than grain crops. The term can refer both to the plant itself and, by extension, to its edible seeds.
Semantic Range
black cumin plant, pungent edible seeds, culinary spice; reference to the process of harvesting or threshing the seeds
Root / Etymology
Root is uncertain. The form קֶצַח does not appear with a clear verbal or nominal root elsewhere in Hebrew; some have conjectured a link with an unused root meaning 'to incise' or 'to cut', potentially referencing threshing or the aroma released by crushing the seeds, but this is not philologically certain. The word is an inherited Semitic agricultural term, possibly with cognates in related languages.
Historical & Contextual Notes
קֶצַח appears only in Isaiah 28:25, 27, describing agricultural practices familiar to the Israelite audience. The passage contrasts the methods used for קֶצַח and other crops, emphasizing its value and the specialized way it was processed—not with the forceful techniques used for cereals, but more gently, reflecting careful attention to its culinary qualities. Ancient and modern sources associate קֶצַח with black cumin (Nigella sativa), not the later English 'fitches' (a generic Old English term for various vetches or pulses). English translations such as 'fitches' do not accurately capture the botanical identity. Use of קֶצַח is attested in the monarchic period; there is no evidence for a significant change in meaning across later periods. (The plant continued to be used and valued in the Near East into rabbinic times.) The term is distinguished from other edible seeds and herbs by its pungency and culinary use.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root apparently meaning to incise; fennelflower (from its pungency); fitches.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קצח (uncertain) (q-ṣ-ḥ (uncertain)) — pungent edible seed, spice plant (root uncertain; possibly related to cutting or incising)
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7100-01 |
קֶ֖צַח | qetsach | HNcmsa |
dill | black cumin | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7100-01 |
Isaiah 28:25 | קֶ֖צַח | qetsach | HNcmsa |
black cumin | black cumin |
H7100-01 |
Isaiah 28:27 | קֶ֔צַח | qetsach | HNcmsa |
dill | black cumin |
H7100-01 |
Isaiah 28:27 | קֶ֖צַח | qetsach-2 | HNcmsa |
dill | black cumin |