קִרְיָה (H7151) — Hebrew Lexicon

קִרְיָה

𐤒𐤓𐤉𐤄

qiryâh

H7151 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קרא to meet, to encounter, to bring together, to assemble

Definition

A populated place with civic, administrative, or urban character; typically denotes a town or city, distinguished from smaller habitations like villages (כָּפָר kafar) or unwalled settlements. While sometimes used interchangeably with עִיר (‘îr), קִרְיָה (qiryâh) can suggest a more established or notable urban center, often with public buildings, walls, or civic significance. The term’s semantic range includes a covered or constructed place, a built environment, or an urban community.

Semantic Range

city, town, urban center, built-up area, civic community, constructed or organized settlement

Root / Etymology

From the root ק-ר-ה (קרה), meaning 'to meet, encounter,' but in this nominal formation, likely carries the sense of 'fitted together,' 'constructed,' or 'a structure.' The root may refer to materials put together for a surface or floor, but in noun form, it denotes a constructed place or building, extended to mean town or city. Thus actual lexical meaning is 'city, urban settlement,' not merely 'building' or 'meeting.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

קִרְיָה appears throughout the Hebrew Bible—sometimes poetically—conveying not only the physical idea of a city but also themes of communal or political identity. Its use is particularly prominent in prophetic and poetic texts, where it can accentuate the stature or significance of a city, as in מַלְכִּי־קִרְיָה ('queen city' = Jerusalem, Isa 23:8). Compared to עִיר ('îr), qiryâh may have a slightly more formal or elevated nuance, and sometimes underscores foundedness or organization. Post-exilic books continue to employ qiryâh, but עִיר becomes the default prose term for 'city.' English translations often render both terms as 'city,' sometimes failing to convey this nuance. Unlike עִיר, which can describe any city, קִרְיָה sometimes implies walled, populous, or important urban centers, yet distinctions between these terms are not always consistent or rigid in usage. The word does not inherently denote ethnic or religious identity of inhabitants, simply the civic structure.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from קָרָה in the sense of flooring, i.e.; building; a city; city.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

קרא (q-r-ʾ) — to meet, to encounter, to bring together, to assemble

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
H7124	קֹרֵא	the calling-one
H7125	קִרְאָה	to encounter
H7148	קָרִיא	called ones of
H7150	קְרִיאָה	the proclamation
H7167	קָרַע	I call out

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H7151-04`	קִרְיָ֔ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	city	urban center	15
`H7151-05`	קִרְיַת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city	Settlement-of	9
`H7151-01`	הַ/קִּרְיָ֖ה	haqireyah	`HTd/Ncfsa`	of the city	the built-up city	2
`H7151-03`	מִ/קִּרְיַ֣ת	miqireyat	`HR/Ncfsc`	from the city of	from city-of	2
`H7151-02`	מִ/קִּרְיָ֜ה	miqireyah	`HR/Ncfsa`	from the city	from a city	1

Occurrences in Scripture

29 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H7151-03`	Numbers 21:28	מִ/קִּרְיַ֣ת	miqireyat	`HR/Ncfsc`	from the city of	from city-of
`H7151-04`	Deuteronomy 2:36	קִרְיָ֔ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	city	urban center
`H7151-04`	Deuteronomy 3:4	קִרְיָ֔ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	a city	urban center
`H7151-01`	1 Kings 1:41	הַ/קִּרְיָ֖ה	haqireyah	`HTd/Ncfsa`	of the city	the built-up city
`H7151-01`	1 Kings 1:45	הַ/קִּרְיָ֑ה	haqireyah	`HTd/Ncfsa`	the-city	the built-up city
`H7151-04`	Isaiah 1:21	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	city	urban center
`H7151-04`	Isaiah 1:26	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	city	urban center
`H7151-04`	Isaiah 22:2	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	town	urban center
`H7151-05`	Isaiah 24:10	קִרְיַת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city of	Settlement-of
`H7151-04`	Isaiah 25:2	קִרְיָ֥ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	fortified town	urban center
`H7151-05`	Isaiah 25:3	קִרְיַ֛ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	cities	Settlement-of
`H7151-04`	Isaiah 26:5	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	the lofty city	urban center
`H7151-05`	Isaiah 29:1	קִרְיַ֖ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city	Settlement-of
`H7151-04`	Isaiah 32:13	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	city	urban center
`H7151-05`	Isaiah 33:20	קִרְיַ֖ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city-of	Settlement-of
`H7151-05`	Jeremiah 49:25	קִרְיַ֖ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city	Settlement-of
`H7151-05`	Hosea 6:8	קִרְיַ֖ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city-of	Settlement-of
`H7151-02`	Micah 4:10	מִ/קִּרְיָ֜ה	miqireyah	`HR/Ncfsa`	from the city	from a city
`H7151-04`	Habakkuk 2:8	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	city	urban center
`H7151-04`	Habakkuk 2:12	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	a town	urban center
`H7151-04`	Habakkuk 2:17	קִרְיָ֖ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	the city	urban center
`H7151-05`	Psalms 48:3	קִ֝רְיַ֗ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	the city	Settlement-of
`H7151-05`	Proverbs 10:15	קִרְיַ֣ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city	Settlement-of
`H7151-04`	Proverbs 11:10	קִרְיָ֑ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	the city	urban center
`H7151-05`	Proverbs 18:11	קִרְיַ֣ת	qireyat	`HNcfsc`	city	Settlement-of
`H7151-03`	Proverbs 18:19	מִ/קִּרְיַת	miqireyat	`HR/Ncfsc`	than-a-city	from city-of
`H7151-04`	Proverbs 29:8	קִרְיָ֑ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	a city	urban center
`H7151-04`	Job 39:7	קִרְיָ֑ה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	of the city	urban center
`H7151-04`	Lamentations 2:11	קִרְיָֽה	qireyah	`HNcfsa`	of the city	urban center

← H7150 Hebrew Lexicon H7152 →