קַו
qav · H6957 · Hebrew · 25 occurrences
Thing
Meanings
-
a measuring line
A line used for measuring the size of an object, sometimes used figuratively in the context of moral and ethical standards
Examples1 Kings 7:23 He also made the Sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in shape, and its height was five cubits, and it was thirty cubits in circumference.
2 Kings 21:13 ‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean just as one wipes a bowl, wiping it and turning it upside down.
2 Chronicles 4:2 He also made the Sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits and its circumference thirty cubits.
-
extent
Literally: measuring line; hence, possibly: the dimensions of an object, as if determined with the help of a measuring line
ExamplesPsalm 19:4 Their line has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
-
note, music
Literally: line, extended to: string (of an instrument); hence, possibly: the music produced by a stringed instrument
ExamplesPsalm 19:4 Their line has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
-
tsade tsade qoph qoph
The letters tsade and qoph of the Hebrew alphabet recited as part of a kind of nursery rhyme; associated with childish behavior and therefore looked upon with contempt
ExamplesIsaiah 28:10 “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.’”
Isaiah 28:13 So the word of the LORD to them will be, “Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,” That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- מִדָּהmeasure, size 1
- שֹׁמְרוֹןSamaria 1
- תֹּהוּwaste 1
- הֶםtheir 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
2 occurrences in 1 groups
- שְׁלוֹשִׁיםthirty 2
Named alongside itApposition
4 occurrences in 1 groups
- גּוֹיnation, people 4
What it doesIt is the subject
5 occurrences in 3 groups
- יָצָאto go out 2
- סָבַבto turn, to go around, to surround 2
- נָטָהto stretch out, to incline 1
What is done to itIt is the object
5 occurrences in 1 groups
- נָטָהto stretch out, to incline 5
What it is said to bePredicate
5 occurrences in 2 groups
- קַוmeasuring line 4
- יָדhand, power 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
4 occurrences in 1 groups
- קַוmeasuring line 4
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
6 occurrences in 2 groups
- לto/for 6
- בin/on/with 2
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 6 words
- מִדָּה middâh · H4060 · measure, size, man of stature
- Both words refer to measurement: מִדָּה (middâh, H4060) is a general term for measure, measurement and measuring instrument, while קַו (qav, H6957) is a measuring line or cord; both can denote tools or units used for measuring dimensions, though קַו is more specific.
- פָּתִיל pâthîyl · H6616 · cord, thread
- פָּתִיל includes the senses ‘thread, line, cord,’ and the target lexeme means ‘line’ (also used of a measuring line); the two overlap as near-synonyms for cord- or line-like objects.
- חוּט chûwṭ · H2339 · thread
- The target lexeme and חוּט both refer to a linear cord or thread, though the target lexeme shows additional breadth (also used of dimensions, sounds, and strength), suggesting some specialized senses beyond this core overlap.
- עֲבֹת ʻăbôth · H5688 · rope, cord
- עֲבֹת emphasizes physical binding cords, ropes, or chains, while the target lexeme (‘line’) includes measuring lines and metaphorical uses but overlaps in the basic cord or rope sense. The two are near-synonyms in that shared sense.
- מוֹסֵר môwçêr · H4147 · thong, strap, bond
- Both "band" or "bond" and "line" denote cord-like objects with overlapping functional senses (restraining, measuring, marking), and are distinct words in the field of cordage that could substitute in overlapping contexts.
- מֵיתָר mêythâr · H4340 · cord, string
- The target lexeme and מֵיתָר both denote physical linear objects — cord, string, or line — used for measuring, construction, or connection, functioning as near-synonyms, though the target lexeme carries additional senses beyond this core meaning.
In the other Testament 1 word
- μέτρον métron · G3358 · measure, sparingly, in a limited way
- Greek μέτρον denotes the measured extent or standard of measurement itself, while Hebrew קַו refers specifically to the measuring line or cord as a physical instrument; both terms relate to measurement but differ in whether they emphasize the tool (קַו) versus the measured quantity or unit (μέτρον).
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Cords001003001001004
- The word means a measuring line or cord, illustrated by the measuring line stretched over the earth's foundations (Job 38:5) and the metaphorical "line of Samaria" stretched over Jerusalem for judgment (2 Kings 21:13).
- Dimension002001001020
- The same measuring-line citations directly attest this sense of dimension or measurement, alongside the circular Sea's measured circumference in the temple (1 Kings 7:23; 2 Chronicles 4:2).
- Sounds002004001009007
- The word can also mean a sound, illustrated by the celestial bodies rejoicing "like a strong person" running a course, in a psalm about the heavens declaring God's glory without literal speech (Psalm 19:5).
- Strong002001001063
- This sense of strength is directly attested by the same psalm's image of a runner rejoicing "like a strong person" to run his course (Psalm 19:5).
Word family 5 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H6957. qav I. קַו only in לָקָו קַו Isa 28:10 (twice in verse); Isa 28:13 (twice in…
I. קַו only in לָקָו קַו Isa 28:10 (twice in verse); Isa 28:13 (twice in verse), mimicry of Isaiah's words, perhaps senseless, see צַו p. 846.
II. קַו see קוה.
II. קַו noun masculineZec 1:16 line (compare Köii. l. 40 Anm. 2); — absolute קַו Eze 47:3 + Zec 1:16 Qr (Kt קוה), קָ֑ו Isa 34:17 +; construct קַו 2Ki 21:13 +; — measuring-line (׳ק מִדָּה Jer 31:39): 1Ki 7:23 (Qr; Kt קוה, see below) = 2Ch 4:2; Eze 47:3; for marking off a possession inland Isa 34:17 (figurative); especially ק עַל׳נְטָה in building, Job 38:5 (figurative of earth), Zec 1:16 (יִנְּטֶה; || יִבָּנֶה), so ק ׳יְצָא Jer 31:39 (Qr; Kt קיה); ק ׳נָטָה of designing idol Isa 44:13; marking off for destruction, ק עַל׳נָטָה 2Ki 21:13; Isa 34:11 (קַרתֹהוּ), ׳נ ׳ק Lam 2:8; so וְשַׂמְתִּ֫י לְקָ֔ו מִשְׁמָּט Isa 28:27. — קַוָּם Psa 19:5 (AV their line. figurative of their domain) read probably קֹלָם their sound, Capp. 0l Che and now most. Isa 18:2, Isa 18:7 see קוקו -below; Isa 28:10, Isa 28:13 see I. קַו.
קוה noun masculine Kt = II. קַו Qr; absolute (קֶ֫וֶה or קָוֶה) Zec 1:16; construct (קֶ֫וֶה or קְוֵה) 1Ki 7:23; Jer 31:39.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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