קָשֶׁה
qâsheh · H7186 · Hebrew · 36 occurrences
Meanings
-
hard
State in which an object is firm and stable in shape
ExamplesIsaiah 27:1 On that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
-
harsh, savage
Literally: hard; hence: state in which words and actions lack gentleness
ExamplesGenesis 42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. He said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”
Genesis 42:30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
1 Samuel 20:10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will inform me if your father answers you harshly?”
-
fierce, rough
Literally: hard; hence: state in which the wind comes with such strength that it causes damage
ExamplesIsaiah 27:8 You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind.
-
unhappy
Literally: hard in spirit; hence: state in which humans are experiencing deep sorrow
Examples1 Samuel 1:15 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman despairing in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
-
hard, difficult
Literally: hard; hence: state in which an event is difficult to handle or to accept
ExamplesExodus 18:26 Then they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult matter to Moses, but they would judge every minor matter themselves.
1 Kings 14:6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why do you make yourself unrecognizable? Nevertheless, I am sent to you with a harsh message.
Isaiah 21:2 A harsh vision has been shown to me; The treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, Elam, lay siege, Media; I have put an end to all the groaning she has caused.
-
fierce
Literally: hard; hence: state in which an event takes place with intensity
Examples2 Samuel 2:17 That day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
Song of Solomon 8:6 “Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flames are flames of fire, The flame of the LORD.
-
harsh
Literally: hard; hence: state in which an event is associated with hardship and suffering
ExamplesExodus 1:14 and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves.
Exodus 6:9 So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.
Deuteronomy 26:6 ‘And the Egyptians treated us badly and oppressed us, and imposed hard labor on us.
-
stubborn, obstinate
Literally: hard; hence: state in which humans are stubborn and unwilling to yield
ExamplesDeuteronomy 31:27 “For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, as long as I have been alive with you until today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death?
Judges 2:19 But it came about, when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their obstinate ways.
Isaiah 48:4 “Because I know that you are obstinate, And your neck is an iron tendon And your forehead bronze,
-
stubborn, obstinate
Literally: hard of heart; hence: state in which humans are stubborn and unwilling to yield
ExamplesEzekiel 3:7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. The entire house of Israel certainly is stubborn and obstinate.
-
stiff-necked, stubborn, obstinate
Literally: stiff-necked; hence: state in which humans are stubborn and unwilling to yield
ExamplesExodus 32:9 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.
Exodus 33:3 “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”
Exodus 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; if I were to go up in your midst for just one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your jewelry that I may know what I shall do to you.’”
-
stubborn, obstinate
Literally: hard of face; hence: state in which humans are stubborn and unwilling to yield
ExamplesEzekiel 2:4 “So I am sending you to those who are impudent and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says:’
How it’s used In 5 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
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- יוֹםday, time 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- יָדַעto know 1
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- רָאָהto see 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
6 occurrences in 5 groups
- אִישׁman, person, each 2
- בֵּןson 1
- הֵםthey, them 1
- קִנְאָהjealousy, zeal 1
- אַתָּהyou 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לto/for 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 7 words
- כָּבֵד kâbêd · H3515 · heavy, "heavy of tongue" > difficult language
- Both words describe intensity, difficulty and hardness: כָּבֵד (kâbêd, H3515) covers "heavy, hard, grievous," and קָשֶׁה (qâsheh, H7186) covers "hard, grievous, cruel, stiff"; they overlap in contexts of burden, difficulty and severity.
- סַר çar · H5620 · stubborn, sullen
- Both words can describe stubbornness, heaviness, or difficult and hard states, overlapping in negative disposition or temperament. קָשֶׁה (qâsheh, H7186) is much broader (hardness, cruelty, physical difficulty and more), while סַר (çar, H5620) is focused on "heavy, sad" emotional states, so the overlap covers only a narrow part of קָשֶׁה (qâsheh, H7186)'s range.
- עַז ʻaz · H5794 · strong, fierce, powerful
- Both words convey harshness, cruelty and intensity, and could substitute in many contexts describing harsh treatment or fierce character.
- רַע raʻ · H7451 · bad, evil, wicked
- קָשֶׁה (qâsheh, H7186) is primarily a quality adjective meaning hard, cruel or stubborn, while רַע (raʻ, H7451) covers badness and evil broadly. Both can describe harsh, grievous or fierce conditions, so they overlap in contexts of severity and distress.
- חָזָק châzâq · H2389 · strong, powerful, mighty
- Both words denote hardness and strength, overlapping in physical solidity, in stubbornness or unwillingness, and in intensity; חָזָק (châzâq, H2389) is rendered "stiff(-hearted)," "impudent," "strong," and קָשֶׁה (qâsheh, H7186) "hard(-hearted)," "stiff(necked)," "obstinate," and they can substitute for each other.
- אַכְזָר ʼakzâr · H393 · cruel, fierce
- Both lexemes genuinely share the "cruel" sense and could substitute in contexts describing harshness or pitilessness; they are true near-synonyms.
- אַכְזָרִי ʼakzârîy · H394 · cruel, fierce
- Both words denote cruelty and harshness. אַכְזָרִי (ʼakzârîy, H394) is more specialized, meaning a cruel one, while קָשֶׁה (qâsheh, H7186) is broader, covering hard, stubborn and cruel senses.
In the other Testament 1 word
- σκληρός sklērós · G4642 · harsh, strong, violent
- Greek σκληρός directly translates Hebrew קָשֶׁה across its semantic range of hardness (physical hardness, harsh severity, and obstinate stubbornness), serving as the standard LXX rendering for this Hebrew term's core sense.
Semantic domains 8 entries
- Solid002001001058
- This domain reflects the word's "stiff-necked" idiom describing rigid obstinacy; it is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations, which concern harsh speech and hard labor rather than physical rigidity.
- Cruel002001002004
- The word means cruel or harsh, directly illustrated by Joseph speaking "harshly" to his brothers (Genesis 42:7, 30) and the cruel bondage of hard labor in Egypt (Exodus 1:14, 6:9).
- Ferocious002001002009
- This domain is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations, which concern harsh speech and labor rather than ferocity.
- Grieve002001002013
- This domain is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations.
- Hard002001003009
- The word's literal difficulty sense is directly illustrated by the hard labor in mortar and bricks (Exodus 1:14) and the "difficult matter" Moses' judges would bring to him (Exodus 18:26).
- Intense002001003011
- This domain is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations.
- Unsafe002003003022
- This domain is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations.
- Unwilling002001002031
- This domain is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations, which show harshness and hard labor rather than stubborn unwillingness.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H7186. qasheh קָשֶׁה adjective hard, severe; — absolute ׳ק Exo 18:26 +; construct Exo…
קָשֶׁה adjective hard, severe; — absolute ׳ק Exo 18:26 +; construct Exo 32:9 +; feminine singular קָשָׁה Deu 26:6 +; construct קְשַׁת 1Sa 1:15; masculine plural קָשִׁים 2Sa 3:39; construct קְשֵׁי Eze 2:4; Eze 3:7; feminine plural קָשׁוֺת Gen 42:7, Gen 42:30; —
1 hard, difficult, of a legal question (דָּבָר) Exo 18:26 (E).
2. a. severe, of battle 2Sa 2:17, wind Isa 27:8, servitude (עֲבֹדָה) 1Ki 12:4 2Ch 10:4; Deu 26:6; Isa 14:3; Exo 1:14; Exo 6:9 (both P); as n.collective קָשָׁה עַמְּךָ הִרְאִיתָ Psa 60:5 thou hast made thy people see severe things; יוֺם קְשֵׁה Job 30:25 i.e. one whose time (life) is hard, so 1Sa 1:15 (reading יוֺם קְשַׁת for ᵐ5 ׳ק, רוּחַ Th We Dr and others); severe, rough, of lord (אֲדֹנִים) Isa 19:4, compare 2Sa 3:39 (with מִן compare [מִמֶּנּוּ? see HPS]); עַלֿ וְקָשָׁה הָלוֺח Jdg 4:24 the hand of the sons of Israel went on being more and more severe upon Jabin; fierce, relentless, of ׳י's sword Isa 27:1 (in figurative); rough, rude 1Sa 25:3; severe things, of language Gen 42:7, Gen 42:30 (E; with דִּדֶּר), 1Sa 20:10; 1Ki 12:13 2Ch 10:13 (all with עָנָה); קָשָׁה אֵלַיִח שָׁלוּחַ וְאָנֹכִי 1Ki 14:6 I am commissioned with a severe (message) unto thee (Ges§ 121d. N.2 DaSynt. §§ 75 (d), 80); קָשָׁה חָזוּת Isa 21:2.
b. fierce, intense, vehement, of קִנְאָה Son 8:6 (|| עַזָּה; compare Gen 49:9).
3 עַםקְֿשֵׁהעֹֿרֶף a people stiff of neck, stubborn, Exo 32:9; Exo 33:3, Exo 33:5; Exo 34:9 (all J E), Deu 9:6, Deu 9:13; הַקָּשֶׁה עָרְמְּךָ Deu 31:27; compare הַקָּשָׁה דַּרְכָּם Jdg 2:19; פָנִים קְשֵׁי Eze 2:4 (+ חִזְקֵילֵֿב), קְשֵׁאלֵֿב Eze 3:7 (+ חִזְקֵימְֿצַח); ׳ק alone = stubborn Isa 48:4.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 8 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; 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.
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
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.