Original Word: קֶצַח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qetsach
Pronunciation: keh'-tsakh
Phonetic Spelling: (keh'-tsakh)
KJV: fitches
NASB: dill
Word Origin: [from an unused root apparently meaning to incise]

1. fennelflower (from its pungency)

fitches

From an unused root apparently meaning to incise; fennelflower (from its pungency) -- fitches.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
black cumin
NASB Translation
dill (3).

קֶ֫צַח noun masculine^{Isaiah 28:27} black cumin (Nigella sativa Linn.; ᵐ5 μελάνθιον, ᵑ9, gith id.; compare Tr^{NHB 444}; Smith DB 2nd ed. FITCHES Post^{Hastings DB ID}.); — plant with small black acrid seeds, used as condiment: absolute ׳ק Isaiah 28:25,27 (twice in verse).

Botanical Identification and Description

קֶצַח (qêtsach) designates a small, dark, aromatic seed, commonly identified today with black cumin (Nigella sativa) or caraway (Carum carvi). The plant grows 40–60 cm high, bearing delicate bluish flowers and inflated seedpods that release thousands of tiny, crescent-shaped seeds. These seeds season bread and stews, supply a pleasant aroma for oils and perfumes, and were valued in the ancient Near East for medicinal properties—especially as a digestive aid and anti-inflammatory.

Occurrences and Biblical Setting

The noun appears three times, all in Isaiah 28:25–27, a passage that depicts a farmer’s varied methods of sowing and threshing:

• Isaiah 28:25: “Does he not level its surface and sow caraway and scatter cumin…?”
• Isaiah 28:27: “Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cumin; but caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.”

In each instance קֶצַח is paired with כַּמֹּן (“cumin”), contrasting two specialty crops with staple grains such as wheat, barley, and spelt.

Agricultural Practices Illustrated

Isaiah’s farmers first “level the surface,” laying out shallow furrows suited to the seed’s size. Because קֶצַח is light and easily damaged, it is “beaten out with a rod,” never subjected to crushing sledges or wagon wheels used for heavier cereal grains. Archaeology confirms that light flailing sticks or staffs were employed in Iron-Age threshing floors to preserve spice seeds for market and household use.

Prophetic and Didactic Significance

Isaiah 28 uses everyday farming wisdom to reveal the LORD’s own wisdom in disciplining and guiding His people. Just as the farmer distinguishes between crops—sowing, tending, and threshing each according to its nature—so “He who instructs him in justice teaches him” (Isaiah 28:26). The careful handling of delicate קֶצַח becomes a living parable:

1. Divine Precision: God never applies a one-size-fits-all approach; His dealings match the spiritual texture of each individual and nation.
2. Purposeful Discipline: Rod and staff imagery anticipates balanced correction (compare Psalm 23:4; Hebrews 12:5–11). Like the rod that frees caraway without destroying it, divine chastening aims to preserve, not crush.
3. Assurance of Sovereign Order: The orderly sowing of specialty seeds alongside staple grains assures Judah that international upheavals (Assyria’s threat in Isaiah’s day) remain under the same sovereign hand that orders a humble threshing floor.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Pastoral Care: Isaiah’s metaphor urges shepherds of God’s flock to tailor counsel and discipline wisely—gentle with the tender, firm with the stubborn, always aiming at restoration (Galatians 6:1).
• Preaching: The botanical image illustrates themes of sanctification: God separates sin from the believer as carefully as a farmer separates seed from husk.
• Missions and Discipleship: The variety of crops points to the diverse gifts within the body of Christ (Romans 12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 12); effective ministry recognizes and celebrates such God-given distinctions.

Historical and Cultural Legacy

Rabbinic sources (e.g., Mishnah, Peah 4:8) list קֶצַח among tithable spices, underscoring its economic value. Medieval Jewish and Arabic physicians prescribed black cumin oil as a cure-all—echoed in modern scientific interest in its antioxidant and anti-microbial compounds. Bakers in the Middle East still sprinkle the seeds on flatbread, perpetuating a culinary tradition traceable to Isaiah’s day.

Related Biblical Themes

• Small Seeds, Great Significance: Though different botanically, קֶצַח complements lessons drawn from mustard seed (Matthew 13:31–32) and coriander (Exodus 16:31), affirming that God uses humble things for profound ends.
• The Rod as Instrument of Both Judgment and Mercy: Compare Isaiah 10:5; Micah 6:9; Proverbs 13:24.

Summary

קֶצַח enriches Scripture’s agricultural tapestry, offering more than a note on ancient cuisine. Its presence in Isaiah 28 magnifies the LORD’s incomparable wisdom: He plants, tends, and threshes each life with perfect knowledge, ensuring that His redemptive purposes are accomplished without waste or harm to those who trust Him.

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