Original Word: קְצִיעָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Qtsiy`ah
Pronunciation: ke-tsee-AH
Phonetic Spelling: (kets-ee-aw')
KJV: Kezia
NASB: Keziah
Word Origin: [the same as H7102 (קְצִיעָה - cassia)]

1. Ketsiah, a daughter of Job

Kezia

The same as qtsiy'ah; Ketsiah, a daughter of Job -- Kezia.

see HEBREW qtsiy'ah

Word Origin
from qatsa
Definition
"cassia," a daughter of Job
NASB Translation
Keziah (1).

II. קָצִיעָה proper name, feminine (cassia, from fragrance); — Job's second daughter Job 42:14, Κας(ς)ιαν (accusative).

Biblical Occurrence

Job 42:14 records קְצִיעָה (Keziah) as the second of Job’s three post-suffering daughters, named between Jemimah and Keren-happuch.

Etymological and Symbolic Background

Keziah derives from “cassia,” a fragrant bark related to cinnamon. Cassia’s aroma graced royal garments (Psalm 45:8) and the holy anointing oil (Exodus 30:24), connoting priestly service, royalty, and joyous worship. Attaching so aromatic a term to Job’s child signals that God had turned the stench of affliction (Job 19:17) into the fragrance of restoration.

Cultural and Historical Setting

In the patriarchal world inheritance normally flowed only through sons, yet Job “granted them an inheritance among their brothers” (Job 42:15). Keziah therefore stands at the intersection of wealth, beauty, and unprecedented favor, illustrating the magnitude of divine blessing after calamity (Job 1–2; 42:10-12). Her name, echoing costly perfume, reflects the renewed prosperity Job enjoys when “the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning” (Job 42:12).

Theological Themes

1. Restoration after suffering: Keziah’s appearance only after Job’s repentance (Job 42:6) and mediation (Job 42:8-10) highlights the Lord’s ability to replace ashes with beauty.
2. Fragrance of righteousness: Cassia served worship; similarly, the lives of the righteous emit a pleasing aroma to God (Proverbs 27:9; 2 Corinthians 2:14-15).
3. Inclusive grace: The unusual inheritance anticipates later biblical movements toward broader participation in covenant blessings (Numbers 27:6-7; Galatians 3:28).

Ministry and Devotional Applications

• Testimonies of Grace: Believers emerging from trials may take courage that the Lord can make their lives as fragrant as Keziah’s name.
• Anointing for Service: Just as cassia formed part of the consecrating oil, the Spirit equips restored saints for renewed ministry (Luke 4:18).
• Legacy and Influence: Parents, like Job, are exhorted to bestow both material and spiritual legacies on sons and daughters alike (Proverbs 13:22).

Cross-References in Scripture

Psalm 45:8 – royal fragrance of cassia

Exodus 30:22-30 – cassia in the anointing oil

Numbers 27:6-7 – daughters of Zelophehad receive inheritance

Isaiah 61:3 – “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair”

2 Corinthians 2:14 – believers diffuse “the fragrance of His knowledge”

Christological Foreshadowing

The messianic King of Psalm 45 wears garments perfumed with cassia, prefiguring Jesus Christ, whose sufferings preceded exaltation (Philippians 2:8-11). Keziah’s name, birthed after Job’s vindication, whispers of the sweet aroma arising from the triumph of the greater Sufferer, “the offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).

קְצִיעָ֑ה קציעה ketziAh qə·ṣî·‘āh qəṣî‘āhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts