Original Word: קָוָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qavah
Pronunciation: kah-VAH
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-vaw')
KJV: gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon)
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect
2. (figuratively) to expect

gather together, look, patiently, tarry, wait for, on, upon

A primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. Collect; (figuratively) to expect -- gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).

I. [קָוָה] verb wait for (probably originally twist, stretch, then of tension of enduring, waiting: Assyrian ‡ûû II, I. wait, ‡û, cord; Arabic be strong, strength, also strand of rope; Syriac endure, remain, await, threads, so ᵑ7 קַוִּין spider's threads, web); —

Qal Participle plural those waiting for (׳י): construct ׳קוֵי י Psalm 37:9; so Isaiah 40:31 van d. H., and Kt Baer Gi (Qr קוֺיֵי); suffix קִוָ֑י Isaiah 49:23, קֹוֶיךָ Psalm 25:3; Psalm 69:7; קִוָיו Lamentations 3:35 Qr (Kt קוו, i.e. קֹווֺ).

Pi`el Perfect3feminine singular קִוְּתָה Psalm 130:5; 1singular קִוִּיתִי Genesis 49:18 5t., קִוֵּיתִי Isaiah 5:4, ׳וְק consecutive Isaiah 8:17; suffix קִוִּיתִיךָ Psalm 25:21; 3plural קִוּוּ Psalm 56:7 +, etc.; Imperfect יְקַוֶּה Micah 5:6; Job 7:2, jussive יְקַו Job 3:9, וַיְקַו Isaiah 5:2,7, etc.; Imperative masculine singular קַוֵּה Hosea 12:7 +; Infinitive absolute קַוֺה Psalm 40:2, קַוֵּה Jeremiah 8:15; Jeremiah 14:19; —

1 wait, or look eagerly, for, with ל of thing Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 59:9,11; Jeremiah 8:15; Jeremiah 13:16; Jeremiah 14:19; Job 3:9; Job 6:19; לִישׁוּעָֽתְךָ Genesis 49:18; with accusative of thing Lamentations 2:16 (suffix), Job 7:2; Job 30:26; Psalm 39:8; object of thing omitted Isaiah 64:2; followed by infinitive Isaiah 5:2,4; Psalm 69:21; absolute Job 17:13; with accusative ׳י Isaiah 26:8 (suffix), Psalm 25:5; Psalm 25:21 (suffix), Psalm 40:2 (+ infinitive absolute), Psalm 130:5, accusative omitted Psalm 130:5, accusative שִׁמְךָ Psalm 52:11 (but read probably אֲחַוֶּה, Hi Che Bae and others, see חוה); with ל of ׳י Isaiah 8:17; Isaiah 25:9 (twice in verse); Isaiah 33:2; Isaiah 60:9 (but read probably צִיִּים יִקָּווּ ships shall gather (II. קוה), so Du Che^Hpt Di-Kit Marti, compare Skinner (also Luzz Gei Oort), Jeremiah 14:22; Proverbs 20:22; with אֶלאֱֿלֹהִים Hosea 12:7, ׳אֶליֿ Isaiah 51:5; Psalm 27:14 (twice in verse); Psalm 37:34.

2 lie in wait for, followed by נַפְשִׁי Psalm 56:7; followed by ל person Psalm 119:95 (+ infinitive purpose).

3 wait (linger) for with ל of man Micah 5:6 ("" יְיַחֵל).

II. [קָוָה] verb collect (Late Hebrew Hiph`il collect); —

Niph`al be collected, Perfect3plural וְנִקְווּ consecutive Jeremiah 3:17 (of nations); Imperfect3masculine plural יִקָּווּ Genesis 1:9 (P; of waters; both with אֶל location); so probably of ships (with ל person) Isaiah 60:9 (for ᵑ0 יְקַוּוּ), see I. קזה

Pi`el 1.

קָוָה

Core Themes

The verb qavah portrays deliberate, tension-filled waiting that binds the heart to the expected intervention of Yahweh. It may describe (1) the gathering of physical elements under God’s ordering hand (Genesis 1:9), and far more often (2) the spiritual posture of expectancy—translated wait, hope, look, or expect—found in prayers, laments, royal psalms, prophetic promises, and wisdom reflections. Across its roughly forty-nine appearances, qavah unites creation, covenant, and consummation.

Expectant Waiting upon Yahweh

Waiting in Scripture is never passive resignation; it is faith stretched toward the sure character of God. Psalm 25:3 declares, “Surely none who wait for You will be put to shame.” David returns to the theme repeatedly: “I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1). Such verses root patience in personal relationship, not circumstance.

Covenantal Hope in Times of Distress

In the prophets, qavah often surfaces where judgment looms and confidence must pierce the darkness. Isaiah 8:17: “I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I will put my trust in Him.” The remnant’s survival rests on hope in God’s covenant fidelity. Jeremiah echoes the same tension when the nation admits, “We looked for peace, but no good came” (Jeremiah 8:15), exposing false hopes that rival true waiting.

Integration with Prayer and Piety

Psalms intertwine qavah with daily devotion. “For You I wait all day long” (Psalm 25:5) and “My soul, wait in silence for God alone” (Psalm 62:5) reveal that waiting shapes interior life—silence, meditation, and integrity (Psalm 25:21) become companions of hope. In Lamentations 3:25 Jeremiah affirms, “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him,” marrying patient expectancy with active seeking.

Communal Dimensions in Israel’s Worship

Corporate liturgy calls the congregation to a shared stance: “Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous” (Psalm 27:14). Responsibility is mutual; courage feeds on the community’s unanimous anticipation of redemption. Festivals and temple songs thus rehearse the nation’s historical wait—from exodus through exile—fostering collective identity anchored in future grace.

Strength Renewed in Expectation

Isaiah 40:31 offers the classic promise: “Those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles.” Far from draining energy, biblical waiting exchanges human weakness for divine vitality. The metaphor addresses weary exiles yet applies universally to saints who lean on God’s sufficiency for daily perseverance and ministry.

Gathering Waters: The Image of Ordered Creation

The first use of qavah frames waiting within creation theology: “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place” (Genesis 1:9). The verb affirms that even elemental forces submit to God’s command. Hope, therefore, rests on the One who at the beginning gathered chaos into order; He can gather scattered exiles (Isaiah 49:23) and fragmented hearts (Psalm 147:2).

Messianic and Eschatological Overtones

Prophetic waiting glides into messianic expectation. Isaiah 25:9 announces, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us.” The salvation awaited culminates in the Servant-King whose suffering and victory vindicate hope (Isaiah 53). Isaiah 64:4 magnifies the promise to cosmic scale, describing a God “who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.”

New Testament Resonances

Though qavah is Hebrew, its theology echoes in Greek ἐλπίζω and προσδέχομαι. Paul captures the same tension: “For we through the Spirit, by faith, eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness” (Galatians 5:5). Peter cites Isaiah 28:16, underscoring that believers who trust in Christ “will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6), the very assurance attached to qavah in Isaiah 49:23.

Pastoral and Devotional Implications

1. Waiting is active obedience—prayer, purity, and perseverance.
2. Hope expects concrete deliverance rooted in historical acts of God.
3. Ministry to the suffering should cultivate vision beyond immediate relief toward God’s appointed time.
4. Corporate worship must honor seasons of delay as integral to spiritual formation.
5. Leaders model hope by resting visibly in God’s promises amid uncertainty.

Representative Occurrences

Genesis 1:9; Job 7:2; Psalm 25:3, 25:5, 27:14, 31:24, 33:20, 37:34, 40:1, 62:5, 69:3, 130:5; Isaiah 8:17, 25:9, 26:8, 33:2, 40:31, 49:23, 60:9, 64:4; Jeremiah 8:15, 14:19; Lamentations 3:25; Micah 5:7.

In every context qavah calls the people of God to place confident expectation in the Lord who has proven Himself faithful from creation’s dawn to the unfolding of eternity.

אֲ֭קַוֶּה אקוה וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה וְנִקְוּ֨וּ וְקִוִּיתֶ֤ם וְקִוֵּ֖יתִֽי־ וְקַוֵּ֥ה וְקֹוֵ֥י וְקוֹיֵ֤ וַאֲקַוֶּ֖ה וַיְקַ֛ו וַיְקַ֤ו וָאֲקַוֶּ֣ה וּ֨נְקַוֶּה־ ואקוה ויקו ונקוה־ ונקוו וקוה וקוי וקויתי־ וקויתם יְקַוֶּ֥ה יְקַוֶּה֙ יְקַוּ֔וּ יְקַוּ֗וּ יְקַו־ יִקָּו֨וּ יקו־ יקוה יקוו לְקֹוָ֔ו לקוו נְקַוֶּ֑ה נְקַוֶּ֤ה נקוה קִ֝וִּ֗יתִי קִ֭וִּיתִי קִּוִּ֣יתִי קִוְּתָ֣ה קִוִּ֑ינוּ קִוִּ֣ינוּ קִוִּ֣יתִי קִוִּ֥ינוּ קִוִּ֥יתִי קִוִּינ֑וּךָ קִוִּיתִֽיךָ׃ קִוֵּ֛יתִי קִוּ֣וּ קִוּ֥וּ קִוּוּ־ קַוֵּ֗ה קַוֵּ֤ה קַוֵּ֥ה קַוֹּ֣ה קֹ֭וֶיךָ קֹוֶיךָ֮ קוָֹֽי׃ קוה קוו קוו־ קוי׃ קויך קוינו קוינוך קויתי קויתיך׃ קותה שֶׁקִּוִּינֻ֖הוּ שקוינהו ’ă·qaw·weh ’ăqawweh Akavveh kavVeh kavVoh kivVeiti kivveTah kivVinu kivviNucha kivViti kivviTicha kivvu Koeicha koVai lə·qō·wāw lekoVav ləqōwāw nə·qaw·weh nekavVeh nəqawweh qaw·wêh qaw·wōh qawwêh qawwōh qiw·wə·ṯāh qiw·wê·ṯî qiw·wî·nū qiw·wî·nū·ḵā qiw·wî·ṯî qiw·wî·ṯî·ḵā qiw·wū qiw·wū- qiwwəṯāh qiwwêṯî qiwwînū qiwwînūḵā qiwwîṯî qiwwîṯîḵā qiwwū qiwwū- qō·wāy qō·we·ḵā qōwāy qōweḵā šeq·qiw·wî·nu·hū šeqqiwwînuhū shekkivviNuhu ū·nə·qaw·weh- Unekavveh ūnəqawweh- vaakavVeh vayKav vekavVeh vekivVeiti vekivviTem vekoVei vekoYe venikvVu wa’ăqawweh wā’ăqawweh wa·’ă·qaw·weh wā·’ă·qaw·weh way·qaw wayqaw wə·niqw·wū wə·qaw·wêh wə·qiw·wê·ṯî- wə·qiw·wî·ṯem wə·qō·w·yê wə·qō·wê wəniqwwū wəqawwêh wəqiwwêṯî- wəqiwwîṯem wəqōwê wəqōwyê yə·qaw- yə·qaw·weh yə·qaw·wū yekav yekavVeh yekavVu yəqaw- yəqawweh yəqawwū yikkaVu yiq·qā·wū yiqqāwūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts