Original Word: קָמַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qamal
Pronunciation: kah-MEL
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-mal')
KJV: hew down, wither
NASB: rot away, withers
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to wither

hew down, wither

A primitive root; to wither -- hew down, wither.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be decayed
NASB Translation
rot away (1), withers (1).

[קָמֵל] verb be decayed (Syriac be mouldy, decay); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular קָמַ֑ל Isaiah 33:9 Lebanon mouldereth; 3 plural קָמַ֑לוּ Isaiah 19:6 (of קָנֶה וָסוּף).

Meaning and Imagery

The verb קָמַל expresses the idea of vegetation that has lost its vitality—shriveling, drying up, wilting. It evokes fields left without water, foliage stripped of greenness, and the sudden collapse of natural beauty. Scripture employs this picture not merely as botanical description but as a moral and theological metaphor: what withers does so under the heat of divine displeasure or the absence of God-given life.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Isaiah 19:6 – In the oracle against Egypt, the prophet announces that “the reeds and rushes will wither”. The land that was famed for its life-giving Nile will find its streams reduced to trickles, exposing the impotence of Egypt’s gods and the folly of self-reliance.
2. Isaiah 33:9 – Concerning Judah and the surrounding regions, “Lebanon is ashamed and wilted; Sharon is like the desert”. Here the withering reaches even the most luxuriant regions—Lebanon’s cedars and Sharon’s plains—underscoring that no earthly stronghold or fertile plain can shield a nation persisting in covenant unfaithfulness.

Historical and Cultural Background

Agrarian societies depended entirely on healthy rivers and seasonal rains. To hear that reeds, rushes, or mighty forests would “wither” was to face economic collapse, famine, and military vulnerability. Isaiah’s audiences knew the Nile delta as a breadbasket and Lebanon as the king’s lumberyard; their desiccation spelled both humiliating defeat and divine reproof. The prophetic use of קָמַל therefore tapped into a visceral dread: God can reverse creation’s fruitfulness whenever He chooses.

Theological Significance

1. Judgment Revealed – Withering of the land is a visible token of invisible sin. As Hosea elsewhere affirms, “Because of them the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish” (Hosea 4:3). קָמַל amplifies this principle in Isaiah: moral decay summons ecological decay.
2. Impermanence of Human Glory – Even the loftiest cedars are subject to sudden wilt. The word harmonizes with the broader biblical refrain: “All flesh is grass…surely the people are grass” (Isaiah 40:6-7). Any stability apart from God is temporary.
3. Promise Implicit – The very fact that God can cause withering implies He can also restore. Later prophecies of blossoming deserts (Isaiah 35:1) show that the Creator who withdraws life can renew it when repentance and redemption arrive.

Practical Application for Ministry

• Call to Repentance – Modern proclamation may employ the imagery of קָמַל to confront complacency: financial abundance, ecclesial programs, or national prosperity can dry up overnight when hearts forsake the Lord.
• Intercessory Warning – Prayer leaders can intercede that God’s people not wait for “withering” judgments before returning to covenant faithfulness.
• Counseling and Discipleship – Spiritual dryness often parallels moral compromise; pointing to Isaiah’s language helps individuals discern root causes rather than merely treating symptoms.

Christological and Eschatological Considerations

Jesus cursed a fruitless fig tree, and “it withered at once” (Matthew 21:19). Though a different Greek term is used, the action mirrors Isaiah’s imagery: unfruitfulness under covenant expectations invites swift judgment. Conversely, in the eschaton the New Jerusalem’s tree of life yields fruit monthly, and “its leaves are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2); no withering will mar God’s restored creation. Thus קָמַל both sobers and stirs hope—reminding the Church that abiding in Christ, the true Vine, is the only antidote to inevitable spiritual wilt.

קָמֵֽלוּ׃ קָמַ֑ל קמל קמלו׃ kaMal kaMelu qā·mal qā·mê·lū qāmal qāmêlūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts