Original Word: קֵץ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qets
Pronunciation: kates
Phonetic Spelling: (kates)
KJV: + after, (utmost) border, end, (in-)finite, X process
NASB: end, after, farthest, limit, farthest border, goal, highest peak
Word Origin: [contracted from H7112 (קָצַץ - cut off)]

1. an extremity
2. adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after

after, utmost border, end, infinite, process

Contracted from qatsats; an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after -- + after, (utmost) border, end, (in-)finite, X process.

see HEBREW qatsats

Word Origin
from qatsats
Definition
end
NASB Translation
after (3), after* (1), course* (1), end (52), endless* (1), farthest (2), farthest border (1), goal (1), highest peak (1), interval* (1), later (1), limit (2).

קֵץ₆₈ noun masculine^{Ezekiel 7:6} end — ׳ק absolute Amos 8:2 +, construct Genesis 4:3 +, עֶתֿ Daniel 8:17; suffix קִצּוֺ Isaiah 37:24 +, קִצּהֹ "" 2 Kings 19:23, etc.;-

1 end, usually of time, especially in phrase מִקֵּץ at the end of a definite time Genesis 8:6 (J), Genesis 41:1 (E), Genesis 16:3 (P) + 15 t., + מִקֵּץ הֱיוֺת Esther 2:12; indefinite Genesis 4:3 (J) 1 Kings 17:7; Jeremiah 13:6; so (late) לְקֵץ of indefinite time 2 Chronicles 18:2; Nehemiah 13:6; Daniel 11:6,13; defin. כְעֵת צֵאת לְיָמִים שְׁנַיִם ׳הַקּ2Chronicles 21:19; end of life, of a people Amos 8:2; Ezekiel 7:2 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 7:3,6 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 51:13; Lamentations 4:18 (twice in verse), compare (of all flesh) Genesis 6:13 (P); of individual Job 6:11 Psalm 39:5 ("" מִדַּת יָמִי), Daniel 9:26; a Daniel 11:45; in eschatological sense, עֵת עֲוֺן קֵץ time of final punishment (Toy) Ezekiel 21:30; Ezekiel 21:34; Ezekiel 35:5; לַקֵּץ Habakkuk 2:3 to the end; especially Daniel, of time of Antiochus' persecution, following by A.'s death, עֵת קֵץ time of the end Daniel 8:17; Daniel 11:35,40; Daniel 12:4,9, ׳מוֺעֵד ק Daniel 8:19; compare הַיָּמִין ׳ק Daniel 12:13, ׳ק alone Daniel 9:26b; Daniel 12:13; end, cessation, absolute לַמּוֺעֵד ׳ק Daniel 11:27; הַמְּלָאוֺת ׳ק Daniel 12:6, of words Job 16:3, darkness Job 28:3, perfection Psalm 119:96; ׳אֵין ק no end, of peace Isaiah 9:6, iniquities Job 22:5, toil Ecclesiastes 4:8, עֲשׂוֺת סְפָרִים Ecclesiastes 12:12.

2 end, in space, מְלוֺן קִצּה 2 Kings 19:23 its remotest lodging-place = Isaiah 37:24 (see מָלוֺן p.533); ׳אֵין ק, of multitude Ecclesiastes 4:16. — Jeremiah 50:26 see קָצֶה 3

Definition and Semantic Range

קֵץ (qēts) speaks of an “end” in the sense of a limit reached—temporal, spatial, or purposive. The term can indicate the conclusion of an era, the extremity of a territory, the farthest horizon perceptible, or the appointed climax of a prophetic word.

Distribution in Scripture

About sixty-seven occurrences appear across the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and especially the Prophets, showing a consistent biblical concern with endings—whether of days, destinies, or divine decrees.

End of Time and Eschatological Fulfilment

1. Universal judgment: “Then God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh is come before Me’” (Genesis 6:13). Here קֵץ inaugurates a cataclysmic reset, prefiguring later prophetic announcements of a final reckoning.
2. Daniel’s visions: Daniel 8:17, Daniel 9:26, Daniel 11:35–45, and Daniel 12 repeatedly couple קֵץ with “the time of the end,” weaving together Israel’s history and the consummation of the age. Daniel 12:4: “Seal the book until the time of the end” anticipates revelation withheld until its appointed moment.
3. Amos 8:2 declares an “end” for Israel’s unrepentant northern kingdom, illustrating that national histories answer to God’s calendar.

Personal Mortality and Individual Destiny

Job 14:5 speaks of the “limits” appointed for every person; Psalm 39:4 petitions, “LORD, make me to know my end… that I may know how fleeting I am.” קֵץ thus grounds a sober theology of life’s brevity, calling believers to stewardship and hope beyond the grave (Psalm 73:24–26).

Seasons, Cycles, and Divinely Appointed Periods

Genesis often employs the phrase “at the end of” (מִקֵּץ) to mark critical turning points: Genesis 4:3; 8:6; 41:1. These passages underscore God’s sovereignty over time—forty days of waiting end, a dreamer’s prison sentence expires, and redemptive pivots occur exactly on schedule.

Spatial Boundaries

Job 28:24; Psalm 19:4; Isaiah 41:5 use קֵץ for “ends of the earth,” affirming God’s universal rule. The phrase galvanizes the missional thrust of Israel’s calling and foreshadows Christ’s Great Commission to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Wisdom Literature: Limits of Human Achievement

Psalm 119:96 reflects, “To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commandment is boundless.” Even the finest human endeavor meets its קֵץ; only divine revelation surpasses every boundary. Proverbs 23:18 and Proverbs 24:14 promise a future hope whose “end” is reward, encouraging disciplined faithfulness.

Prophetic Announcements of Judgment and Restoration

Ezekiel 7 punctuates every oracle with “An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land” (Ezekiel 7:2). Yet Ezekiel 11:13–20 moves from termination to renewal, revealing that the same God who brings an end also births a new covenant heart.

Historical Context

From pre-flood antediluvian humanity to post-exilic Judah, the canonical narrative groups multiple “ends” that collectively declare God’s moral governance of history. Each occurrence of קֵץ signals either a closing chapter (e.g., Babylon’s seventy years, Jeremiah 29:10) or the dawning of a new movement in salvation history.

Theological Significance

1. Sovereignty: Nothing concludes by chance; every קֵץ is divinely fixed (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
2. Hope: Eschatological “end” merges judgment with restoration, anchoring Israel’s and the Church’s expectation of Messiah’s kingdom.
3. Ethics: Awareness of an appointed end intensifies present obedience (1 Peter 4:7 echoes the motif: “The end of all things is near”).

Practical and Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Employ קֵץ texts to remind congregations of life’s brevity, motivating repentance and mission.
• Counseling: Psalm 39:4–7 offers a framework for sufferers confronting mortality.
• Missional Planning: Passages on the “ends of the earth” encourage global evangelism rooted in God’s panoramic redemptive plan.

Christological and New Testament Reflections

Though קֵץ is Hebrew, its theological freight carries into the Greek telos. Jesus declares, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13), fulfilling every anticipatory קֵץ. The cross is the decisive end of sin’s dominion (Romans 6:10), and the resurrection inaugurates the age to come (1 Corinthians 15:24, “Then comes the end”).

See Also

Strong’s Greek 5056 (telos), Danielic eschatology, Day of the LORD, Ends of the Earth, Time Appointed

הֲקֵ֥ץ הַקֵּ֔ץ הַקֵּ֖ץ הַקֵּ֜ץ הַקֵּ֣ץ הַקֵּץ֙ הקץ וְקִצּ֣וֹ וּלְקֵ֤ץ וּלְקֵ֥ץ וּלְקֵ֨ץ ולקץ וקצו לְקֵ֥ץ לְקֵ֨ץ לַקֵּ֑ץ לַקֵּ֖ץ לקץ מִקֵּ֖ץ מִקֵּ֞ץ מִקֵּ֣ץ מִקֵּ֣ץ ׀ מִקֵּ֥ץ מִקֵּ֨ץ מִקֵּץ֙ מִקֵּץ֩ מקץ קִּ֝צִּ֗י קִצִּ֗י קִצֵּ֖ךְ קִצֵּ֛ינוּ קִצֵּֽינוּ׃ קִצֹּ֔ה קִצּ֔וֹ קֵ֑ץ קֵ֔ץ קֵ֖ץ קֵ֗ץ קֵ֝֗ץ קֵ֣ץ קֵ֤ץ קֵ֤ץ ׀ קֵ֥ץ קֵֽץ׃ קֵץ֙ קץ קץ׃ קצה קצו קצי קצינו קצינו׃ קצך hă·qêṣ haKetz hakKetz haq·qêṣ hăqêṣ haqqêṣ ketz kitzTzech kitzTzeinu kitzTzi kitzTzo kitzTzoh lakKetz laq·qêṣ laqqêṣ lə·qêṣ leKetz ləqêṣ mikKetz miq·qêṣ miqqêṣ qêṣ qiṣ·ṣê·nū qiṣ·ṣêḵ qiṣ·ṣî qiṣ·ṣōh qiṣ·ṣōw qiṣṣêḵ qiṣṣênū qiṣṣî qiṣṣōh qiṣṣōw ū·lə·qêṣ uleKetz ūləqêṣ vekitzTzo wə·qiṣ·ṣōw wəqiṣṣōwInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts