Lexical Summary qatsar: To be short, to shorten, to reap, to harvest Original Word: קָצַר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cut down, much discouraged, grieve, harvestman, loathe, mourn, reaper, A primitive root; to dock off, i.e. Curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain) -- X at all, cut down, much discouraged, grieve, harvestman, lothe, mourn, reap(-er), (be, wax) short(-en, -er), straiten, trouble, vex. Brown-Driver-Briggs [קָצֵר], I. קָצַר (Ges§ 44c Sta§ 384, 2) verb be short (Late Hebrew קָצֵר short, קִצֵּר shorten; Arabic Qal Perfect3masculine singular קָצַר Isaiah 28:20; Micah 2:7 (SS קְצַר from adjective קָצֵר); 3 feminine singular קָֽצְרָה Isaiah 50:2; Isaiah 59:1; Imperfect3feminine singular תִּקְצַר Job 21:4 +, 3 feminine plural תִּקְצֹרְנָה Proverbs 10:27; Infinitive absolute קָצוֺר Isaiah 50:2; Passive participle feminine plural קְצֻרוֺת Ezekiel 42:5; — be short, of bed Isaiah 28:20 (figurative), of לְשָׁכוֺת Ezekiel 42:5; especially (figurative) of ׳יַד י, i.e. be ineffective, powerless Numbers 11:23 (JE), with מִן compare Isaiah 50:2 (+ infinitive absolute), Isaiah 59:1; with בֶפֶשׁ, רוּחַ, = be impatient (opposed to [אָרַח] Hiph`il 1 (c)): נֶפֶשׁ הָעָם ׳וִתִּק Numbers 21:4b (JE), of utter discouragement, compare (of רוּחַ) Job 21:4; נַפְשׁוֺ ׳וַתִּק Judges 16:16 i.e. he was worn out (by importunity), so of prophets (representing ׳י) Zechariah 11:8 (ב person) reach limit of patience with, endurance of; of ׳י Judges 10:16 (ב of thing); ׳רוּחַ י ׳ק Micah 2:7 (see above); ׳ק of time Proverbs 10:27 (years of wicked). Pi`el shorten Perfect3masculine singular קִצַּר יָמַי Psalm 102:24. Hiph`il id., Perfect3masculine singular ׳הִקְצַרְתָּ יְמֵי וגו Psalm 89:46. II. [קָצַר] verb reap, harvest (Late Hebrew id., also קָצִיר harvest; compare Assyrian ‡aƒâru join together, collect; see DlPr 166 f. ZehnpfBAS i. 503 (not Syriac Qal Perfect3plural קָצָ֑רוּ Jeremiah 12:13, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִקְצוֺר Isaiah 17:5; Ecclesiastes 11:4 + Proverbs 22:8 Kt (Qr יִקְצָרֿ); 3 masculine plural יִקְצֹרוּן Ruth 2:9, etc.; Imperative masculine plural קִצְרוּ Hosea 10:12 +; Infinitive construct לִקְצֹר 1 Samuel 8:12 +; suffix קֻצְרֶ֑ךָ Leviticus 23:22, קֻצְרְכֶם Leviticus 19:9; Leviticus 23:22; Participle קוֺצֵר Jeremiah 9:21 +, etc.: — reap, with accusative of crop: accusative of congnate meaning with verb קָצִיר 1 Samuel 6:13; 1 Samuel 8:12 (+ חָרִשׁ), Leviticus 19:9; Leviticus 23:10,22 (all H) Deuteronomy 24:19; accusative of grain Isaiah 17:5 (figurative; "" אָסַף), Job 24:6 (Qr; Kt see Hiph`il), compare Leviticus 25:5 (H), Leviticus 25:11 (P; + זָרַע), so (object omitted) 2 Kings 19:29 = Isaiah 37:30; Micah 6:15 (opposed to זָרַע), Leviticus 19:9; b Leviticus 23:22 b Ruth 2:9; Ecclesiastes 11:4 (+ זָרַע); object קֹצִים Jeremiah 12:13 (opposed to זָרַע); Participle = reaper Amos 9:13 ( + חוֺרֵשׁ), Jeremiah 9:21 (simile), Psalm 129:7 ("" מְעַמֵּר), + Isaiah 17:5 (for קָצִיד, so BuhlLex 13 Marti); plural 2 Kings 4:18; Ruth 2:3,4,5,6,7,14; figurative of reaping fruits of righteousness Hosea 10:12 (+ זָרַע), of evil Hosea 8:7 (both + זָרַע), Hosea 10:13 ( + חָרָשׁ), Job 4:8 (+ חָרַשׁ, זָרַע, Proverbs 22:8; Psalm 126:5 they that sow (זָרַע) in tears shall reap in joy. Hiph`il Imperfect יקצירו Job 24:6 Kt (< Qr יִקְצ֑וֺרוּ, see above). Topical Lexicon Overview קָצַר (qatsar) spans the concrete act of cutting grain and the figurative idea of being “shortened” or “impatient.” Found about forty-nine times, it moves from fields of barley and wheat to the inner life of the soul, and even to the question of whether the LORD’s power could ever be “cut short.” Agricultural Practice and Calendar Qatsar first evokes the ordinary rhythm of Israel’s agrarian year. From the pre-exilic period onward, reaping began with the barley harvest around the time of Passover, followed by the wheat harvest that culminated at the Feast of Weeks. The verb appears in settings as varied as Ruth 2:3, where Boaz’s workers “reap” while Ruth gleans behind them, and 1 Samuel 6:13, where Beth-shemesh farmers are “reaping the wheat harvest in the valley” when the Ark returns. The practice required sickle work done swiftly before the Canaanite spring rains or summer siroccos could ruin the grain (Proverbs 10:5). Covenant Legislation and Worship Israel’s law embedded qatsar in Sabbath-keeping and feast observance: Provision for the Poor and the Stranger By limiting how thoroughly one might reap (Leviticus 19:9; Ruth 2:2), qatsar became an instrument of mercy. Fields were never to be stripped bare; edges and corners remained for the marginalized. The scene of Ruth gleaning during “barley and wheat harvests” (Ruth 2:23) demonstrates the law in living color and shows how the faithful exercise of qatsar could weave Gentiles into the lineage of Messiah. Harvest as Theological Motif Prophets turned the farmer’s verb into rich metaphor. Hosea pleads, “Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loyal love” (Hosea 10:12). Jeremiah warns, “They sowed wheat but reaped thorns” (Jeremiah 12:13). Isaiah pictures judgment “like a reaper gathering the standing grain” (Isaiah 17:5). Thus qatsar proclaims both promise and peril: the covenant people will reap precisely what they sow, whether obedience or rebellion. Divine Power Never ‘Cut Short’ When Moses questions the feasibility of feeding six hundred thousand men, the LORD replies, “Is the LORD’s arm too short?” (Numbers 11:23). Isaiah echoes, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save” (Isaiah 59:1; cf. Isaiah 50:2). Here qatsar negates any imagined limitation on divine ability. The same verb that shortens a stalk of wheat emphatically does not shorten the redeeming reach of God. Human Impatience and Weariness The root also describes inward impatience or emotional constriction. “The people became impatient on the journey” (Numbers 21:4). Judges 10:16 notes that the LORD’s “soul could no longer bear the misery of Israel.” Zechariah 11:8 says, “My soul grew impatient with them.” In each case, qatsar portrays a shrinking tolerance—whether human frustration in the wilderness or divine revulsion toward covenant-breakers. Christological and Eschatological Echoes Although the Hebrew term itself does not appear in the New Testament, its imagery reverberates. Jesus’ pronouncement, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37), leans on the Old Testament backdrop where reaping symbolizes both ingathering and judgment. The Feast of Weeks, anchored in the act of qatsar, foreshadows Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit brings the firstfruits of the worldwide Church. Pastoral and Ministry Implications 1. Work and Rest: Exodus 34:21 balances diligent labor with Sabbath faithfulness—an enduring model for Christian vocation. Summary Qatsar gathers Israel’s grain, legislates her compassion, exposes her sin, and magnifies her Redeemer. Whether sharpening a farmer’s sickle or sharpening prophetic urgency, the verb reminds readers that what is cut down in the field ultimately points to the Lord who cannot be “cut short” in power, grace, or faithfulness. Forms and Transliterations אָ֑וֶן און בְּקֻצְרֶ֔ךָ בַּקֹּצֵ֔ר בקצר בקצרך הֲקָצ֨וֹר הֲקָצַר֙ הִ֭קְצַרְתָּ הַקֹּצְרִ֑ים הַקֹּצְרִֽים׃ הַקֹּצֵ֖ר הַקּֽוֹצְרִ֑ים הַקּֽוֹצְרִ֔ים הַקּוֹצְרִ֑ים הַקּוֹצְרִ֖ים הקוצרים הקצור הקצר הקצרים הקצרים׃ הקצרת וְלִקְצֹ֣ר וְקִצְר֛וּ וַתִּקְצַ֤ר וַתִּקְצַ֥ר וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶ֞ם וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶם֙ וּקְצַרְתֶּ֖ם ובקצרכם ולקצר וקצרו וקצרתם ותקצר יִקְצ֑וֹר יִקְצְרֻֽהוּ׃ יִקְצָר־ יִקְצֹ֑ורוּ יִקְצֹ֑רוּ יִקְצֹֽרוּ׃ יִקְצֹרוּן֙ יִקְצֽוֹר׃ יקצור יקצור׃ יקצורו יקצר־ יקצרהו׃ יקצרו יקצרו׃ יקצרון לַקּוֹצְרִ֖ים לקוצרים קְצַרְתֶּ֖ם קְצֻר֑וֹת קִצְר֣וּ קִצַּ֥ר קָצְרָ֤ה קָצְרָ֥ה קָצַ֥ר קָצָ֔רוּ קֹצְרִ֥ים קוֹצֵ֗ר קוצר קצר קצרה קצרו קצרות קצרים קצרתם תִּקְצָ֑ר תִּקְצֹֽרְנָה׃ תִקְצ֑וֹר תִקְצ֔וֹר תִקְצְרוּ֙ תִקְצַ֥ר תִקְצֹר֩ תקצור תקצר תקצרו תקצרנה׃ ’ā·wen ’āwen Aven bakkoTzer baq·qō·ṣêr baqqōṣêr bə·quṣ·re·ḵā bekutzRecha bəquṣreḵā hă·qā·ṣar hă·qā·ṣō·wr hakaTzar hakaTzor hakkoTzer hakkotzeRim hakkotzRim haq·qō·ṣə·rîm haq·qō·ṣêr haq·qō·wṣ·rîm hăqāṣar hăqāṣōwr haqqōṣêr haqqōṣərîm haqqōwṣrîm Hiktzarta hiq·ṣar·tā hiqṣartā kaTzar kaTzaru katzeRah ketzarTem ketzuRot kitzRu kitzTzar koTzer kotzeRim lakkotzRim laq·qō·wṣ·rîm laqqōwṣrîm qā·ṣā·rū qā·ṣar qā·ṣə·rāh qāṣar qāṣārū qāṣərāh qə·ṣar·tem qə·ṣu·rō·wṯ qəṣartem qəṣurōwṯ qiṣ·rū qiṣ·ṣar qiṣrū qiṣṣar qō·ṣə·rîm qō·w·ṣêr qōṣərîm qōwṣêr tikTzar tiktzeRu tikTzor tikTzorenah tiq·ṣār ṯiq·ṣar ṯiq·ṣə·rū tiq·ṣō·rə·nāh ṯiq·ṣō·wr ṯiq·ṣōr tiqṣār ṯiqṣar ṯiqṣərū ṯiqṣōr tiqṣōrənāh ṯiqṣōwr ū·ḇə·quṣ·rə·ḵem ū·qə·ṣar·tem ūḇəquṣrəḵem uketzarTem ūqəṣartem uvekutzreChem vattikTzar vekitzRu velikTzor wat·tiq·ṣar wattiqṣar wə·liq·ṣōr wə·qiṣ·rū wəliqṣōr wəqiṣrū yiktzeRuhu yiktzor yikTzoru yiktzoRun yiq·ṣār- yiq·ṣə·ru·hū yiq·ṣō·rū yiq·ṣō·rūn yiq·ṣō·w·rū yiq·ṣō·wr yiqṣār- yiqṣəruhū yiqṣōrū yiqṣōrūn yiqṣōwr yiqṣōwrūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 19:9 HEB: וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶם֙ אֶת־ קְצִ֣יר NAS: Now when you reap the harvest KJV: And when ye reap the harvest INT: reap the harvest of your land Leviticus 23:10 Leviticus 23:22 Leviticus 23:22 Leviticus 25:5 Leviticus 25:11 Numbers 11:23 Numbers 21:4 Deuteronomy 24:19 Judges 10:16 Judges 16:16 Ruth 2:3 Ruth 2:4 Ruth 2:5 Ruth 2:6 Ruth 2:7 Ruth 2:9 Ruth 2:14 1 Samuel 6:13 1 Samuel 8:12 2 Kings 4:18 2 Kings 19:29 Job 4:8 Job 21:4 Job 24:6 49 Occurrences |