Original Word: קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qasqeseth
Pronunciation: kas-keh'-seth
Phonetic Spelling: (kas-keh'-seth)
KJV: mail, scale
NASB: scales, scale-armor
Word Origin: [by reduplication from an unused root meaning to shale off as bark]

1. a scale (of a fish)
2. hence a coat of mail (as composed of or covered with jointed plates of metal)

mail, scale

By reduplication from an unused root meaning to shale off as bark; a scale (of a fish); hence a coat of mail (as composed of or covered with jointed plates of metal) -- mail, scale.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
scale (of fish)
NASB Translation
scale-armor (1), scales (7).

קַשְׂקֶ֫שֶׂת noun feminine scale of fish, etc.; — of water-animals having ׳סְנַמִּיר וְק fin and scale Deuteronomy 14:9,10 = Leviticus 11:9,10,12; plural קַשְׂקַשִׂים, of scale-armour 1 Samuel 17:5; plural suffix קַשְׂקְשׂתֶיךָ Ezekiel 29:4 (twice in verse) (of Pharaoh under figure of crocodile).

קַשׁ see קשׁשׁ.

קשׁא (√ of following; compare Arabic , Ethiopic Late Hebrew קִשּׁוּת, Punic κισσου Löw^{p. 408}, all cucumber (s) (Löw^{p. 330}), so probably Assyrian ‡iššû; compare Syriac id. (Lexicons), ᵑ7^Jer i. Numbers 11:4 plural קַטַּיָּיא (ט for ת after ק); Greek σίκυος σικύη Lag^{Arm. Stud. § 1975; M ii. 356} Lewy^{Fremdw. 30}).

Definition and Semantic Range

קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת (qaskeseth) denotes the small overlapping plates that form a protective covering. In the Pentateuch the word refers to the scales of aquatic creatures; in the Former Prophets it describes the interlinked metal “scales” of armor; in Ezekiel it is used metaphorically of the scaly hide of a great river creature that represents Pharaoh. Across these settings the term consistently conveys the idea of God-designed protection or, conversely, the stripping away of that protection in judgment.

Canonical Usage

1. Dietary legislation: Leviticus 11:9–12; Deuteronomy 14:9–10.
• Leviticus 11:9: “These you may eat of all that are in the waters: any creature that has fins and scales.”
• Leviticus 11:10: “But any creature... that does not have fins and scales—you are to regard as unclean.”
2. Military description: 1 Samuel 17:5.
• “He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a bronze coat of scale armor weighing five thousand shekels of bronze.”
3. Prophetic metaphor: Ezekiel 29:4 (twice in Hebrew text for emphasis).
• “I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.”

Connections with Clean and Unclean Laws

The dietary rules established a tangible sign of covenant distinctiveness. Aquatic life possessing both fins and scales could be eaten; everything else was declared “detestable.” Scales became a visible marker of conformity to the order God embedded in creation. Israel’s obedience in such everyday matters testified to a heart set apart for holy service, prefiguring the call for believers to pursue practical holiness (1 Peter 1:15–16).

Historical Background and Material Culture

Fish scales were familiar to an agrarian-maritime people who fished the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean. The specification of both fins and scales safeguarded Israel from consuming bottom-feeding scavengers prone to carry disease, underscoring God’s fatherly care.

Scale armor, introduced in the Late Bronze Age and perfected by the Philistines, consisted of small bronze plates sewn to a leather backing. Goliath’s coat broadcast invincibility; yet David’s triumph revealed that God, not technology, secures victory.

Symbolism and Theological Themes

• Protection: Whether biological or forged, scales symbolize defense. For the righteous, that protection is ultimately the Lord Himself (Psalm 18:2).
• Exposure: When God judges Egypt in Ezekiel, He tears away the Nile’s fish with the monster’s scales, exposing Pharaoh’s vulnerability. The same imagery warns every proud power that divine judgment strips away false security.
• Discernment: The requirement to identify scales trained Israel in spiritual discrimination—learning to distinguish between the pure and the impure (Hebrews 5:14).

Christological and Redemptive-Historical Perspectives

Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law’s demand for holiness, including the food laws (Matthew 5:17). In His earthly ministry He declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), shifting the focus from external regulations to internal purity grounded in the gospel. Yet the pedagogical value of qaskeseth remains: just as scales once marked permissible sustenance, the righteousness of Christ now marks those who are acceptable before God.

Practical Application for Contemporary Ministry

1. Teaching Holiness: Use the imagery of scales to illustrate God’s call to visible distinctiveness in speech, conduct, and consumption.
2. Spiritual Warfare: Contrast Goliath’s bronze scales with the “armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10–18). External defenses fail without faith; divine armor equips believers to stand.
3. Warning Against Pride: Ezekiel’s oracle invites reflection on modern “Pharaohs”—institutions or individuals who trust in their own protective layers rather than in the Lord.

Intertextual Connections

• Psalm 104:25–26 celebrates God’s lordship over the teeming sea, echoing the Creator’s right to regulate what His people may eat.
• Job 41’s description of Leviathan’s impenetrable scales (though using a different Hebrew term) reinforces the motif of protective covering and God’s supremacy over even the most armored creature.

Summary

קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת threads together themes of covenant purity, divine protection, and humbling judgment. From a fisherman’s net to Goliath’s battlefield to Ezekiel’s river monster, scales remind God’s people that true security lies not in physical coverings but in obedient trust and the righteousness provided in Christ.

בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶ֑יךָ בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶ֖יךָ בקשקשתיך וְקַשְׂקֶ֖שֶׂת וְקַשְׂקֶ֗שֶׂת וְקַשְׂקֶ֜שֶׂת וקשקשת קַשְׂקַשִּׂ֖ים קשקשים bə·qaś·qə·śō·ṯe·ḵā bekaskesoTeicha bəqaśqəśōṯeḵā kaskasSim qaś·qaś·śîm qaśqaśśîm vekasKeset wə·qaś·qe·śeṯ wəqaśqeśeṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts