Original Word: קָשַׁר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qashar
Pronunciation: kah-SHAR
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-shar')
NASB: conspired, bind, made, bound, conspirators, stronger, tie
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. bind (up), (make a) conspire(-acy, -ator), join together, knit, stronger, work (treason)

bind up, make a conspiracy join together, knit, stronger, work treason

A primitive root: to tie, physically (gird, confine, compact) or mentally (in love, league) -- bind (up), (make a) conspire(-acy, -ator), join together, knit, stronger, work (treason).

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to bind, league together, conspire
NASB Translation
bind (9), bound (2), carried (1), conspirators (2), conspired (19), joined together (1), knit (1), made (3), stronger (2), tie (2), tied (2).

קָשַׁר verb bind, league together, conspire (Late Hebrew id., bind, join, קֶשֶׁר knot; ᵑ7 קְטַר, Syriac bind (ט for ת after ק) Nö^{ZMG xi.735}, who compare also ('perhaps') Arabic force to do a thing, Ethiopic bind); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular קָשַׁר Amos 7:10; 1 Kings 16:16; 2masculine singular suffix וּקְשַׁרְתָּם consecutive Deuteronomy 6:8, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיִּקְשֹׁר 1 Kings 15:27 +, וַיִּקְשָׁרֿ 2 Kings 15:30, etc.; Imperative masculine singular suffix קָשְׁרֵם Proverbs 3:3 +; Participle active plural קשְׁרִים 2 Samuel 15:31 +; passive feminine singular קְשׁוּרָה Genesis 44:30; Proverbs 22:15; plural קְשֻׁרִים Genesis 30:42; —

1 bind:

a. literal, with accusative of thing + עַל Genesis 38:28 (J), Jeremiah 51:63, + ב, Joshua 2:18,21 (JE); bind, confine, with accusative רֵים Job 39:10 (+ בְּתֶלֶם), accusative of crocodile Job 40:29.

b. figurative, with accusative + עַל Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18; Proverbs 3:3; Proverbs 6:21; Proverbs 7:3 (all of religious and moral precepts); with ב, נַפְשׁוֺ קְשׁוּרָה בְנַפְשׁוֺ Genesis 44:30 his life is bound up with his [namely the boy's] life (J; of strong affection); בְלֶבנָֿ֑עַר ׳אִוֶּלֶת ק Proverbs 22:15.

c. passive participle vigorous (properly well- knit; opposed to עֲטֻפִים) Genesis 30:42 (J).

2 league together, conspire: with עָ person against 1 Samuel 22:8; 1 Samuel 22:13; Amos 7:10; 1 Kings 15:27; 1 Kings 16:9; 2 Kings 10:9; 2 Kings 15:10; 2 Kings 15:25, 21:23; 2 Kings 21:24 2Chronicles 33:24,25; 24:21; with accusative of congnate meaning with verb קֶשֶׁר, 1 Kings 16:20; 2 Kings 12:21; 2 Kings 15:15, + עַל person 2 Kings 14:19 2Chronicles 25:27; 2 Kings 15:30; absolute 1 Kings 16:16; Nehemiah 4:2 (+ infinitive purpose); with עִם, together with, 2 Samuel 15:31.

Niph`al Perfect3feminine singular נִקְשְׁרָה 1 Samuel 18:1 the life of Jonathan was bound up with the life of David (Qal 1 b); Imperfect3feminine singular וַתִּקָּשֵׁר כָּלהַֿחוֺמָה Nehemiah 3:38 all the wall was joined together (the circuit complete).

Pi`el Imperfect

1 bind on (as ornament), 2 feminine singular suffix וּתְקַשְּׁרִים Isaiah 49:18 (figurative; "" תִּלְבְּשִׁי).

2 bind fast, 2 masculine singular תְקַשּׁר (הַ) מַעֲדַנּוֺת כִּימָה Job 38:31 canst thou bind fast the bands of the Pleiades?

Pu`al Participle הַצּאִן הַמְּקֻשָּׁרוֺת Genesis 30:41 (J), = Qal 1 with Hithpa`el conspire: Perfect3plural הִתְקַשְּׁרוּ עַלֿ2Chronicles 24:25 ("" 2 Kings 12:21 Qal 2); Imperfect3masculine singular וַיִּתְקַשּׁר אֶלֿ 2 Kings 9:14; Participle plural הַמִּתְקַשְּׁרִים עָלָיו2Chronicles 24:26.

Overview

קָשַׁר (qāshar) traces a thread through Scripture that links the concrete act of fastening things together with the moral and spiritual realities of loyalty, treachery, and covenant devotion. Whether binding priestly garments, tying instructions to one’s hands, or plotting the overthrow of a king, the verb always assumes purposeful attachment—either to strengthen or to subvert. About forty-four occurrences span Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets, furnishing a multifaceted portrait of bonds that can bless or betray.

Literal Sense: Tying, Fastening, Securing

1. Covenant Signs. Deuteronomy twice issues the command: “Bind them as a sign on your hands and let them be a symbol on your foreheads” (Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18). Here physical fastening becomes a perpetual reminder that life and limb belong to the LORD.
2. Priestly Garments. Exodus 28:28 records the careful attaching of the breastpiece to the ephod “so that it will not swing out.” Worship requires things held firmly in place—an image of stability in God’s presence.
3. Parental Instruction. “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck” (Proverbs 3:3; cf. 6:21; 7:3). Wisdom must be tethered close to the life-pulse.
4. Everyday Objects. Job 31:36 pictures Job fastening his defense “as a crown,” illustrating personal integrity bound openly for all to see.

Figurative Sense: Heart Loyalty and Moral Adhesion

Qāshar depicts the deliberate anchoring of the inner person to God’s Word. Meditating on Torah (Deuteronomy 6) or cherishing wisdom (Proverbs 7) is not casual; it is a binding that resists unraveling pressures. The steadfast believer ties affections, decisions, and aspirations to revealed truth, mirroring the secure knots of the ephod cords.

Political and Military Conspiracy

The dominant narrative use is treason:
• 1 Kings 15:27 “Baasha son of Ahijah conspired against him and struck him down.”
• 2 Kings 9:14; 10:9 Jehu’s uprising.
• 2 Kings 12:20 “His servants conspired against him and killed Joash.”
• 2 Samuel 15:12 “The conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.”
• 2 Chronicles 33:24 “The servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his palace.”

Patterns emerge:

1. Conspiracies arise when covenant obligations are ignored, placing personal ambition above divine order.
2. God uses even seditious plots to advance His larger redemptive plan (e.g., Jehu executing judgment foretold by Elijah).
3. Unchecked conspiracy becomes a hallmark of national decline in Israel and Judah, culminating in exile (2 Kings 17:4).

Divine Sovereignty over Human Plots

Psalm 2 employs related imagery, though a different root, to depict nations binding themselves against the LORD. Qāshar passages affirm the same principle: rebellious bonds cannot overthrow the decreed King (cf. 2 Kings 19, where Assyrian intrigues fail). The prophets repeatedly announce that clandestine alliances cannot void the covenant (Isaiah 8:9-10).

Prophetic Commentary on Covenant Treachery

Hosea 5:13 speaks of Judah’s leaders “binding wounds” through foreign treaties—an ironic misuse of qāshar’s imagery (LXX nuance). Ezekiel 37:16-17 anticipates a gracious reversal: two sticks “joined” into one nation under one Shepherd. God will perform the true qāshar, uniting what sin has sundered.

Ministry Significance: Guarding Against Spiritual Conspiracy

1. Churches must resist tolerated pockets of rebellion—secret grumbling, faction-forming, or doctrinal drift. What begins as whispered plotting can fracture Christ’s body (compare Absalom winning hearts at the gate).
2. Positive binding—membership covenants, accountability partnerships, and the Lord’s Supper—fosters healthy attachment that counters divisive conspiracies.
3. Leaders should heed Nathan’s model (2 Samuel 12) and expose hidden sin before it matures into full-blown qāshar.

Christological and Eschatological Reflections

The crucifixion itself was a sanctioned conspiracy (Acts 4:27-28), yet God wove human treachery into the binding cord of salvation. At the Cross, the Son was “bound” so that believers might be forever bound to Him in the New Covenant. Revelation envisions Satan finally “bound for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:2), the climactic reversal of every unrighteous qāshar. Thus Scriptures move from men binding commandments to themselves, through rebellious conspiracies, to God’s ultimate binding of evil and unbreakable joining of redeemed humanity to the Lamb.

בַּקֹּשְׁרִ֖ים בקשרים הֲ‍ֽתִקְשָׁר־ הִתְקַשְּׁר֨וּ הַֽ֭תְקַשֵּׁר הַמְקֻשָּׁרוֹת֒ הַמִּתְקַשְּׁרִ֣ים הַקֹּֽשְׁרִ֖ים הַקֹּשְׁרִ֖ים המקשרות המתקשרים הקשרים התקשר ה‍תקשר־ התקשרו וְ֝תִקְשְׁרֶ֗נּוּ וְהַקְּשֻׁרִ֖ים וַיִּקְשְׁר֣וּ וַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּ וַיִּקְשְׁר֥וּ וַיִּקְשְׁר֨וּ וַיִּקְשְׁרֽוּ־ וַיִּקְשָׁר־ וַיִּקְשֹׁ֣ר וַיִּקְשֹׁ֤ר וַיִּקְשֹׁ֨ר וַיִּתְקַשֵּׁ֗ר וַתִּקְשֹׁ֛ר וַתִּקְשֹׁ֨ר וַתִּקָּשֵׁ֥ר וּֽתְקַשְּׁרִ֖ים וּקְשַׁרְתֶּ֨ם וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם והקשרים ויקשר ויקשר־ ויקשרו ויקשרו־ ויתקשר וקשרתם ותקשר ותקשרים ותקשרנו נִקְשְׁרָ֖ה נקשרה קְשַׁרְתֶּ֣ם קְשַׁרְתֶּ֨ם קְשׁוּרָ֣ה קְשׁוּרָ֥ה קָשְׁרֵ֣ם קָשְׁרֵ֥ם קָשַׁ֣ר קָשַׁ֤רְתִּי קָשַׁ֨ר קָשָׁ֑ר קשורה קשר קשרם קשרתי קשרתם תִּקְשְׁרִ֗י תִּקְשֹׁ֤ר תקשר תקשרי bakkosheRim baq·qō·šə·rîm baqqōšərîm hakkosheRim ham·miṯ·qaš·šə·rîm ham·quš·šā·rō·wṯ hamkushsharoT hammitkashsheRim hammiṯqaššərîm hamquššārōwṯ haq·qō·šə·rîm haqqōšərîm haṯ·qaš·šêr hatikshor hăṯiq·šār- hăṯiqšār- Hatkashsher haṯqaššêr hiṯ·qaš·šə·rū hitkashsheRu hiṯqaššərū kaShar kaSharti kasheRem kesharTem keshuRah niksheRah niq·šə·rāh niqšərāh qā·šar qā·šār qā·šar·tî qā·šə·rêm qāšar qāšār qāšartî qāšərêm qə·šar·tem qə·šū·rāh qəšartem qəšūrāh tiksheRi tikShor tiq·šə·rî tiq·šōr tiqšərî tiqšōr ū·qə·šar·tām ū·qə·šar·tem ū·ṯə·qaš·šə·rîm ukesharTam ukesharTem ūqəšartām ūqəšartem utekashsheRim ūṯəqaššərîm vaiyiksheru vaiyikShor vaiyitkashSher vattikkaSher vattikShor vehakkeshuRim vetiksheRennu wat·tiq·qā·šêr wat·tiq·šōr wattiqqāšêr wattiqšōr way·yiq·šār- way·yiq·šə·rū way·yiq·šə·rū- way·yiq·šōr way·yiṯ·qaš·šêr wayyiqšār- wayyiqšərū wayyiqšərū- wayyiqšōr wayyiṯqaššêr wə·haq·qə·šu·rîm wə·ṯiq·šə·ren·nū wəhaqqəšurîm wəṯiqšərennūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts