Lexical Summary
qomah: Height, stature
Original Word:קוֹמָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:qowmah
Pronunciation:koh-MAH
Phonetic Spelling:(ko-maw')
KJV: X along, height, high, stature, tall
NASB:height, high, stature, tall, height of his stature, length, very high
Word Origin:[fromH6965 (קוּם - arose)]
1. height
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
along, height, high, stature, tall
Fromquwm; height -- X along, height, high, stature, tall.
see HEBREWquwm
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
qumDefinitionheight
NASB Translationheight (26), height of his stature (1), high (9), length (1), stature (5), tall (2), very high (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
,
45 ; — absoluteExodus 38:18 +,Exodus 27:18; construct1 Kings 6:26 +; suffix1 Kings 7:23 +,Exodus 25:10 +, etc.; —
height, of person,stature1 Samuel 16:7;Ezekiel 13:18;Songs 7:8;1 Samuel 28:20his full length.
2 Kings 19:23 =Isaiah 37:24; in figureIsaiah 10:33;Ezekiel 31:3,5,10,14; of vine (figurative)Ezekiel 19:11 andEzekiel 17:6low of height.
,1 Kings 6:2 12t.1 Kings 6;1 Kings 7;2 Kings 25:17 (twice in verse) =Jeremiah 52:21,22; 2Chronicles 4:1,2; 6:13; a wallEzekiel 40:5; tabernacle and furnishingsExodus 25:10,23 8t. Exodus (all P); Noah's arkGenesis 6:15 (P)
Topical Lexicon
Overview of Meaning and Scopeקוֹמָה describes measurable height or stature, whether of a person, an object, a city wall, a tree, or a nation. Because height often conveys strength, grandeur, and aspiration, the term serves both literal and figurative purposes across approximately forty-five Old Testament occurrences.
Distribution of Occurrences
Pentateuch – Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books – 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles
Poetic Literature – Song of Solomon, Psalms
Prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
Human Stature: Gift and Limitation
1. Giants and Anakim: “all the people we saw in it are men of great stature” (Numbers 13:32). Human height impresses but does not intimidate the covenant people whose God delivers them (Deuteronomy 9:2–3).
2. Upright Freedom:Leviticus 26:13 links walking “upright” with redemption from slavery, underscoring that true dignity comes from divine grace, not mere physiology.
Ministry application: Physical advantages are neutral; what matters is submission to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:45–47).
Architectural and Defensive Height
High walls of Canaanite cities (Deuteronomy 3:5) and later fortifications (2 Chronicles 32:5) illustrate dependence on human ingenuity. Yet “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Ministry relevance: security founded on God surpasses engineered defenses.
Forests, Vines, and Cedars: Creation’s Loftiness
Ezekiel repeatedly uses קוֹמָה for towering trees:
• “Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field” (Ezekiel 31:5).
• “Her stature was exalted among the thick boughs” (Ezekiel 19:11).
These images frame both Assyria’s grandeur and Israel’s potential. When pride accompanies height, judgment follows (Ezekiel 31:10–14).
National and Imperial Pride
Height becomes a metaphor for arrogant kingdoms. God brings down every lofty stature (Isaiah 10:33;Ezekiel 17:24). The fall of Egypt (Ezekiel 32:5) and Tyre (Ezekiel 28) reveals divine sovereignty over empires. Homiletic emphasis: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled” (Luke 14:11).
Beauty and Intimacy
Song of Solomon 7:7 celebrates the bride: “Your stature is like a palm tree.” Here height suggests elegance and fruitfulness, providing a wholesome model for marital admiration and, by extension, Christ’s delight in His people.
Eschatological Echoes
Ezekiel 37:10 portrays resurrected Israel standing “on their feet, an exceedingly great army,” a reversal of earlier humbled stature. Revelation completes the arc when the New Jerusalem’s walls and foundations far exceed human dimensions, displaying perfected, God-given height (Revelation 21:15–17).
Theological Insights
1. Created height reflects the Creator’s artistry (Psalm 104:16).
2. Fallen humanity exploits height for pride (Genesis 11:4; implied by later prophetic critique).
3. Redemption restores uprightness—both physical (Leviticus 26:13) and moral (Psalm 25:21).
4. Final glory grants safe elevation in Christ (Ephesians 2:6).
Practical Ministry Implications
• Encourage believers to recognize gifts (physical or positional) as stewardship, not superiority.
• Warn against equating size—of congregations, buildings, or reputations—with spiritual success.
• Use the imagery of towering trees to illustrate discipleship growth that remains rooted in humility.
• Preach Christ as the One who “humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8) and was therefore “highly exalted” (Philippians 2:9), redefining true stature.
Suggested Homiletic Themes
“From Goliath to Golgotha: God Overcomes Intimidating Stature”
“Tall Cedars, Shattered Pride: Lessons fromEzekiel 31”
“Walking Upright in the Freedom of Redemption”
קוֹמָה ultimately points to the paradox that genuine elevation comes through dependence on the Most High.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּקוֹמָ֑ה בְקוֹמָתָ֜ם בקומה בקומתם הַקּוֹמָה֙ הקומה וְקֹמָ֛ה וְקוֹמַ֣ת וְקוֹמַ֨ת וְקוֹמַת֙ וְקוֹמָ֖ה וְקוֹמָ֤ה וקומה וקומת וקמה קֹֽמָת֔וֹ קֹומַת֙ קֹמָת֑וֹ קֹמָת֔וֹ קֹמָתֽוֹ׃ קֽוֹמָת֑וֹ קֽוֹמָת֔וֹ קֽוֹמָת֖וֹ קֽוֹמָתֵךְ֙ קֽוֹמָתוֹ֙ קוֹמַ֖ת קוֹמַ֣ת ׀ קוֹמַ֤ת קוֹמַת֙ קוֹמָ֑ה קוֹמָ֖ה קוֹמָ֗ה קוֹמָת֑וֹ קוֹמָת֔וֹ קוֹמָת֖וֹ קוֹמָתָֽהּ׃ קוֹמָתֽוֹ׃ קומה קומת קומתה׃ קומתו קומתו׃ קומתך קמתו קמתו׃ ḇə·qō·w·mā·ṯām bə·qō·w·māh bekoMah bəqōwmāh ḇəqōwmāṯām hakkoMah haq·qō·w·māh haqqōwmāh koMah koMat komaTah komateCh komaTo qō·mā·ṯōw qō·w·mā·ṯāh qō·w·mā·ṯêḵ qō·w·mā·ṯōw qō·w·māh qō·w·maṯ qōmāṯōw qōwmāh qōwmaṯ qōwmāṯāh qōwmāṯêḵ qōwmāṯōw vekoMah vekoMat vekomaTam wə·qō·māh wə·qō·w·māh wə·qō·w·maṯ wəqōmāh wəqōwmāh wəqōwmaṯ
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