Lexical Summary
quts: dread, abhorred, loathe
Original Word:קוּץ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:quwts
Pronunciation:koots
Phonetic Spelling:(koots)
KJV: abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary
NASB:dread, abhorred, loathe, terrorize, tired
Word Origin:[a primitive root (identical withH6972 (קוּץ - To loathe) through the idea of severing oneself from)]
1. to be (causatively, make) disgusted or anxious
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary
A primitive root (identical withquwts through the idea of severing oneself from (comparequwt)); to be (causatively, make) disgusted or anxious -- abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary.
see HEBREWquwts
see HEBREWquwt
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto feel a loathing, abhorrence, or sickening dread
NASB Translationabhorred (2), dread (3), loathe (2), terrorize (1), tired (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] ("" √of ;
id.; for connection of meanings compare Aramaic
loathe,
fear); —
Perfect3feminine singularNumbers 21:5; 1singularGenesis 27:46;Imperfect3masculine singularNumbers 22:3;1 Kings 11:25 (but see below); 2 masculine singular jussiveProverbs 3:11; 1singularLeviticus 20:23; 3masculine pluralExodus 1:12;ParticipleIsaiah 7:16; —
feel a loathing at,abhor, with of thingNumbers 21:5 (JE),Genesis 27:46 (P),Proverbs 3:11 ("" ); with personLeviticus 20:23 (H; subject ); so1 Kings 11:25, but Kit (after , compare ) proposes (√
distress).
feel a sickening dread, with personExodus 1:12 (J),Numbers 22:3 (E),Isaiah 7:16.
Imperfect1plural suffixIsaiah 7:6 (suffix of Judah)let us cause her sickening dread, but weak, read (√ ) Thes Che Du Gr Marti. — Other
forms see .
II. (√ of following; compare perhaps Late Hebrew,cut off; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew).
Topical Lexicon
Overview of UsageStrong’s 6973 occurs nine times, gathering three principal ideas: (1) personal weariness or disgust, (2) fearful abhorrence of another people, and (3) divine revulsion toward sin. These shades of meaning trace an emotional gradient from inner fatigue to outright loathing, whether in human hearts or in God’s response to covenant violation.
Personal Weariness and Inner Revulsion
1.Genesis 27:46. Rebekah laments, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women.” The term expresses an exhaustion so deep that life itself feels burdensome. The narrative exposes the corrosive effect ungodly alliances can have within a covenant household.
2.Numbers 21:5. Journey-weary Israel complains, “Our soul loathes this miserable food.” The same verb shows how unchecked discontent can turn daily provision into something despised.
3.Proverbs 3:11. Parental admonition: “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not loathe His rebuke.” The wise father warns against inward recoil from God’s corrective love.Hebrews 12:5–6 later cites this verse to exhort believers to persevere under divine training.
National Dread and Political Hostility
1.Exodus 1:12. Pharaoh’s subjects “came to dread the Israelites.” What began as economic fear escalated into hatred, propelling the oppression that set the stage for the Exodus.
2.Numbers 22:3. “Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous, and Moab dreaded the Israelites.” The verb captures panic-driven hostility that leads Balak to hire Balaam.
3.1 Kings 11:25. Rezon “was Israel’s adversary all the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad, and he loathed Israel.” International enmity surfaces as a judgment on Solomon’s compromise.
4.Isaiah 7:6; 7:16. The Syro-Ephraimite coalition schemes, “Let us invade Judah… terrify it.” Yet the prophet assures Ahaz that “the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.” Human dread is placed under divine sovereignty.
Divine Abhorrence of Sin
Leviticus 20:23 records the Lord’s verdict on the practices of Canaan: “Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.” The term underscores God’s moral purity; His covenant people must avoid the defiling customs that brought His loathing upon the nations they were to dispossess.
Historical and Theological Insights
• In patriarchal times (Genesis 27), family stress over intermarriage foreshadows later national struggles with syncretism.
• During the Exodus saga, Egyptian dread becomes the crucible for Israel’s deliverance, demonstrating how God turns hostility into redemptive purpose.
• Monarchic texts (1 Kings 11;Isaiah 7) reveal that political dread often accompanies covenant unfaithfulness; yet prophetic messages remind the faithful that enemies God allows, He can also remove.
• Wisdom literature (Proverbs 3) bridges Testaments, teaching that rejecting the Lord’s discipline is tantamount to loathing His love—a theme echoed inRevelation 3:19.
Ministry Significance
1. Guarding the Heart. Personal weariness can morph into spiritual disgust if left unchecked. Regular gratitude reorients the soul (Philippians 4:6–7).
2. Responding to Opposition. Whether from individuals or nations, dread directed at God’s people should not provoke fear but faith, knowing “the battle belongs to the LORD” (1 Samuel 17:47).
3. Embracing Discipline. To despise correction is to repeat Israel’s wilderness failure; receiving it produces “a harvest of righteousness and peace” (Hebrews 12:11).
4. Reflecting Holiness.Leviticus 20:23 reminds the Church that holiness still matters. What God abhors must never be entertained among His people (1 Peter 1:15–16).
Key References
Genesis 27:46;Exodus 1:12;Leviticus 20:23;Numbers 21:5;Numbers 22:3;1 Kings 11:25;Proverbs 3:11;Isaiah 7:6;Isaiah 7:16.
Forms and Transliterations
וַיָּ֙קָץ֙ וַיָּ֣קָץ וַיָּקֻ֕צוּ וָאָקֻ֖ץ וּנְקִיצֶ֔נָּה ואקץ ויקץ ויקצו ונקיצנה קַ֣צְתִּי קָ֔ץ קָ֔צָה קץ קצה קצתי תָּ֝קֹ֗ץ תקץ Katz Katzah Katzti qā·ṣāh qāṣ qaṣ·tî qāṣāh qaṣtî tā·qōṣ taKotz tāqōṣ ū·nə·qî·ṣen·nāh unekiTzennah ūnəqîṣennāh vaaKutz vaiYakotz vaiyaKutzu wā’āquṣ wā·’ā·quṣ way·yā·qāṣ way·yā·qu·ṣū wayyāqāṣ wayyāquṣū
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