Lexical Summary
qets: End, conclusion, extremity, limit
Original Word:קֵץ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:qets
Pronunciation:kates
Phonetic Spelling:(kates)
KJV: + after, (utmost) border, end, (in-)finite, X process
NASB:end, after, farthest, limit, farthest border, goal, highest peak
Word Origin:[contracted fromH7112 (קָצַץ - cut off)]
1. an extremity
2. adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
after, utmost border, end, infinite, process
Contracted fromqatsats; an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after -- + after, (utmost) border, end, (in-)finite, X process.
see HEBREWqatsats
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
qatsatsDefinitionend
NASB Translationafter (3), after* (1), course* (1), end (52), endless* (1), farthest (2), farthest border (1), goal (1), highest peak (1), interval* (1), later (1), limit (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
68Ezekiel 7:6 — absolute
Amos 8:2 +, construct
Genesis 4:3 +,
Daniel 8:17; suffix
Isaiah 37:24 +, ""
2 Kings 19:23, etc.;-
end, usually of time, especially in phraseat the end of a definite timeGenesis 8:6 (J),Genesis 41:1 (E),Genesis 16:3 (P) + 15 t., +Esther 2:12; indefiniteGenesis 4:3 (J)1 Kings 17:7;Jeremiah 13:6; so (late) of indefinite time 2 Chronicles 18:2;Nehemiah 13:6;Daniel 11:6,13; defin. 2Chronicles 21:19;end of life, of a peopleAmos 8:2;Ezekiel 7:2 (twice in verse);Ezekiel 7:3,6 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 51:13;Lamentations 4:18 (twice in verse), compare (of all flesh)Genesis 6:13 (P); of individualJob 6:11Psalm 39:5 ("" ),Daniel 9:26; aDaniel 11:45; in eschatological sense,time of final punishment (Toy)Ezekiel 21:30;Ezekiel 21:34;Ezekiel 35:5;Habakkuk 2:3to the end; especially Daniel, of time of Antiochus' persecution, following by A.'s death,time of the endDaniel 8:17;Daniel 11:35,40;Daniel 12:4,9,Daniel 8:19; compareDaniel 12:13, aloneDaniel 9:26b;Daniel 12:13;end, cessation, absoluteDaniel 11:27;Daniel 12:6, of wordsJob 16:3, darknessJob 28:3, perfectionPsalm 119:96;no end, of peaceIsaiah 9:6, iniquitiesJob 22:5, toilEcclesiastes 4:8,Ecclesiastes 12:12.
end, in space,2 Kings 19:23its remotest lodging-place =Isaiah 37:24 (see p.533); , of multitudeEcclesiastes 4:16. —Jeremiah 50:26 see
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Semantic Rangeקֵץ (qēts) speaks of an “end” in the sense of a limit reached—temporal, spatial, or purposive. The term can indicate the conclusion of an era, the extremity of a territory, the farthest horizon perceptible, or the appointed climax of a prophetic word.
Distribution in Scripture
About sixty-seven occurrences appear across the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and especially the Prophets, showing a consistent biblical concern with endings—whether of days, destinies, or divine decrees.
End of Time and Eschatological Fulfilment
1. Universal judgment: “Then God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh is come before Me’” (Genesis 6:13). Here קֵץ inaugurates a cataclysmic reset, prefiguring later prophetic announcements of a final reckoning.
2. Daniel’s visions:Daniel 8:17,Daniel 9:26,Daniel 11:35–45, andDaniel 12 repeatedly couple קֵץ with “the time of the end,” weaving together Israel’s history and the consummation of the age.Daniel 12:4: “Seal the book until the time of the end” anticipates revelation withheld until its appointed moment.
3.Amos 8:2 declares an “end” for Israel’s unrepentant northern kingdom, illustrating that national histories answer to God’s calendar.
Personal Mortality and Individual Destiny
Job 14:5 speaks of the “limits” appointed for every person;Psalm 39:4 petitions, “LORD, make me to know my end… that I may know how fleeting I am.” קֵץ thus grounds a sober theology of life’s brevity, calling believers to stewardship and hope beyond the grave (Psalm 73:24–26).
Seasons, Cycles, and Divinely Appointed Periods
Genesis often employs the phrase “at the end of” (מִקֵּץ) to mark critical turning points:Genesis 4:3; 8:6; 41:1. These passages underscore God’s sovereignty over time—forty days of waiting end, a dreamer’s prison sentence expires, and redemptive pivots occur exactly on schedule.
Spatial Boundaries
Job 28:24;Psalm 19:4;Isaiah 41:5 use קֵץ for “ends of the earth,” affirming God’s universal rule. The phrase galvanizes the missional thrust of Israel’s calling and foreshadows Christ’s Great Commission to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Wisdom Literature: Limits of Human Achievement
Psalm 119:96 reflects, “To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commandment is boundless.” Even the finest human endeavor meets its קֵץ; only divine revelation surpasses every boundary.Proverbs 23:18 andProverbs 24:14 promise a future hope whose “end” is reward, encouraging disciplined faithfulness.
Prophetic Announcements of Judgment and Restoration
Ezekiel 7 punctuates every oracle with “An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land” (Ezekiel 7:2). YetEzekiel 11:13–20 moves from termination to renewal, revealing that the same God who brings an end also births a new covenant heart.
Historical Context
From pre-flood antediluvian humanity to post-exilic Judah, the canonical narrative groups multiple “ends” that collectively declare God’s moral governance of history. Each occurrence of קֵץ signals either a closing chapter (e.g., Babylon’s seventy years,Jeremiah 29:10) or the dawning of a new movement in salvation history.
Theological Significance
1. Sovereignty: Nothing concludes by chance; every קֵץ is divinely fixed (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
2. Hope: Eschatological “end” merges judgment with restoration, anchoring Israel’s and the Church’s expectation of Messiah’s kingdom.
3. Ethics: Awareness of an appointed end intensifies present obedience (1 Peter 4:7 echoes the motif: “The end of all things is near”).
Practical and Ministry Applications
• Preaching: Employ קֵץ texts to remind congregations of life’s brevity, motivating repentance and mission.
• Counseling:Psalm 39:4–7 offers a framework for sufferers confronting mortality.
• Missional Planning: Passages on the “ends of the earth” encourage global evangelism rooted in God’s panoramic redemptive plan.
Christological and New Testament Reflections
Though קֵץ is Hebrew, its theological freight carries into the Greek telos. Jesus declares, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13), fulfilling every anticipatory קֵץ. The cross is the decisive end of sin’s dominion (Romans 6:10), and the resurrection inaugurates the age to come (1 Corinthians 15:24, “Then comes the end”).
See Also
Strong’s Greek 5056 (telos), Danielic eschatology, Day of the LORD, Ends of the Earth, Time Appointed
Forms and Transliterations
הֲקֵ֥ץ הַקֵּ֔ץ הַקֵּ֖ץ הַקֵּ֜ץ הַקֵּ֣ץ הַקֵּץ֙ הקץ וְקִצּ֣וֹ וּלְקֵ֤ץ וּלְקֵ֥ץ וּלְקֵ֨ץ ולקץ וקצו לְקֵ֥ץ לְקֵ֨ץ לַקֵּ֑ץ לַקֵּ֖ץ לקץ מִקֵּ֖ץ מִקֵּ֞ץ מִקֵּ֣ץ מִקֵּ֣ץ ׀ מִקֵּ֥ץ מִקֵּ֨ץ מִקֵּץ֙ מִקֵּץ֩ מקץ קִּ֝צִּ֗י קִצִּ֗י קִצֵּ֖ךְ קִצֵּ֛ינוּ קִצֵּֽינוּ׃ קִצֹּ֔ה קִצּ֔וֹ קֵ֑ץ קֵ֔ץ קֵ֖ץ קֵ֗ץ קֵ֝֗ץ קֵ֣ץ קֵ֤ץ קֵ֤ץ ׀ קֵ֥ץ קֵֽץ׃ קֵץ֙ קץ קץ׃ קצה קצו קצי קצינו קצינו׃ קצך hă·qêṣ haKetz hakKetz haq·qêṣ hăqêṣ haqqêṣ ketz kitzTzech kitzTzeinu kitzTzi kitzTzo kitzTzoh lakKetz laq·qêṣ laqqêṣ lə·qêṣ leKetz ləqêṣ mikKetz miq·qêṣ miqqêṣ qêṣ qiṣ·ṣê·nū qiṣ·ṣêḵ qiṣ·ṣî qiṣ·ṣōh qiṣ·ṣōw qiṣṣêḵ qiṣṣênū qiṣṣî qiṣṣōh qiṣṣōw ū·lə·qêṣ uleKetz ūləqêṣ vekitzTzo wə·qiṣ·ṣōw wəqiṣṣōw
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