Lexical Summary
qatsar: To be short, to shorten, to reap, to harvest
Original Word:קָצַר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:qatsar
Pronunciation:kah-tsar'
Phonetic Spelling:(kaw-tsar')
KJV: reap
Word Origin:[A primitive root]
1. To shorten
2. to reap
3. to harvest
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cut down, much discouraged, grieve, harvestman, loathe, mourn, reaper,
A primitive root; to dock off, i.e. Curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain) -- X at all, cut down, much discouraged, grieve, harvestman, lothe, mourn, reap(-er), (be, wax) short(-en, -er), straiten, trouble, vex.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[], I. (Ges
§ 44c Sta
§ 384, 2)
(Late Hebrewshort,shorten; Arabic
shorten,
be short, with
come short of; Jewish-Aramaic be short); —
Perfect3masculine singularIsaiah 28:20;Micah 2:7 (SS from adjective ); 3 feminine singularIsaiah 50:2;Isaiah 59:1;Imperfect3feminine singularJob 21:4 +, 3 feminine pluralProverbs 10:27;Infinitive absoluteIsaiah 50:2;Passive participle feminine pluralEzekiel 42:5; —be short, of bedIsaiah 28:20 (figurative), ofEzekiel 42:5; especially (figurative) of , i.e. be ineffective, powerlessNumbers 11:23 (JE), with compareIsaiah 50:2 (+ infinitive absolute),Isaiah 59:1; with , , =be impatient (opposed to [] (c)):Numbers 21:4b (JE), of utter discouragement, compare (of )Job 21:4;Judges 16:16 i.e. he was worn out (by importunity), so of prophets (representing )Zechariah 11:8 ( person) reach limit of patience with, endurance of; ofJudges 10:16 ( of thing);Micah 2:7 (see above); of timeProverbs 10:27 (years of wicked).
shorten Perfect3masculine singularPsalm 102:24.
id., Perfect3masculine singularPsalm 89:46.
II. [] (Late Hebrewid., alsoharvest; compare Assyrian‡aƒârujoin together, collect; see DlPr 166 f. ZehnpfBAS i. 503 (not Syriac
bind, Ethiopic
: [
]constringere, see NöZMG xl (1886), 735)); —
Perfect3pluralJeremiah 12:13, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularIsaiah 17:5;Ecclesiastes 11:4 +Proverbs 22:8 Kt (Qr ); 3 masculine pluralRuth 2:9, etc.;Imperative masculine pluralHosea 10:12 +;Infinitive construct1 Samuel 8:12 +; suffixLeviticus 23:22,Leviticus 19:9;Leviticus 23:22;ParticipleJeremiah 9:21 +, etc.: —reap, with accusative of crop: accusative of congnate meaning with verb1 Samuel 6:13;1 Samuel 8:12 (+ ),Leviticus 19:9;Leviticus 23:10,22 (all H)Deuteronomy 24:19; accusative of grainIsaiah 17:5 (figurative; "" ),Job 24:6 (Qr; Kt see
), compareLeviticus 25:5 (H),Leviticus 25:11 (P; + ), so (object omitted)2 Kings 19:29 =Isaiah 37:30;Micah 6:15 (opposed to ),Leviticus 19:9; bLeviticus 23:22 bRuth 2:9;Ecclesiastes 11:4 (+ ); objectJeremiah 12:13 (opposed to );Participle =reaperAmos 9:13 ( + ),Jeremiah 9:21 (simile),Psalm 129:7 ("" ), +Isaiah 17:5 (for , so BuhlLex 13 Marti); plural2 Kings 4:18;Ruth 2:3,4,5,6,7,14; figurative of reaping fruits of righteousnessHosea 10:12 (+ ), of evilHosea 8:7 (both + ),Hosea 10:13 ( + ),Job 4:8 (+ , ,Proverbs 22:8;Psalm 126:5 they that sow () in tearsshall reap in joy.
ImperfectJob 24:6 Kt (< Qr , see above).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewקָצַר (qatsar) spans the concrete act of cutting grain and the figurative idea of being “shortened” or “impatient.” Found about forty-nine times, it moves from fields of barley and wheat to the inner life of the soul, and even to the question of whether the LORD’s power could ever be “cut short.”
Agricultural Practice and Calendar
Qatsar first evokes the ordinary rhythm of Israel’s agrarian year. From the pre-exilic period onward, reaping began with the barley harvest around the time of Passover, followed by the wheat harvest that culminated at the Feast of Weeks. The verb appears in settings as varied asRuth 2:3, where Boaz’s workers “reap” while Ruth gleans behind them, and1 Samuel 6:13, where Beth-shemesh farmers are “reaping the wheat harvest in the valley” when the Ark returns. The practice required sickle work done swiftly before the Canaanite spring rains or summer siroccos could ruin the grain (Proverbs 10:5).
Covenant Legislation and Worship
Israel’s law embedded qatsar in Sabbath-keeping and feast observance:
•Exodus 34:21 – “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing and harvest you must rest.”
•Leviticus 23:10 – firstfruits from the reaping were waved before the LORD, binding the harvest to worship.
•Deuteronomy 24:19 – reapers were to leave forgotten sheaves for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Such statutes safeguarded holy time and social compassion simultaneously.
Provision for the Poor and the Stranger
By limiting how thoroughly one might reap (Leviticus 19:9;Ruth 2:2), qatsar became an instrument of mercy. Fields were never to be stripped bare; edges and corners remained for the marginalized. The scene of Ruth gleaning during “barley and wheat harvests” (Ruth 2:23) demonstrates the law in living color and shows how the faithful exercise of qatsar could weave Gentiles into the lineage of Messiah.
Harvest as Theological Motif
Prophets turned the farmer’s verb into rich metaphor. Hosea pleads, “Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loyal love” (Hosea 10:12). Jeremiah warns, “They sowed wheat but reaped thorns” (Jeremiah 12:13). Isaiah pictures judgment “like a reaper gathering the standing grain” (Isaiah 17:5). Thus qatsar proclaims both promise and peril: the covenant people will reap precisely what they sow, whether obedience or rebellion.
Divine Power Never ‘Cut Short’
When Moses questions the feasibility of feeding six hundred thousand men, the LORD replies, “Is the LORD’s arm too short?” (Numbers 11:23). Isaiah echoes, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save” (Isaiah 59:1; cf.Isaiah 50:2). Here qatsar negates any imagined limitation on divine ability. The same verb that shortens a stalk of wheat emphatically does not shorten the redeeming reach of God.
Human Impatience and Weariness
The root also describes inward impatience or emotional constriction. “The people became impatient on the journey” (Numbers 21:4).Judges 10:16 notes that the LORD’s “soul could no longer bear the misery of Israel.”Zechariah 11:8 says, “My soul grew impatient with them.” In each case, qatsar portrays a shrinking tolerance—whether human frustration in the wilderness or divine revulsion toward covenant-breakers.
Christological and Eschatological Echoes
Although the Hebrew term itself does not appear in the New Testament, its imagery reverberates. Jesus’ pronouncement, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37), leans on the Old Testament backdrop where reaping symbolizes both ingathering and judgment. The Feast of Weeks, anchored in the act of qatsar, foreshadows Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit brings the firstfruits of the worldwide Church.
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
1. Work and Rest:Exodus 34:21 balances diligent labor with Sabbath faithfulness—an enduring model for Christian vocation.
2. Generosity: Leaving gleanings shows that productivity must be tempered by charity. Churches today mirror this through benevolence funds and food banks.
3. Spiritual Harvest: Preachers may press Hosea’s appeal—plow up fallow ground, sow righteousness, and expect to “reap” covenant love.
4. Confidence in God’s Sufficiency: When ministry demands seem overwhelming, the rebuttal remains, “Is the LORD’s arm too short?”
5. Guarding the Heart: Israel’s wilderness impatience warns believers to resist spiritual short-temper and trust providence.
Summary
Qatsar gathers Israel’s grain, legislates her compassion, exposes her sin, and magnifies her Redeemer. Whether sharpening a farmer’s sickle or sharpening prophetic urgency, the verb reminds readers that what is cut down in the field ultimately points to the Lord who cannot be “cut short” in power, grace, or faithfulness.
Forms and Transliterations
אָ֑וֶן און בְּקֻצְרֶ֔ךָ בַּקֹּצֵ֔ר בקצר בקצרך הֲקָצ֨וֹר הֲקָצַר֙ הִ֭קְצַרְתָּ הַקֹּצְרִ֑ים הַקֹּצְרִֽים׃ הַקֹּצֵ֖ר הַקּֽוֹצְרִ֑ים הַקּֽוֹצְרִ֔ים הַקּוֹצְרִ֑ים הַקּוֹצְרִ֖ים הקוצרים הקצור הקצר הקצרים הקצרים׃ הקצרת וְלִקְצֹ֣ר וְקִצְר֛וּ וַתִּקְצַ֤ר וַתִּקְצַ֥ר וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶ֞ם וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶם֙ וּקְצַרְתֶּ֖ם ובקצרכם ולקצר וקצרו וקצרתם ותקצר יִקְצ֑וֹר יִקְצְרֻֽהוּ׃ יִקְצָר־ יִקְצֹ֑ורוּ יִקְצֹ֑רוּ יִקְצֹֽרוּ׃ יִקְצֹרוּן֙ יִקְצֽוֹר׃ יקצור יקצור׃ יקצורו יקצר־ יקצרהו׃ יקצרו יקצרו׃ יקצרון לַקּוֹצְרִ֖ים לקוצרים קְצַרְתֶּ֖ם קְצֻר֑וֹת קִצְר֣וּ קִצַּ֥ר קָצְרָ֤ה קָצְרָ֥ה קָצַ֥ר קָצָ֔רוּ קֹצְרִ֥ים קוֹצֵ֗ר קוצר קצר קצרה קצרו קצרות קצרים קצרתם תִּקְצָ֑ר תִּקְצֹֽרְנָה׃ תִקְצ֑וֹר תִקְצ֔וֹר תִקְצְרוּ֙ תִקְצַ֥ר תִקְצֹר֩ תקצור תקצר תקצרו תקצרנה׃ ’ā·wen ’āwen Aven bakkoTzer baq·qō·ṣêr baqqōṣêr bə·quṣ·re·ḵā bekutzRecha bəquṣreḵā hă·qā·ṣar hă·qā·ṣō·wr hakaTzar hakaTzor hakkoTzer hakkotzeRim hakkotzRim haq·qō·ṣə·rîm haq·qō·ṣêr haq·qō·wṣ·rîm hăqāṣar hăqāṣōwr haqqōṣêr haqqōṣərîm haqqōwṣrîm Hiktzarta hiq·ṣar·tā hiqṣartā kaTzar kaTzaru katzeRah ketzarTem ketzuRot kitzRu kitzTzar koTzer kotzeRim lakkotzRim laq·qō·wṣ·rîm laqqōwṣrîm qā·ṣā·rū qā·ṣar qā·ṣə·rāh qāṣar qāṣārū qāṣərāh qə·ṣar·tem qə·ṣu·rō·wṯ qəṣartem qəṣurōwṯ qiṣ·rū qiṣ·ṣar qiṣrū qiṣṣar qō·ṣə·rîm qō·w·ṣêr qōṣərîm qōwṣêr tikTzar tiktzeRu tikTzor tikTzorenah tiq·ṣār ṯiq·ṣar ṯiq·ṣə·rū tiq·ṣō·rə·nāh ṯiq·ṣō·wr ṯiq·ṣōr tiqṣār ṯiqṣar ṯiqṣərū ṯiqṣōr tiqṣōrənāh ṯiqṣōwr ū·ḇə·quṣ·rə·ḵem ū·qə·ṣar·tem ūḇəquṣrəḵem uketzarTem ūqəṣartem uvekutzreChem vattikTzar vekitzRu velikTzor wat·tiq·ṣar wattiqṣar wə·liq·ṣōr wə·qiṣ·rū wəliqṣōr wəqiṣrū yiktzeRuhu yiktzor yikTzoru yiktzoRun yiq·ṣār- yiq·ṣə·ru·hū yiq·ṣō·rū yiq·ṣō·rūn yiq·ṣō·w·rū yiq·ṣō·wr yiqṣār- yiqṣəruhū yiqṣōrū yiqṣōrūn yiqṣōwr yiqṣōwrū
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