Lexical Summary
qirah: Encounter, meeting, assembly
Original Word:קִרְאָה
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:qir'ah
Pronunciation:kee-raw'
Phonetic Spelling:(keer-aw')
KJV: X against (he come), help, meet, seek, X to, X in the way
Word Origin:[fromH7122 (קָרָא - meet)]
1. an encountering, accidental, friendly or hostile (also adverbially, opposite)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way
Fromqara'; an encountering, accidental, friendly or hostile (also adverbially, opposite) -- X against (he come), help, meet, seek, X to, X in the way.
see HEBREWqara'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originthe same as
qara, q.v.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Profile and Range of Expressionקִרְאָה (Strong’s 7125) describes the act of “coming near” or “drawing close,” whether physically approaching a person or place, entering into an encounter, or standing in readiness before the Lord. The term embraces military engagement (“to meet in battle”), priestly service (“to present before”), social interaction (“to come up to”), and covenantal intimacy (“to approach God”). About one hundred occurrences spread across the Law, Prophets, and Writings show a remarkably consistent idea: intentional proximity that brings responsibility, revelation, or reckoning.
Distribution across the Canon
Pentateuch – c. 35 uses
Historical Books – c. 25 uses
Poetic / Wisdom – c. 15 uses
Major & Minor Prophets – c. 25 uses
The verb appears most densely in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, 1 Samuel, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Joel.
Representative Uses in the Pentateuch
1. Cultic Nearness
Exodus 28:1 records Yahweh’s charge: “Bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites to serve Me as priests.” Drawing near is prerequisite to priestly ministry; the word marks a divinely initiated approach that confers vocation and accountability.
2. Covenant Encounter
Deuteronomy 4:11 reminds Israel of Sinai: “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain.” The approach to a holy mountain underscores both privilege and peril; nearness demands mediation, foreshadowing later priestly and ultimately Messianic mediation.
3. Regal Protocol
Genesis 45:4 shows Joseph’s gracious invitation: “Come near to me, please.” The verb highlights reconciliation after estrangement, an echo of the gospel pattern: royal invitation, humbled approach, restored relationship.
Historical Narratives: Confrontation and Consecration
•1 Samuel 17:40 – David “approached the Philistine,” illustrating decisive faith that steps toward, not away from, opposition.
•1 Kings 18:30 – Elijah said, “Come near to me,” before repairing the altar. True revival gathers the people into nearness with God’s prophet and God’s altar.
•2 Samuel 6:6 – Uzzah’s fatal reach when “they came to the threshing floor of Nakon” warns that unauthorized nearness to sacred things invites judgment.
Poetic and Wisdom Literature: Longing and Lament
Psalm 65:4 exults, “Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts.” Nearness is covenant blessing.
Psalm 73:28 contrasts the wicked’s fate: “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” Spiritual life is measured not by circumstance but by proximity to the Almighty.
Job 13:3 protests, “I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case with God.” Even in suffering, the instinct is to draw near in honest dialogue.
Prophetic Literature: Eschatological Urgency
Isaiah 41:1 calls the nations: “Let them draw near and speak.” The courtroom imagery summons the world to give account before Yahweh.
Joel 3:9 commands, “Prepare for war! Rouse the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near.” Here קִרְאָה marks the mustering of armies for the Day of the Lord.
Jeremiah 30:21 looks forward to Messiah: “Their ruler will come from their own midst, and I will bring him near, and he will approach Me; for who would dare on his own to approach Me?” Only a divinely appointed mediator can accomplish the ultimate approach.
Key Theological Motifs
1. Holiness and Mediation
Every appearance of קִרְאָה in a cultic setting clarifies that nearness to God is never casual. Levitical regulations (for example,Leviticus 21:17–21) guard the sanctuary, underscoring human unfitness without atonement.
2. Conflict and Victory
Military uses (Joshua 8:5;Judges 20:34) depict troops “drawing near” to engage. The term thus frames Israel’s battles as moments when covenant obedience or disobedience is tested in the fray.
3. Invitation and Mercy
When sovereign figures invite approach—Joseph, David, Esther, Elijah—the narrative mirrors God’s own gracious invitations. Human mediators anticipate the ultimate Mediator who says, “Come to Me” (Matthew 11:28).
4. Eschatological Reckoning
Prophets attach the verb to “the Day” (Zephaniah 1:14;Malachi 3:5). Nearness becomes imminence: judgment is not abstract but at the doorstep.
Christological Foreshadowing
Jeremiah 30:21 offers the clearest direct link: a future ruler whom God Himself will “bring near.” Hebrews develops the theme: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). The Greek ἐγγίζω echoes the Hebrew root, showing continuity between Testaments. Jesus Christ embodies both sides of the verb—God drawing near to us (Incarnation) and us drawing near to God (through His priestly work).
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Worship Leadership
Leaders are charged to “bring near” God’s people (compare1 Peter 2:5). Corporate worship must highlight God’s holiness while extending His invitation.
2. Discipleship and Sanctification
Believers cultivate intentional proximity through Scripture, prayer, and sacraments, mindful ofJames 4:8, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
3. Evangelism
The pattern of gracious invitation encourages gospel proclamation: we invite others to come near to the Savior who first came near to us (John 1:14).
4. Spiritual Warfare
Joel’s mustering language informs pastoral exhortation: the church must be ready, armor on, drawing near to the battle line in faith (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Summary
קִרְאָה (Strong’s 7125) traces a redemptive trajectory from Sinai to Zion, from altars of animal blood to the cross of Christ. Whether depicting priests at the tabernacle, prophets confronting kings, warriors closing ranks, or psalmists yearning for God, the word consistently insists that nearness is decisive. It blesses or it judges, but it never leaves one unchanged. Through the finished work of Jesus the Messiah, the once-dangerous approach has become a living hope: “For Christ also suffered once for sins… that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
Forms and Transliterations
לִ֠קְרַאת לִקְרַ֖את לִקְרַ֛את לִקְרַ֣את לִקְרַ֤את לִקְרַ֥את לִקְרַ֨את לִקְרַֽאת־ לִקְרַאתְכֶ֑ם לִקְרַאתְכֶ֔ם לִקְרַאת־ לִקְרָֽאתְךָ֔ לִקְרָאת֑וֹ לִקְרָאת֔וֹ לִקְרָאת֖וֹ לִקְרָאת֗וֹ לִקְרָאת֜וֹ לִקְרָאתִ֔י לִקְרָאתִ֖י לִקְרָאתִ֣י לִקְרָאתִי֙ לִקְרָאתֵ֔נוּ לִקְרָאתֵ֗נוּ לִקְרָאתֵ֙נוּ֙ לִקְרָאתֵ֛נוּ לִקְרָאתֵ֜נוּ לִקְרָאתֶ֑ךָ לִקְרָאתֶ֔ךָ לִקְרָאתֶֽךָ׃ לִקְרָאתָ֑הּ לִקְרָאתָ֑ם לִקְרָאתָ֔ם לִקְרָאתָ֖ם לִקְרָאתָ֜הּ לִקְרָאתָ֜ם לִקְרָאתָ֥ם ׀ לִקְרָאתָֽם׃ לִקְרָאתָהּ֒ לִקְרָאתָם֙ לִקְרָאתֽוֹ׃ לִקְרָאתוֹ֒ לִקְרָאתוֹ֙ לקראת לקראת־ לקראתה לקראתו לקראתו׃ לקראתי לקראתך לקראתך׃ לקראתכם לקראתם לקראתם׃ לקראתנו likRat likraTah likraTam likratChem likrateCha likraTenu likraTi likraTo liq·rā·ṯāh liq·rā·ṯām liq·rā·ṯe·ḵā liq·rā·ṯə·ḵā liq·rā·ṯê·nū liq·rā·ṯî liq·rā·ṯōw liq·raṯ liq·raṯ- liq·raṯ·ḵem liqraṯ liqraṯ- liqrāṯāh liqrāṯām liqrāṯeḵā liqrāṯəḵā liqrāṯênū liqrāṯî liqraṯḵem liqrāṯōw
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
