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# קַו

Biblical Hebrew

**line** — used 12 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

line [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1511/lemma_3a_5e7_5b7_5d5/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

קַו³: n.m. line [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1511/lemma_3a_5e7_5b7_5d5/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Zc 1:16 line (cf. Köii 1, 40 Anm. 2);—abs. קַו Ez 47:3 + Zc 1:16 Qr (Kt קוה), קָ֑ו Is 34:17 +; cstr. קַו (קָ K3) 2 K 21:13 +;—measuring-line (ק׳ מִדָּה Je 31:39): 1 K 7:23 (Qr; Kt קוה, v. infr.) = 2 Ch 4:2, Ez 47:3; for marking off a possession in land Is 34:17 (fig.); especially נָטָה ק׳ עַל, in building, Jb 38:5 (fig. of earth), Zc 1:16 (יִנָּטֶה; ‖ יִבָּנֶה), so יָצָא ק׳ Je 31:39 (Qr; Kt קוה); נָטָה ק׳ of designing idol Is 44:13; marking off for destruction, נָטָה ק׳ עַל 2 K 21:13 Is 34:11 (תֹהוּ קַו־), נ׳ ק׳ La 2:8; so וְשַׂמְתִּ֫י מִשְׁפָּט לְקָ֔ו Is 28:17.—קַוָּם their chord = music ψ 19:5. Is 18:2, 7 v. קוקו infr.; 28:10, 13 v. i. קַו.

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 4 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: line (8); of strength (4).

## In the verses

[Isaiah 28:10](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.28.10/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.28.10/#tree)

כִּ֣י צַ֤ו לָצָו֙ צַ֣ו לָצָ֔ו קַ֥ו לָקָ֖ו קַ֣ו לָקָ֑ו זְעֵ֥יר שָׁ֖ם זְעֵ֥יר שָֽׁם׃

*Word for word:* (dm) command to command command to command line to line line to line a.little there a.little there

*JPS 1917:* For it is precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line; here a little, there a little.

[Isaiah 28:13](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.28.13/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.28.13/#tree)

וְהָיָ֨ה לָהֶ֜ם דְּבַר־יְהוָ֗ה צַ֣ו לָצָ֞ו צַ֤ו לָצָו֙ קַ֤ו לָקָו֙ קַ֣ו לָקָ֔ו זְעֵ֥יר שָׁ֖ם זְעֵ֣יר שָׁ֑ם לְמַ֨עַן יֵלְכ֜וּ וְכָשְׁל֤וּ אָחוֹר֙ וְנִשְׁבָּ֔רוּ וְנוֹקְשׁ֖וּ וְנִלְכָּֽדוּ׃פ

*Word for word:* and it.will.be to them the.word of.Yahweh command to command command to command line to line line to line a.little there a.little there so.that they.may.go and they.will.stumble backwards and they.will.be.broken and they.will.be.ensnared and they.will.be.captured

*JPS 1917:* And so the word of the LORD is unto them precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e7_5b7_5d5.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1511/lemma_3a_5e7_5b7_5d5/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).