Lexical Summary
qatseh: End, edge, extremity, border
Original Word: קָצֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qatseh
Pronunciation: kä-tseh'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-tseh')
KJV: X after, border, brim, brink, edge, end, (in-)finite, frontier, outmost coast, quarter, shore, (out-)side, X some, ut(-ter-)most (part)
Word Origin: [from H7096 (קָצָה - cut off)]
1. an extremity (used in a great variety of applications and idioms)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
after, border, brim, brink, edge, end, infinite, frontier,
Or (negative only) qetseh {kay'-tseh}; from qatsah; an extremity (used in a great variety of applications and idioms; compare qets) -- X after, border, brim, brink, edge, end, (in-)finite, frontier, outmost coast, quarter, shore, (out-)side, X some, ut(-ter-)most (part).
see HEBREW qatsah
see HEBREW qets
Brown-Driver-Briggs
:92 , only singular: absolute
Genesis 19:4 3t.; construct
Judges 6:21 +; suffix
Genesis 47:21 4t.; ()
Ezekiel 33:2 (singular; Ges
§ 93ss); plural (construct) supplied by , see following; —
end, of staff Judges 6:21, rod 1 Samuel 14:27,43, curtains Exodus 26:5 = Exodus 36:12 (P; compare ); of conduit Isaiah 7:3, river, = mouth Isaiah 7:18 (probably), Joshua 15:5 (twice in verse); Joshua 18:19; of field Genesis 23:9, valley Joshua 15:8, tribe Joshua 15:21, sea Joshua 15:2; Numbers 34:3 (all P); of territory () Numbers 20:16 (J E; just without), Numbers 22:36 (E; just within), compare Ezekiel 25:9 (al. below
); Genesis 47:21 (J); compare Exodus 26:28 = Exodus 36:33 (of side of tabernacle); Ezekiel 48:1 at the northern extremity, compare Joshua 15:1 (P); of earth, Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 43:6; Deuteronomy 28:49 (all "" ), Isaiah 42:10 4t.; + phrase Deuteronomy 13:8; Deuteronomy 28:64; Jeremiah 25:33, of land Jeremiah 12:12 (compare Isaiah 26:15); of earth, abbreviated Isaiah 25:31; Isaiah 48:20; Isaiah 49:6; Psalm 46:10, Isaiah 62:11; of earth, Proverbs 17:24, Psalm 19:5; Isaiah 13:5 ("" ), Psalm 19:7 ("" ), Deuteronomy 30:4 = Nehemiah 1:9; Deuteronomy 4:32.
border, outskirts, of city 1 Samuel 9:27; 1 Samuel 14:2; Joshua 4:19; Joshua 18:15, camp Numbers 11:1 (JE); especially to one approaching Judges 7:17,19; 2 Kings 7:5,8, so of armed force Judges 7:11, people Numbers 22:41 (E), Numbers 23:13 (J E; emphatic , opposed to ), mountain Exodus 19:12 (E), Joshua 18:16 (JE); see also Joshua 3:8 (D), Joshua 3:15 (JE), Exodus 13:20 = Numbers 33:6; Exodus 16:35; Numbers 33:37; Joshua 13:27 (all P), Ruth 3:7.
, = the whole: Genesis 47:2 (J), compare Ezekiel 33:2; absolute Genesis 19:4 (J) = in (its) entirety; = on all sides, Jeremiah 51:31 + Jeremiah 50:26 ( for , Gie); so Isaiah 56:11 Di, but omitted Du Che Marti.
at the end of a certain time Joshua 9:16 (JE), 2 Samuel 24:8 8t.
(Baer ) (on BaNB § 12 a, and [on ] Köii. 1, 63); — only , usually + , no end to (of), Isaiah 2:7 (twice in verse); Nahum 2:10; Nahum 3:3; absolute Nahum 3:9.
(√ of following; Biblical Hebrew I. , ).
Topical Lexicon
Overview Strong’s Hebrew 7097, qāṣeh, appears roughly ninety-seven times and consistently conveys the idea of an extremity—whether of space, structure, people, or metaphorical reach. Through this word, Scripture speaks of borders that define covenant land, remote places that witness God’s universal rule, and edges of holy objects that remind Israel of divine precision.
Spatial Extremities and Territorial Boundaries
1. National borders. Moses defined Israel’s inheritance “from the wilderness of Zin… and the border shall extend to the Brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the Sea” (Numbers 34:3-6). Qāṣeh marks the line where promised territory ends and foreign land begins, reinforcing the sanctity of God-given boundaries.
2. City limits. Saul waited “in the outskirts of Gibeah” (1 Samuel 14:2), a setting that underlines how even remote quarters lie under the Sovereign’s eye.
3. International range. Pharaoh Joseph moved the Egyptians “from one end of Egypt to the other” (Genesis 47:21), demonstrating administrative reach over every extremity of the realm.
Ends of the Earth as Theological Motif
The plural “ends of the earth” becomes a refrain of universal hope and accountability.
• Psalm 22:27: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD.”
• Isaiah 40:28: “The LORD is… the Creator of the ends of the earth.”
• Isaiah 52:10: “All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.”
Each citation joins spatial language to redemptive purpose, foreshadowing the Gospel’s global proclamation (Acts 1:8). The phrase assures that no corner is beyond the Creator’s reach, nor any people beyond the Messiah’s call.
Edges in Sacred Architecture and Worship
Tabernacle and Temple craftsmanship repeatedly uses qāṣeh to describe exact termini.
• Exodus 25:18-20—cherubim fashioned “at the two ends of the mercy seat.”
• Exodus 26:4-5—loops “on the edge of the end curtain” to hold the tent together.
• 1 Kings 6:24—cherub wings in Solomon’s Temple stretched “to the outermost edge.”
These details stress that holiness permeates not only central spaces but also the very margins. Every seam, loop, and border affirmed that Israel’s worship must be complete and undivided.
Prophetic Reach and Messianic Hope
Prophets incorporate qāṣeh to declare judgment and salvation.
• Deuteronomy 28:64 warns of scattering “from one end of the earth to the other” for covenant breach.
• Isaiah 41:9 comforts the remnant: “I took you from the ends of the earth.”
• Micah 5:4 and Zechariah 9:10 promise a Shepherd-King whose dominion extends “to the ends of the earth.”
Thus, the same word that threatened exile also heralded the worldwide reign of the Messiah, uniting justice and grace.
Military and Historical Scenes
Enemies boast of reaching farthest recesses (2 Kings 19:23), armies arrive “from the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 13:5), and plague sweeps “from one end of the land to the other” (2 Samuel 24:15). Qāṣeh intensifies narrative tension by showing how conflicts touch every outpost, yet always within limits set by the Lord.
Pastoral and Missional Implications
• God attends to the margins. From loop to border, Scripture’s use of qāṣeh teaches that nothing is peripheral to Him. Churches emulate this care when they shepherd overlooked people and places.
• Evangelism aims at earth’s extremities. The recurring motif invites believers to pray and labor until worship rises from every quarter.
• Covenant boundaries guard identity. Just as ancient borders safeguarded Israel’s holiness, clear doctrinal and ethical lines preserve the Church’s witness today.
Selected References
Genesis 19:4; 47:21
Exodus 25:18-20; 26:4-5
Numbers 34:3-6
Deuteronomy 28:49, 64
1 Samuel 14:2
2 Kings 19:23
Psalm 22:27; 46:9; 98:3
Isaiah 40:28; 41:9; 52:10
Jeremiah 10:13; 25:31
Micah 5:4
Zechariah 9:10
Job 28:24; 37:3
From the innermost sanctuary to the furthest horizon, qāṣeh reminds readers that the God of Scripture both defines and fills every edge.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּקָצֵ֑הוּ בִּקְצֵ֖ה בִּקְצֵ֣ה בִּקְצֵ֤ה בִּקְצֵ֥ה בִּקְצֵ֨ה בִּקְצֵה־ בקצה בקצה־ בקצהו הַקָּצֶ֖ה הַקָּצֶֽה׃ הקצה הקצה׃ וּבִקְצֵ֣ה וּלְמִקְצֵ֥ה וּמִקְצֵ֣ה ובקצה ולמקצה ומקצה מִקְצֵ֕ה מִקְצֵ֖ה מִקְצֵ֣ה מִקְצֵ֣ה ׀ מִקְצֵ֤ה מִקְצֵ֥ה מִקְצֵ֨ה מִקְצֵ֪ה מִקְצֵה֙ מִקְצֵה־ מִקְצֵיהֶ֔ם מִקָּצֵ֑הוּ מִקָּצֵֽהוּ׃ מִקָּצֶֽה׃ מקצה מקצה־ מקצה׃ מקצהו מקצהו׃ מקציהם קְצֵ֖ה קְצֵ֗ה קְצֵ֣ה קְצֵ֤ה קְצֵ֥ה קְצֵ֪ה קְצֵה֙ קֵ֑צֶה קֵ֖צֶה קֵ֙צֶה֙ קָצֵ֣הוּ קָצֵֽהוּ׃ קצה קצהו קצהו׃ bə·qā·ṣê·hū bekaTzehu bəqāṣêhū bikTzeh biq·ṣêh biq·ṣêh- biqṣêh biqṣêh- hakkaTzeh haq·qā·ṣeh haqqāṣeh kaTzehu keTzeh mikkaTzeh mikkaTzehu mikTzeh miktzeiHem miq·qā·ṣê·hū miq·qā·ṣeh miq·ṣê·hem miq·ṣêh miq·ṣêh- miqqāṣeh miqqāṣêhū miqṣêh miqṣêh- miqṣêhem qā·ṣê·hū qāṣêhū qê·ṣeh qə·ṣêh qêṣeh qəṣêh ū·ḇiq·ṣêh ū·lə·miq·ṣêh ū·miq·ṣêh ūḇiqṣêh ulemikTzeh ūləmiqṣêh umikTzeh ūmiqṣêh uvikTzeh
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