Lexical Summary kasah: To cover, conceal, hide, clothe Original Word: כָּשָׂה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be covered A primitive root; to grow fat (i.e. Be covered with flesh) -- be covered. Compare kacah. see HEBREW kacah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be sated or gorged (with food) NASB Translation sleek (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [כָּשָׂה] verb be sated, gorged with food (compare Arabic ![]() Qal Perfect2masculine singular שָׁמַנְתָּ עָבִיתָ כָּשִׂיתָ Deuteronomy 32:15 thou grewest fat, becamest thick, wast gorged ! figurative of Israel as fat beast (compare Dr). כֻּשִׁיִּים כֻּשִׁית see כּוּשִׁי. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery כָּשָׂה in its lone biblical appearance (Deuteronomy 32:15) conveys the idea of becoming “sleek,” “polished,” or “glossy with fat.” It pictures an animal whose coat shines because it has been over-fed. The verb therefore operates as an image of overabundance that produces outward smoothness but inward softness—prosperity that dulls spiritual alertness. Literary Context within Deuteronomy Moses’ “Song” (Deuteronomy 32:1-43) rehearses the LORD’s faithfulness contrasted with Israel’s future unfaithfulness. The three-part description—“fat, sleek, and corpulent” (Deuteronomy 32:15)—places כָּשָׂה between two synonyms for obesity. The middle verb intensifies the progression from simple weight gain (“fat”) to conspicuous, self-indulgent luxuriance (“sleek”), ending in heavy sluggishness (“corpulent”). Moses warns that Israel’s covenant infidelity will not spring from want but from satiety. Historical Background Ancient Near-Eastern agrarian life treated fatness as a sign of blessing (cf. Genesis 45:18; Proverbs 13:4). Yet the covenant law had already warned that such blessing could provoke forgetfulness (Deuteronomy 8:10-14). The Song propheticly sets Israel’s later history in miniature: national expansion under David-Solomon, followed by complacency, idolatry, and eventual exile (2 Kings 17:7-23; 2 Chronicles 36:14-21). Theological Themes 1. Blessing as a Test: Material prosperity exposes the heart (Deuteronomy 8:2). Intercanonical Parallels • “They were filled, and their hearts became proud; therefore they forgot Me” (Hosea 13:6). These texts echo the כָּשָׂה warning: comfort can smother dependence on God. Ministry and Pastoral Implications • Discipleship must address the spiritual hazards of comfort as seriously as the trials of hardship. Homiletical Outline Suggestion 1. Prosperity Received (God’s gracious provision). Summary כָּשָׂה captures the peril of prosperity: when blessing polishes the exterior, the heart may grow dull to its Redeemer. Deuteronomy 32:15 stands as a perpetual sentinel, calling God’s people to gratefully steward abundance rather than let abundance master them. Forms and Transliterations כָּשִׂ֑יתָ כשית kā·śî·ṯā kaSita kāśîṯāLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 32:15 HEB: שָׁמַ֖נְתָּ עָבִ֣יתָ כָּשִׂ֑יתָ וַיִּטֹּשׁ֙ אֱל֣וֹהַ NAS: thick, and sleek-- Then he forsook KJV: thou art grown thick, thou art covered [with fatness]; then he forsook INT: fat thick and sleek forsook God 1 Occurrence |