Lexical Summary qab: Measure, Kab Original Word: קַב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cab From qabab; a hollow, i.e. Vessel used as a (dry) measure -- cab. see HEBREW qabab NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition kab (a measure of capacity) NASB Translation kab (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs קַב noun [masculine] kab (Late Hebrew id.; Syriac  ; Talmud קַבָא); — a measure of capacity, Biblical Hebrew only dry measure, רֹבַע הַקַּב 2 Kings 6:25 4-Jankab; on size of קַב = 4 לֹג = 1/6 סְאָה = 1/6 הִין = approximately 2 litres see NowArchaeology i. 202 f. BenzArchaeology 182. Topical Lexicon Overview The Hebrew term קַב (qab) designates a small dry measure that appears only once in Scripture. While minute in quantity, its single biblical use occurs in a narrative that vividly exposes the depths of human desperation under divine discipline, thereby providing a striking lens through which to view covenant faithfulness, judgment, and future hope. Scriptural Occurrence 2 Kings 6:25 records a severe siege of Samaria by the Arameans: “There was a great famine in Samaria, and they besieged it until a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver”. Here the qab represents the amount of “dove’s dung” (likely seed pods or a coarse pulse) that cost an exorbitant sum, underscoring the extremity of the famine. Historical Background The setting is the reign of Jehoram (Joram) in the Northern Kingdom. Ben-Hadad II of Aram had shut the city gates, cutting supply lines and fulfilling patterns of covenant curses foretold in Leviticus 26:26 and Deuteronomy 28:52–53. Israel’s earlier apostasy—idolatry instituted by Jeroboam I and continued under Jehoram—had ripened into national judgment. The qab therefore stands as a mute witness to the accuracy of Moses’ warnings and to the seriousness with which God upholds His Word. Measurement and Economic Context Though a minor unit, a qab’s price soared to five shekels of silver—months of wages for the common laborer. Trade data from surrounding cultures suggest the sum was hundreds of times the normal market value. In other words, what would ordinarily feed a child for a day now cost a family’s savings. The market scene in Samaria anticipates Lamentations 4:9–10, where siege-induced hunger drives people to shocking extremes, and illustrates the prophetic refrain, “They have sown the wind and will reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7). Theological Significance 1. Covenant Accountability. The inflated price of a qab frames the narrative into which Elisha speaks the promise of overnight deliverance (2 Kings 7:1). Judgment and grace are juxtaposed: Israel’s unfaithfulness causes the famine, yet God’s covenant loyalty offers mercy apart from merit. Ministry Application • Preaching. The qab invites exposition on the disastrous consequences of sin and the immediacy of divine rescue to the repentant. Sermons can parallel tangible famine with moral deprivation, urging hearers to seek the sustenance found in Scripture and in Christ. Intertextual Connections Genesis 41 (Joseph), 1 Kings 17 (Elijah and the widow), and John 6 (feeding the five thousand) all demonstrate God’s provision during scarcity. In each case, divine supply overwhelms human lack. The qab of 2 Kings 6:25 therefore resides within a continuum of redemptive history that begins with manna in the wilderness and culminates in the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). Summary Though small in measurement, the qab’s solitary mention magnifies Scripture’s recurring themes: sin produces famine, God’s Word exposes the depth of need, and grace abounds where judgment once reigned. In the shadow of Samaria’s empty storehouses, the measure quietly heralds the coming fullness found in the faithful provision of the covenant-keeping God. Forms and Transliterations הַקַּ֥ב הקב hakKav haq·qaḇ haqqaḇLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Kings 6:25 HEB: כֶּ֔סֶף וְרֹ֛בַע הַקַּ֥ב [חֲרֵייֹונִים כ] NAS: and a fourth of a kab of dove's KJV: and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung INT: silver fourth of a kab doves' dung five 1 Occurrence |
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