6919. qadach
Lexical Summary
qadach: To kindle, to burn, to inflame

Original Word: קָדַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qadach
Pronunciation: kah-dakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-dakh')
NASB: kindled, been kindled, kindle, kindles
Word Origin: [a primitive root to inflame]

1. burn, kindle

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
burn, kindle

A primitive root to inflame -- burn, kindle.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be kindled, kindle
NASB Translation
been kindled (1), kindle (1), kindled (2), kindles (1).

Topical Lexicon
Imagery of Fire in the Covenant Context

The verb קָדַח consistently evokes the sudden ignition of an intense, consuming blaze. Its five appearances are confined to covenantal poetry and prophecy—literary settings in which the holiness of God collides with human rebellion. Fire is therefore not a neutral force; it is the chosen metaphor by which the Lord discloses both righteous judgment and purifying power.

Occurrences

Deuteronomy 32:22 – the Song of Moses anchors national history in Yahweh’s justice: “For a fire has been kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it devours the earth and its harvests and sets afire the foundations of the mountains”.
Isaiah 50:11 – self-reliant sinners “kindle a fire” of their own making, only to find torment in its light.
Isaiah 64:2 – the remnant pleads that God would “kindle the brushwood” of His enemies so that the nations might tremble.
Jeremiah 15:14; 17:4 – Judah’s idolatry “has kindled a fire” that will burn against her and hand the people over to foreign bondage.

Theological Themes

Righteous indignation. In each divine-subject use (Deuteronomy 32:22; Jeremiah 15:14; 17:4) קָדַח describes anger already “kindled,” not merely threatened. The heat of judgment is active, inevitable, and far-reaching—“to the depths of Sheol” and even to “the foundations of the mountains.” The vocabulary underlines that covenant curses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28) are not figurative warnings but enforceable realities.

Unholy self-reliance. Isaiah 50:11 shifts the subject from God to people who “kindle a fire” for themselves. The prophet exposes the irony: those who reject the light of revelation walk by sparks of their own making, only to “lie down in torment.” The verse functions as a solemn reversal of the pillar of fire in the wilderness; man-made light leads to darkness, while God-given light leads to life.

Purifying intervention. Isaiah 64:2 forms a corporate lament: as brushwood bursts into flame and water boils, so Israel longs for a visitation that will consume opposition and refine the faithful. Here קָדַח becomes a plea for mercy through judgment, anticipating a day when the nations tremble and the covenant community is vindicated.

Contrast of Human and Divine Fire

1. Source
• Divine: birthed in holiness (Deuteronomy 32; Jeremiah).
• Human: born of self-confidence (Isaiah 50).

2. Result
• Divine: covenantal discipline leading either to repentance or complete desolation.
• Human: self-inflicted torment with no redemptive outcome.

3. Duration
• Divine: “burn forever” (Jeremiah 17:4) until justice is satisfied.
• Human: bright but brief, ending in darkness.

Prophetic and Eschatological Significance

In Jeremiah, the kindled fire anticipates the Babylonian exile, a historical foreshadowing of final judgment. Isaiah 64:2 looks beyond exile to global recognition of God’s name—an eschatological horizon that Revelation portrays when the nations tremble at the presence of the Lamb. Thus קָדַח draws a line from temporal chastisement to ultimate consummation.

Ministry and Discipleship Applications

• Warning against presumption. Any ministry method or personal plan “kindled” apart from divine directive risks Isaiah 50:11’s end—lying down in torment despite impressive looking flames.
• Call to humble intercession. Isaiah 64 encourages believers to pray that God would manifest His purifying fire, trusting that judgment beginning with the house of God leads to wider evangelistic impact.
• Assurance of covenant faithfulness. Even when discipline is severe, the Deuteronomic context affirms that God’s zeal for holiness is matched by promises of restoration for the repentant (Deuteronomy 32:36,43).

Cross-Canonical Resonance

The image of fire ignited by divine wrath reaches fulfillment at the cross, where Christ absorbs the burning anger merited by sin (Isaiah 53:5; Romans 3:25). Pentecost then displays the gracious counterpart—tongues “as of fire” resting on believers (Acts 2:3), a sign not of destruction but empowerment. The two events together reveal the gospel pattern: judgment falls on the substitute so that purifying fire may indwell the redeemed.

Forms and Transliterations
כִּקְדֹ֧חַ כקדח קְדַחְתֶּ֥ם קָדְחָ֣ה קָדְחָ֥ה קֹ֥דְחֵי קדחה קדחי קדחתם kadeChah kedachTem kikDoach kiq·ḏō·aḥ kiqḏōaḥ Kodechei qā·ḏə·ḥāh qāḏəḥāh qə·ḏaḥ·tem qəḏaḥtem qō·ḏə·ḥê qōḏəḥê
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Englishman's Concordance
Deuteronomy 32:22
HEB: כִּי־ אֵשׁ֙ קָדְחָ֣ה בְאַפִּ֔י וַתִּיקַ֖ד
NAS: For a fire is kindled in My anger,
KJV: For a fire is kindled in mine anger,
INT: For A fire is kindled my anger and burns

Isaiah 50:11
HEB: הֵ֧ן כֻּלְּכֶ֛ם קֹ֥דְחֵי אֵ֖שׁ מְאַזְּרֵ֣י
NAS: all you who kindle a fire,
KJV: Behold, all ye that kindle a fire,
INT: Behold all kindle A fire encircle

Isaiah 64:2
HEB: כִּקְדֹ֧חַ אֵ֣שׁ הֲמָסִ֗ים
NAS: As fire kindles the brushwood,
KJV: fire burneth, the fire
INT: kindles fire the brushwood

Jeremiah 15:14
HEB: כִּֽי־ אֵ֛שׁ קָדְחָ֥ה בְאַפִּ֖י עֲלֵיכֶ֥ם
NAS: For a fire has been kindled in My anger,
KJV: not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger,
INT: For A fire has been my anger and

Jeremiah 17:4
HEB: כִּֽי־ אֵ֛שׁ קְדַחְתֶּ֥ם בְּאַפִּ֖י עַד־
NAS: you do not know; For you have kindled a fire
KJV: which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire
INT: for A fire have kindled my anger for

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6919
5 Occurrences


qā·ḏə·ḥāh — 2 Occ.
qə·ḏaḥ·tem — 1 Occ.
kiq·ḏō·aḥ — 1 Occ.
qō·ḏə·ḥê — 1 Occ.

6918
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