Lexical Summary qoteb: Destruction, ruin Original Word: קֹטֶב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance destruction From the same as qeteb; extermination -- destruction. see HEBREW qeteb NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originthe same as qeteb, q.v. Topical Lexicon Biblical Settingקֹטֶב (qoteb) appears only once, in Hosea 13:14, within the prophet’s climactic promise of Israel’s future redemption: “I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes” (Hosea 13:14). In poetic parallelism, קֹטֶב (“sting”) balances “plagues,” personifying Death and Sheol as defeated foes whose lethal instruments are now powerless. Imagery and Connotations 1. Weapon-Imagery קֹטֶב evokes the stabbing barb of an insect or serpent—an emblem of sudden, penetrating harm. By giving Death a “sting,” Hosea pictures mortality as an armed adversary. The term’s vividness intensifies the verse’s dramatic taunt: the weapon has been broken; the enemy stands disarmed. 2. Associative Link with Pestilence The stanza pairs “plagues” (דֶּבֶר) and “sting” (קֹטֶב), uniting two forms of divine judgment—sweeping epidemic and individual pierce. Together they summarize every lethal tool at Death’s disposal, underscoring the comprehensiveness of Yahweh’s future deliverance. Theological Significance in Hosea 1. Covenant Mercy beyond Judgment Hosea alternates between severe indictment (Hosea 13:7–8) and astonishing mercy (13:14). קֹטֶב becomes a symbol of the reversal of covenant curses (compare Deuteronomy 28:21–22). The God who once threatened to “tear” now pledges to neutralize Death’s sting, demonstrating that His covenant faithfulness ultimately overrules deserved wrath. 2. Foreshadowing Resurrection Hosea’s oracle looks past the Assyrian exile to a definitive triumph over Death itself. The annulment of the “sting” suggests more than national restoration; it hints at individual resurrection, a hope both Job (Job 19:25–27) and Isaiah (Isaiah 26:19) anticipate. Canonical Echoes 1. Septuagint Rendering and Pauline Citation The Greek translators chose two words, νίκη (victory) and κέντρον (sting), thereby sharpening the image of a defeated but once-deadly foe. Paul cites the Septuagint form in 1 Corinthians 15:55—“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”—and immediately proclaims, “The sting of death is sin… but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56–57). Thus קֹטֶב travels from Hosea’s eschatological promise to the apostolic announcement that the promise is realized in Christ’s resurrection. 2. Wider Scriptural Motif of Disarmed Death קֹטֶב functions as an Old Testament seed that blossoms into this full New Testament doctrine. Historical Reception 1. Jewish Exegesis Rabbinic commentators often viewed Hosea 13:14 as contingent: if Israel repents, Death’s sting is removed; if not, judgment persists. This conditional reading kept the verse integral to Yom Kippur liturgy, where penitence and hope converge. 2. Patristic and Medieval Theology Church Fathers highlighted the verse at Easter vigils. Augustine saw in קֹטֶב the devil’s weapon neutralized by the Cross; Chrysostom called Hosea’s taunt “a trumpet before the King of glory.” Ministry and Pastoral Application 1. Comfort in Bereavement The single appearance of קֹטֶב supplies a potent assurance: Death’s sharpest point has been extracted. Christian funerals often weave Hosea 13:14 with 1 Corinthians 15 to remind mourners that the grave’s apparent victory is temporary. 2. Evangelistic Emphasis By tracing קֹטֶב from Hosea to the empty tomb, preachers can present the gospel as the only antidote to Death’s sting—sin. This draws hearers from abstract hope of immortality to concrete trust in the risen Christ. 3. Ethical Motivation Paul concludes his exposition of Hosea’s promise with a call to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Knowing קֹטֶב is powerless energizes believers for fearless service and sacrificial love. Summary Though קֹטֶב appears but once, it crystallizes a central biblical theme: God’s decisive conquest of Death. Hosea announces it, the New Testament celebrates it, and the Church applies it—turning a single ancient word for “sting” into an enduring anthem of victory. Forms and Transliterations קָֽטָבְךָ֙ קטבך kataveCha qā·ṭā·ḇə·ḵā qāṭāḇəḵāLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Hosea 13:14 HEB: מָ֗וֶת אֱהִ֤י קָֽטָבְךָ֙ שְׁא֔וֹל נֹ֖חַם KJV: I will be thy destruction: repentance INT: death where destruction grave repentance 1 Occurrence |
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