6992. qetal
Lexical Summary
qetal: To slay, to kill

Original Word: קְטַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qtal
Pronunciation: keh-TAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (ket-al')
KJV: slay
NASB: slain, kill, killed, slay, slew
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H6991 (קָטַל - slay)]

1. to kill

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
slay

(Aramaic) corresponding to qatal; to kill -- slay.

see HEBREW qatal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to qatal
Definition
to slay
NASB Translation
kill (1), killed (1), slain (3), slay (1), slew (1).

Topical Lexicon
Canonical Distribution

The verb appears exclusively in the Aramaic chapters of Daniel (Daniel 2–7). Its seven occurrences are clustered at decisive narrative and prophetic moments, linking the act of putting to death with the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms and with the vindication of God’s people.

Narrative Function in Daniel

1. Daniel 2:13–14 — A royal decree orders the destruction of the wise men of Babylon after their inability to reveal Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The threatened slaughter forms the backdrop for Daniel’s petition for time, underscoring the contrast between human wrath and divine revelation.

2. Daniel 3:22 — The executioners who cast the three Hebrews into the furnace themselves perish in the flames. The king’s violence recoils upon his own agents, foreshadowing the principle that “those who take up the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

3. Daniel 5:19 — Nebuchadnezzar’s unchecked authority is summarized: “whomever he wished he executed”. The verb captures the unchecked absolutism that later brings heaven’s rebuke.

4. Daniel 5:30 — Belshazzar is struck down the night the handwriting on the wall is fulfilled: “That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain”. Human pomp meets divine accountability.

5. Daniel 7:11 — The final usage shifts from historical narrative to apocalyptic vision. The fourth beast, emblematic of oppressive world power, is “slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire”. Here the verb marks the decisive triumph of God’s kingdom over all hostile powers.

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty over Life and Death

The verb consistently appears where the Lord’s overarching rule counters or overrules human intent. Whether sparing Daniel, rescuing the three Hebrews, or judging Belshazzar and the beast, God alone determines ultimate outcomes.

• Retributive Justice

Several passages exhibit poetic justice: the would-be killers of God’s servants are themselves destroyed (Daniel 3:22); the boastful king who “executed” at will is himself executed (Daniel 5:19, 5:30). The verb thereby reinforces the biblical axiom that wrongdoing recoils upon the wrongdoer.

• Eschatological Hope

In Daniel 7:11 the slaying of the beast anticipates the final defeat of antichristian powers revealed more fully in Revelation 19:19–21. The same divine authority that intervened in Babylon will consummate history.

Historical Background

In Near-Eastern court culture, a monarch’s prerogative to kill or spare symbolized total dominion. Daniel’s court tales expose the fragility of that prerogative when confronted with the God of heaven. The verb thus operates within a milieu where royal commands often meant immediate death, heightening the drama of God’s deliverances.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Courage in Hostile Contexts

Believers serving Christ in governmental or corporate structures can draw strength from Daniel: God can nullify the lethal intents of those in power.

• Preaching on Judgment and Mercy

The balanced recurrence of deliverance (Daniel 2, 3) and judgment (Daniel 5, 7) provides a template for sermons that hold justice and mercy together.

• Eschatological Assurance

The final appearance of the verb encourages congregations to persevere, knowing that the most ferocious powers will ultimately be “slain” by God’s decree.

Christological Foreshadowing

The pattern of faithful servants threatened with death yet preserved points forward to Jesus Christ, whose own death at the hands of worldly authority secures victory over that authority (Acts 2:23–24). Furthermore, the slaying of the beast prefigures the defeat of every dominion opposed to the reign of Christ.

Conclusion

Though numerically limited, the occurrences of the verb weave a coherent testimony: earthly rulers may wield the sword, but the Lord alone has the final word over life and death, history and eternity.

Forms and Transliterations
לְהִתְקְטָלָֽה׃ לְקַטָּלָ֔ה להתקטלה׃ לקטלה מִֽתְקַטְּלִ֑ין מתקטלין קְטִ֕יל קְטִילַ֤ת קַטִּ֣ל קָטֵ֗ל קטיל קטילת קטל kaTel katTil keTil ketiLat lə·hiṯ·qə·ṭā·lāh lə·qaṭ·ṭā·lāh lehitketaLah ləhiṯqəṭālāh lekattaLah ləqaṭṭālāh miṯ·qaṭ·ṭə·lîn mitkatteLin miṯqaṭṭəlîn qā·ṭêl qaṭ·ṭil qāṭêl qaṭṭil qə·ṭî·laṯ qə·ṭîl qəṭîl qəṭîlaṯ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 2:13
HEB: נֶפְקַ֔ת וְחַכִּֽימַיָּ֖א מִֽתְקַטְּלִ֑ין וּבְע֛וֹ דָּנִיֵּ֥אל
NAS: that the wise men should be slain; and they looked
KJV: that the wise [men] should be slain; and they sought
INT: went the wise should be slain looked Daniel

Daniel 2:13
HEB: דָּנִיֵּ֥אל וְחַבְר֖וֹהִי לְהִתְקְטָלָֽה׃ פ
NAS: and his friends to kill [them].
KJV: Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
INT: Daniel and his friends to kill

Daniel 2:14
HEB: דִּ֚י נְפַ֣ק לְקַטָּלָ֔ה לְחַכִּימֵ֖י בָּבֶֽל׃
NAS: had gone forth to slay the wise men
KJV: which was gone forth to slay the wise
INT: who had gone to slay the wise of Babylon

Daniel 3:22
HEB: וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֔וֹ קַטִּ֣ל הִמּ֔וֹן שְׁבִיבָ֖א
NAS: the flame of the fire slew those men
KJV: the flame of the fire slew those men
INT: Meshach and Abed-nego slew them the flame

Daniel 5:19
HEB: צָבֵ֜א הֲוָ֣א קָטֵ֗ל וְדִֽי־ הֲוָ֤ה
NAS: he wished he killed and whomever
INT: wished he killed and whomever he

Daniel 5:30
HEB: בֵּ֚הּ בְּלֵ֣ילְיָ֔א קְטִ֕יל בֵּלְאשַׁצַּ֖ר מַלְכָּ֥א
NAS: the Chaldean king was slain.
KJV: the king of the Chaldeans slain.
INT: night was slain Belshazzar king

Daniel 7:11
HEB: עַד֩ דִּ֨י קְטִילַ֤ת חֵֽיוְתָא֙ וְהוּבַ֣ד
NAS: the beast was slain, and its body
KJV: the beast was slain, and his body
INT: till which was slain the beast was destroyed

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6992
7 Occurrences


qā·ṭêl — 1 Occ.
qaṭ·ṭil — 1 Occ.
qə·ṭîl — 1 Occ.
qə·ṭî·laṯ — 1 Occ.
lə·hiṯ·qə·ṭā·lāh — 1 Occ.
lə·qaṭ·ṭā·lāh — 1 Occ.
miṯ·qaṭ·ṭə·lîn — 1 Occ.

6991
Top of Page
Top of Page