Lexical Summary qataph: To pluck, gather, or pick Original Word: קָטַף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance crop off, cut down up, pluck A primitive root; to strip off -- crop off, cut down (up), pluck. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to pluck off or out NASB Translation cut down (1), pluck (3), plucked off (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [קָטַף] verb pluck off (twigs, etc.), or out (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Arabic  pluck grapes; ᵑ7 קְטַף, Syriac  ; compare Assyrian ‡atâpu, apparently pluck off); — Qal Perfect3masculine singularקָטָ֑ף Ezekiel 17:4 he [i.e. eagle, in figure] plucked off twigs; 2 masculine singular וְקָטַפְתָּ֫ Deuteronomy 23:26 (ears of grain, בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ); Imperfect1singular אֶקְטֹף Ezekiel 17:22 (subject ׳י; accusative +מִן from); Participle masculine plural הַקֹּטְפִים Job 30:4 they who pluck out the mallow. Niph`al Imperfect3masculine singular יָקָּטֵב Job 8:12 it is not plucked off. I. קטר (√ of following; compare Assyrian ‡utru (with ת) smoke; Talmud, ᵑ7 קִיטְרָא, קוּטְרָא (thick) smoke; Arabic Topical Lexicon Core Idea: The Providential Act of Plucking The verb קָטַף depicts a deliberate hand reaching into what is growing and removing part of it—ears of grain, leaves, twigs, or shoots. Whether the context is human activity or a divine act, the motion is purposeful and selective, stressing both authority over what is taken and care for what is left behind. Agricultural and Legal Background In ancient Israel the most literal setting for קָטַף is in the field. Moses allowed the hungry traveler to satisfy immediate need without stealing or harvesting for profit: “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you must not wield a sickle” (Deuteronomy 23:25). The law upheld two complementary truths. First, the land ultimately belongs to the Lord, not to man. Second, personal property is real and must be respected. The open-handed generosity commanded here would later inform Jesus’ disciples’ freedom to pluck grain on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1), illustrating how קָטַף helped shape a culture of mercy without undermining ownership. Metaphor in Wisdom Literature Job employs the term twice. Bildad warns that the godless are like papyrus “while still uncut shoots; they dry up faster than grass” (Job 8:12), emphasizing the fragility of a life outside God’s favor. Later Job describes outcasts who “pluck mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree are their food” (Job 30:4). Here קָטַף paints a picture of desperate survivors reduced to foraging. In both verses the motion of plucking exposes vulnerability: when God’s blessing is absent, survival hinges on fragile, easily severed resources. Prophetic Symbolism in Ezekiel Ezekiel’s parable of the eagles is saturated with קָטַף imagery. The first eagle (Babylon) “cropped off the topmost shoot” of the cedar and replanted it in “a land of merchants” (Ezekiel 17:4). Israel’s king Jehoiachin is thus plucked from his throne and exiled. Yet divine sovereignty speaks a better word: “‘I will pluck a tender sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it on a high and lofty mountain’” (Ezekiel 17:22). The identical verb underscores that what Babylon could only imitate politically, the Lord performs redemptively. The promise anticipates a messianic King whose humble beginnings will bloom into global shelter (compare Ezekiel 17:23 with Matthew 13:31-32). Theological Themes 1. Providence and Provision. In every occurrence the plucker has rightful authority—whether a traveler acting within God-given boundaries, or the Lord Himself overruling imperial powers. קָטַף depicts God’s prerogative to give and to take for His purposes. Christological Foreshadowing The tender sprig of Ezekiel 17:22 finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ—the Davidic Branch (Jeremiah 23:5). The Father “plucked” His Son from heaven, planted Him in humble Nazareth, and exalted Him to reign forever. The imagery magnifies both the kenosis and the exaltation of Christ: He is the shoot severed from glory yet planted to bear much fruit (John 12:24). Ministry Implications • Generous Fields: Christian employers and landowners can mirror Deuteronomy’s ethic by leaving margin for the poor—financially, temporally, and relationally. Practical Application for Believers Examine the “fields” God has entrusted—resources, influence, time. Are they guarded by a tight fist or left open for hungry passersby? Trust the Lord’s right to pluck, transplant, or prune whatever He wills. His hand is never arbitrary; it aims toward flourishing, whether through discipline, relocation, or fresh calling. Summary קָטַף offers a compact theology of God’s engaged sovereignty: He enables merciful generosity, warns of judgment, and promises restoration in the Messiah. To live under His hand is to welcome both the gentle plucking that feeds and the decisive pruning that heals, confident that every selective touch serves a harvest of righteousness. Forms and Transliterations אֶקְטֹ֔ף אקטף הַקֹּטְפִ֣ים הקטפים וְקָטַפְתָּ֥ וקטפת יִקָּטֵ֑ף יקטף קָטָ֑ף קטף ’eq·ṭōp̄ ’eqṭōp̄ ekTof hakkoteFim haq·qō·ṭə·p̄îm haqqōṭəp̄îm kaTaf qā·ṭāp̄ qāṭāp̄ vekatafTa wə·qā·ṭap̄·tā wəqāṭap̄tā yikkaTef yiq·qā·ṭêp̄ yiqqāṭêp̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 23:25 HEB: בְּקָמַ֣ת רֵעֶ֔ךָ וְקָטַפְתָּ֥ מְלִילֹ֖ת בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ NAS: grain, then you may pluck the heads KJV: of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears INT: standing your neighbor's may pluck the heads your hand Job 8:12 Job 30:4 Ezekiel 17:4 Ezekiel 17:22 5 Occurrences |
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smoke (said of fire); usually exhale odour (especially of roast meat); Assyrian ‡utrinnu, incense-offering; Sabean מקטר censer CISiv. Nos.26, 1. 6; 30, 1.4. Ethiopic 
: incense; Egyptian k@atalqa Bondi74ff. kataruti WMMAs.u.Eur.97 = קְטֹרֶת, קְטָרוֺת; Late Hebrew [קָטַר] smoke (said of incense)).