Lexical Summary qamat: To wrinkle, to contract, to shrivel Original Word: קָמַט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cut down, fill with wrinkles A primitive root; to pluck, i.e. Destroy -- cut down, fill with wrinkles. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to seize NASB Translation shriveled (1), snatched away (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [קָמַט] verb seize (Late Hebrew id., seize, grasp, press together; Arabic  bind together; Aramaic קְמַט = Biblical Hebrew;  seize, compress); — Qal Imperfect2masculine singular suffix וַתִּקְמְטֵנִי Job 16:8 and thou didst seize me. Pu`al be snatched (untimely)Perfect3pluralקֻמְּטוּ Job 22:16. Topical Lexicon Overview Used only twice in the Old Testament, this vivid verb portrays life being gathered up, compressed, or prematurely removed. In both contexts it underscores human frailty before the sovereign activity of God. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Job 16:8 – Job laments, “You have shriveled me up; it has become a witness; my leanness rises up and testifies against me”. Literary and Poetic Nuances • A picture-word: the imagery of skin wrinkling or a life being pinched shut. Theological Themes • Human frailty: the body can be “shriveled,” exposing the limits of mortal strength (Psalm 90:3-6). Historical Context in Job Job 16 arises from honest lament; Job interprets his wasting body as evidence of God’s hostility, yet the narrative ultimately vindicates him. In Job 22 Eliphaz misapplies the same concept, accusing Job by generalizing how God deals with the wicked. The term therefore becomes a literary hinge, contrasting true affliction with misjudged condemnation. Practical and Ministry Applications • Pastoral care: physical decline can be acknowledged without conceding to shame or divine rejection; believers may lament honestly while clinging to hope (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Christological and Redemptive Connections The One whose visage was “marred beyond that of a man” (Isaiah 52:14) entered the full experience of human frailty. Though His flesh was “gathered” in death, He was not abandoned to decay (Acts 2:31). Thus, believers anticipate resurrection life in which every wrinkle of mortality is exchanged for immortal glory (1 Corinthians 15:53-55). Homiletical and Devotional Use Key ideas for sermons or personal study: Forms and Transliterations וַֽ֭תִּקְמְטֵנִי ותקמטני קֻמְּט֥וּ קמטו kummeTu qum·mə·ṭū qumməṭū Vattikmeteni wat·tiq·mə·ṭê·nî wattiqməṭênîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 16:8 HEB: וַֽ֭תִּקְמְטֵנִי לְעֵ֣ד הָיָ֑ה NAS: You have shriveled me up, It has become KJV: And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, [which] is a witness INT: have shriveled A witness has become Job 22:16 2 Occurrences |
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