7104. Qetsits

Lexical Summary

Qetsits: Twig, branch, or shoot

Original Word: קְצִיץ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Qtsiyts
Pronunciation: keh-tseets
Phonetic Spelling: (kets-eets')
KJV: Keziz
Word Origin: [from H7112 (קָצַץ - cut off)]

1. abrupt
2. Keziz, a valley in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Keziz

From qatsats; abrupt; Keziz, a valley in Palestine -- Keziz.

see HEBREW qatsats

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
perhaps from qatsats
Definition
a city in Benjamin
NASB Translation
Emek-keziz* (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

קְצִיץ proper name, of a location (from above √ ?); — only in ׳עֵמֶק ק in Benjamin, Joshua 18:21, Αμεκασεις, etc.

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrence

Joshua 18:21: “Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin according to their families were: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,”

Location and Geography

Keziz forms part of the “Emek,” or valley, that lies west of the Jordan River near Jericho. The ravines now known as Wadi Qelt and its tributaries match the description—a steep, “cut” valley linking the Rift Valley to the rising Benjaminite hills. Situated on the main east-west corridor, the site would have enjoyed access to spring water, terrace agriculture, and command of caravan routes that threaded through the wilderness toward Jerusalem.

Historical Background

• Conquest and Settlement: Listed during Joshua’s land-casting at Shiloh, Keziz marks Israel’s transition from tents to permanent inheritance (Joshua 18:1–10).
• Tribal Identity: By holding a valley gateway, Benjamin secured both farmland and strategic ground, shaping later events that involved Benjamite towns (Judges 20; 1 Samuel 13).
• Unrecorded Future: Though Keziz fades from the narrative, its valley likely supported Saul’s ancestral economy and later supplied grain and pasture to the united monarchy.

Theological Significance

• Covenant Faithfulness: The inclusion of an obscure hamlet like Keziz proves that “not one of the good promises the LORD had made to Israel failed” (Joshua 21:45).
• Whole-Land Redemption: From imposing Jericho to secluded Keziz, every parcel proclaims that Yahweh redeems the heights and the depths, the famous and the forgotten.
• Separation unto Holiness: The underlying Hebrew idea of “cutting” hints at consecration—a valley set apart within a people set apart.

Christological and Prophetic Foreshadowing

• Preparation for the King: Benjamin produced Israel’s first monarch, whose shortcomings intensified hope for the flawless King from Judah (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33). Valleys like Keziz formed the training ground where human leadership proved inadequate, driving eyes to Christ.
• Raised Valleys: Isaiah foretold valleys lifted before the Lord’s glory (Isaiah 40:4). Keziz—literally a “cut” in the land—anticipates the Gospel’s power to fill every chasm and reconcile all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:10).

Lessons for Ministry Today

• God Sees the Hidden: Remote fields and uncelebrated congregations are chronicled in heaven as surely as prominent centers.
• Stewardship of the Small: Residents of Keziz were charged with cultivating their allotment; likewise, believers are “required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).
• Ministry in Transitional Spaces: Keziz’s boundary position mirrors the church’s calling to serve where wilderness meets promise—helping pilgrims cross from bondage into inheritance.

Key References

Joshua 18:11-28; Joshua 21:43-45; Judges 20; 1 Samuel 9:1-4; Isaiah 40:4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Ephesians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2

Forms and Transliterations

קְצִֽיץ׃ קציץ׃ keTzitz qə·ṣîṣ qəṣîṣ

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 18:21
HEB: חָגְלָ֖ה וְעֵ֥מֶק קְצִֽיץ׃
KJV: and the valley of Keziz,
INT: and Beth-hoglah and the valley of Keziz

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7104
1 Occurrence

qə·ṣîṣ — 1 Occ.