Lexical Summary qatsa': To end, to cut off, to finish Original Word: קָצַע Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cause to scrape, corner A primitive root; to strip off, i.e. (partially) scrape; by implication, to segregate (as an angle) -- cause to scrape, corner. Brown-Driver-Briggs I. קָצַע verb scrape, scrape off (Late Hebrew id., also קְצִיעָה = Biblical Hebrew, ᵑ7 קְצִיעֲהָא, Arabic  fine dust); — Hiph`il id. Imperfect3masculine singular אֶתהַֿבַּיִת יַקְצִעַ Leviticus 14:41. Topical Lexicon Scriptural Usage Leviticus 14:41 employs קָצַע in the ritual for cleansing a mold-infested house. The priest “shall have the house scraped all around, and the plaster that is scraped off shall be dumped outside the city into an unclean place”. The action is literal—material is cut away and discarded—yet it carries symbolic weight: corruption is removed so that holiness may return. Ezekiel 46:22 uses the same root to describe the “enclosed courts” located in the four corners of the outer court of the future temple. These corners are architecturally set apart for specific sacrificial preparations, safeguarding the purity of worship by keeping sacred and common activities distinct. Historical Background In the Mosaic period, houses were often coated with lime plaster. Persistent contamination by mold or fungus rendered the structure ceremonially unclean and potentially unsafe. Scraping away the affected layer was an act of both public health and covenant obedience. Centuries later, Ezekiel’s visionary temple (Ezekiel 40–48) reflected a renewed order after exile. The designation of peripheral kitchens or courts ensured that sacrificial meats were prepared away from the inner sanctuaries, preventing any defilement of holy space. Theological Themes 1. Separation from Defilement: Both texts underscore God’s insistence on removing impurity rather than masking it (Psalm 24:3–4; James 4:8). Ministry Significance • Church Discipline and Restoration: Just as the priest examined and ordered the scraping, church leaders are charged with discerning sin, confronting it, and guiding restoration (Galatians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 5:6–8). Christological Connections The ultimate cleansing is accomplished by Christ, who “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession” (Titus 2:14). The removal of leprous plaster foreshadows the deeper cleansing effected by His blood (Hebrews 9:13–14). Furthermore, the ordered courts of Ezekiel anticipate the perfected worship in the New Jerusalem, where “nothing unclean will ever enter it” (Revelation 21:27). Application for the Modern Believer • Regular Self-Examination: Invite the Spirit to expose areas needing to be “scraped away” (Psalm 139:23–24). Thus, though קָצַע appears only twice, it vividly illustrates the divine pattern of cutting away defilement and cordoning off space for holiness—a pattern culminating in the believer’s ongoing sanctification in Christ. Forms and Transliterations יַקְצִ֥עַ יקצע מְׅהֻׅקְׅצָׅעֽׅוֹׅתׅ׃ מהקצעות mə·huq·ṣā·‘ō·wṯ mehuktzaot məhuqṣā‘ōwṯ yakTzia yaq·ṣi·a‘ yaqṣia‘Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 14:41 HEB: וְאֶת־ הַבַּ֛יִת יַקְצִ֥עַ מִבַּ֖יִת סָבִ֑יב NAS: He shall have the house scraped all around KJV: And he shall cause the house to be scraped within INT: shall have the house scraped shall have the house all Ezekiel 46:22 2 Occurrences |
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