7118. qetsath

Lexical Summary

qetsath: end, later

Original Word: קְצָת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qtsath
Pronunciation: ke-tsath'
Phonetic Spelling: (kets-awth')
NASB: end, later
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H7117 (קְצָת - end)]

1. end, partly

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

end, partly

(Aramaic) corresponding to qtsath -- end, partly.

see HEBREW qtsath

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to qetsath
Definition
an end
NASB Translation
end (1), later (1), some* (1).

Topical Lexicon

Sense and Nuance

קְצָת highlights the idea of “a measured portion, a limited extremity, or a lapse of time that has run its course.” Whether describing the outermost points of the mercy-seat, the partial composition of an imperial statue, or the completion of a divinely appointed period, the term points to something incomplete in itself yet significant within a larger whole.

Occurrences and Settings

1. Exodus 37:8 – the two cherubim were fashioned “at its two ends,” marking the furthest reach of the atonement cover.
2. Exodus 39:4 – the shoulder-pieces of the high-priestly ephod were fixed “to two of its corners,” enabling the garment to rest securely on the priest.
3. Daniel 2:42 – Nebuchadnezzar’s dream statue reveals a kingdom that is “partly strong and partly brittle,” signaling political fragmentation.
4. Daniel 4:29 – “Twelve months later” Nebuchadnezzar walks upon his palace roof, unaware that his time of pride is about to expire.
5. Daniel 4:34 – “At the end of those days” the humbled king lifts his eyes to heaven and glorifies God, his sanity restored.

Narrative and Historical Significance

Exodus situates קְצָת within the Tabernacle, Israel’s portable meeting place with God. By stressing “the ends,” Scripture underscores that even the outermost point of the mercy-seat belongs to a single piece of gold: atonement is indivisible. Likewise, the ephod’s corners had to be firmly joined so the names of the tribes (engraved on the onyx stones mounted upon the shoulders) would never slip from the priest’s representative role. The word therefore guards the integrity of both worship and intercession.

Daniel transfers the same vocabulary into the Aramaic court chronicle. The dream statue’s toes—“partly iron and partly clay”—announce the inevitable disintegration of human empires despite their apparent cohesiveness. Twelve months later (Daniel 4:29) and then “at the end of those days” (Daniel 4:34) reveal that God monitors time down to the last moment necessary to accomplish His purposes. The same term that marked the extreme edges of sacred furniture now marks the terminus of a pagan king’s arrogance and the commencement of divine mercy toward him.

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty over Space: The furthest extremity of the mercy-seat is still God’s throne; no edge lies outside His rule.
• Divine Sovereignty over Time: A year of patience with Nebuchadnezzar, then “a little” longer until his reason returns, shows that history moves on a timetable determined by heaven.
• Human Limitation: Whether represented by brittle clay, garment corners, or a monarch’s pride, every created element reaches its limit; only the Lord remains without boundary.
• Assurance of Atonement: Because the cherubim and the cover form one continuous piece, the atoning work they symbolize is whole even to its extremities—a truth later fulfilled in the finished work of Christ.

Ministry Application

Pastoral teaching can employ קְצָת to reassure believers that seeming “frayed edges” in their lives are still under divine craftsmanship. The term also warns leaders against trusting in partial strength (iron mixed with clay) or in fleeting seasons of prosperity. When discipling believers, one may press the question: “Are we stewarding these ‘ends of days’ so that, like Nebuchadnezzar, we finish by lifting our eyes heavenward?”

Homiletical Outline Example

1. From Edge to Edge (Exodus 37:8): The completeness of grace.
2. Corners that Carry Names (Exodus 39:4): The weight of intercession.
3. Partly Strong, Partly Brittle (Daniel 2:42): The limits of earthly power.
4. A Year of Mercy (Daniel 4:29): God’s measured patience.
5. The End of Days, the Start of Praise (Daniel 4:34): Restoration when the limit is reached.

Summary

קְצָת invites worshipers to view every boundary—spatial, temporal, or personal—not as a place where God’s control stops but as the precise point where His purposes are clarified.

Forms and Transliterations

וְלִקְצָ֣ת ולקצת לִקְצָ֥ת לקצת קְצָ֤ת קְצֹותָ֖יו קְצֹותָֽיו׃ קצותיו קצותיו׃ קצת keTzat ketzoTav likTzat liq·ṣāṯ liqṣāṯ qə·ṣāṯ qə·ṣō·w·ṯāw qəṣāṯ qəṣōwṯāw velikTzat wə·liq·ṣāṯ wəliqṣāṯ

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 37:8
HEB: [קִצְוֹותֹו כ] (קְצֹותָֽיו׃ ק)
INT: the cherubim the two end

Exodus 39:4
HEB: [קִצְוֹותֹו כ] (קְצֹותָ֖יו ק) חֻבָּֽר׃
INT: and two end attached

Daniel 2:42
HEB: חֲסַ֑ף מִן־ קְצָ֤ת מַלְכוּתָא֙ תֶּהֱוֵ֣ה
INT: of pottery partly end of the kingdom shall be

Daniel 4:29
HEB: לִקְצָ֥ת יַרְחִ֖ין תְּרֵֽי־
NAS: months later he was walking
KJV: At the end of twelve months
INT: later months second

Daniel 4:34
HEB: וְלִקְצָ֣ת יֽוֹמַיָּה֩ אֲנָ֨ה
NAS: But at the end of that period,
KJV: And at the end of the days I
INT: the end period I

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7118
5 Occurrences

qə·ṣāṯ — 1 Occ.
qə·ṣō·w·ṯāw — 2 Occ.
liq·ṣāṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·liq·ṣāṯ — 1 Occ.