6973. quts
Lexical Summary
quts: dread, abhorred, loathe

Original Word: קוּץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: quwts
Pronunciation: koots
Phonetic Spelling: (koots)
KJV: abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary
NASB: dread, abhorred, loathe, terrorize, tired
Word Origin: [a primitive root (identical with H6972 (קוּץ - To loathe) through the idea of severing oneself from)]

1. to be (causatively, make) disgusted or anxious

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary

A primitive root (identical with quwts through the idea of severing oneself from (compare quwt)); to be (causatively, make) disgusted or anxious -- abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary.

see HEBREW quwts

see HEBREW quwt

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to feel a loathing, abhorrence, or sickening dread
NASB Translation
abhorred (2), dread (3), loathe (2), terrorize (1), tired (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [קוּץ] verb feel a loathing, abhorrence, sickening dread ("" √of קוט; ᵑ7 קוּץ id.; for connection of meanings compare Aramaic קְנַט loathe, fear); —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular קָ֫צָה Numbers 21:5; 1singular קַ֫צְתִּי Genesis 27:46; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיָּ֫קָץ Numbers 22:3; 1 Kings 11:25 (but see below); 2 masculine singular jussive תָּקֹץ Proverbs 3:11; 1singular וָאָקֻץ Leviticus 20:23; 3masculine plural וַיָּקֻצוּ Exodus 1:12; Participle קָץ Isaiah 7:16; —

1 feel a loathing at, abhor, with ב of thing Numbers 21:5 (JE), Genesis 27:46 (P), Proverbs 3:11 ("" מָאַס); with ב person Leviticus 20:23 (H; subject ׳י); so 1 Kings 11:25, but Kit (after ᵑ6, compare ᵐ5) proposes וַ֫יָּצֶק (√ צוק

Hiph`il distress).

2 feel a sickening dread, with מִמְּנֵי person Exodus 1:12 (J), Numbers 22:3 (E), Isaiah 7:16.

Hiph`il Imperfect1plural suffix נְקִיצֶנָּה Isaiah 7:6 (suffix of Judah) let us cause her sickening dread, but weak, read נְצִיקֶנָּה (√ צוק) Thes Che Du Gr Marti. — Other

Hiph`il forms see קיץ.

II. קוץ (√ of following; compare perhaps Late Hebrew, ᵑ7 קוּץ cut off; Late Hebrew קוֺץ = Biblical Hebrew).

Topical Lexicon
Overview of Usage

Strong’s 6973 occurs nine times, gathering three principal ideas: (1) personal weariness or disgust, (2) fearful abhorrence of another people, and (3) divine revulsion toward sin. These shades of meaning trace an emotional gradient from inner fatigue to outright loathing, whether in human hearts or in God’s response to covenant violation.

Personal Weariness and Inner Revulsion

1. Genesis 27:46. Rebekah laments, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women.” The term expresses an exhaustion so deep that life itself feels burdensome. The narrative exposes the corrosive effect ungodly alliances can have within a covenant household.
2. Numbers 21:5. Journey-weary Israel complains, “Our soul loathes this miserable food.” The same verb shows how unchecked discontent can turn daily provision into something despised.
3. Proverbs 3:11. Parental admonition: “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not loathe His rebuke.” The wise father warns against inward recoil from God’s corrective love. Hebrews 12:5–6 later cites this verse to exhort believers to persevere under divine training.

National Dread and Political Hostility

1. Exodus 1:12. Pharaoh’s subjects “came to dread the Israelites.” What began as economic fear escalated into hatred, propelling the oppression that set the stage for the Exodus.
2. Numbers 22:3. “Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous, and Moab dreaded the Israelites.” The verb captures panic-driven hostility that leads Balak to hire Balaam.
3. 1 Kings 11:25. Rezon “was Israel’s adversary all the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad, and he loathed Israel.” International enmity surfaces as a judgment on Solomon’s compromise.
4. Isaiah 7:6; 7:16. The Syro-Ephraimite coalition schemes, “Let us invade Judah… terrify it.” Yet the prophet assures Ahaz that “the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.” Human dread is placed under divine sovereignty.

Divine Abhorrence of Sin

Leviticus 20:23 records the Lord’s verdict on the practices of Canaan: “Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.” The term underscores God’s moral purity; His covenant people must avoid the defiling customs that brought His loathing upon the nations they were to dispossess.

Historical and Theological Insights

• In patriarchal times (Genesis 27), family stress over intermarriage foreshadows later national struggles with syncretism.
• During the Exodus saga, Egyptian dread becomes the crucible for Israel’s deliverance, demonstrating how God turns hostility into redemptive purpose.
• Monarchic texts (1 Kings 11; Isaiah 7) reveal that political dread often accompanies covenant unfaithfulness; yet prophetic messages remind the faithful that enemies God allows, He can also remove.
• Wisdom literature (Proverbs 3) bridges Testaments, teaching that rejecting the Lord’s discipline is tantamount to loathing His love—a theme echoed in Revelation 3:19.

Ministry Significance

1. Guarding the Heart. Personal weariness can morph into spiritual disgust if left unchecked. Regular gratitude reorients the soul (Philippians 4:6–7).
2. Responding to Opposition. Whether from individuals or nations, dread directed at God’s people should not provoke fear but faith, knowing “the battle belongs to the LORD” (1 Samuel 17:47).
3. Embracing Discipline. To despise correction is to repeat Israel’s wilderness failure; receiving it produces “a harvest of righteousness and peace” (Hebrews 12:11).
4. Reflecting Holiness. Leviticus 20:23 reminds the Church that holiness still matters. What God abhors must never be entertained among His people (1 Peter 1:15–16).

Key References

Genesis 27:46; Exodus 1:12; Leviticus 20:23; Numbers 21:5; Numbers 22:3; 1 Kings 11:25; Proverbs 3:11; Isaiah 7:6; Isaiah 7:16.

Forms and Transliterations
וַיָּ֙קָץ֙ וַיָּ֣קָץ וַיָּקֻ֕צוּ וָאָקֻ֖ץ וּנְקִיצֶ֔נָּה ואקץ ויקץ ויקצו ונקיצנה קַ֣צְתִּי קָ֔ץ קָ֔צָה קץ קצה קצתי תָּ֝קֹ֗ץ תקץ Katz Katzah Katzti qā·ṣāh qāṣ qaṣ·tî qāṣāh qaṣtî tā·qōṣ taKotz tāqōṣ ū·nə·qî·ṣen·nāh unekiTzennah ūnəqîṣennāh vaaKutz vaiYakotz vaiyaKutzu wā’āquṣ wā·’ā·quṣ way·yā·qāṣ way·yā·qu·ṣū wayyāqāṣ wayyāquṣū
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 27:46
HEB: אֶל־ יִצְחָ֔ק קַ֣צְתִּי בְחַיַּ֔י מִפְּנֵ֖י
NAS: to Isaac, I am tired of living
KJV: to Isaac, I am weary of my life
INT: to Isaac I am tired of my life because

Exodus 1:12
HEB: וְכֵ֣ן יִפְרֹ֑ץ וַיָּקֻ֕צוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י
NAS: they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons
KJV: and grew. And they were grieved because
INT: and the more spread dread because of the sons

Leviticus 20:23
HEB: אֵ֙לֶּה֙ עָשׂ֔וּ וָאָקֻ֖ץ בָּֽם׃
NAS: these things, and therefore I have abhorred them.
KJV: you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
INT: these did have abhorred

Numbers 21:5
HEB: מַ֔יִם וְנַפְשֵׁ֣נוּ קָ֔צָה בַּלֶּ֖חֶם הַקְּלֹקֵֽל׃
NAS: water, and we loathe this miserable
KJV: and our soul loatheth this light
INT: water and our soul loathe food miserable

Numbers 22:3
HEB: רַב־ ה֑וּא וַיָּ֣קָץ מוֹאָ֔ב מִפְּנֵ֖י
NAS: and Moab was in dread of the sons
KJV: and Moab was distressed because of
INT: were numerous he dread and Moab of

1 Kings 11:25
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲדָ֑ד וַיָּ֙קָץ֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּמְלֹ֖ךְ
NAS: that Hadad [did]; and he abhorred Israel
KJV: that Hadad [did]: and he abhorred Israel,
INT: that Hadad abhorred Israel and reigned

Proverbs 3:11
HEB: תִּמְאָ֑ס וְאַל־ תָּ֝קֹ֗ץ בְּתוֹכַחְתּֽוֹ׃
NAS: of the LORD Or loathe His reproof,
KJV: of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
INT: reject not loathe his reproof

Isaiah 7:6
HEB: נַעֲלֶ֤ה בִֽיהוּדָה֙ וּנְקִיצֶ֔נָּה וְנַבְקִעֶ֖נָּה אֵלֵ֑ינוּ
NAS: up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach
KJV: against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach
INT: go Judah and terrorize and make in

Isaiah 7:16
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתָּ֣ה קָ֔ץ מִפְּנֵ֖י שְׁנֵ֥י
NAS: two kings you dread will be forsaken.
KJV: the land that thou abhorrest shall be
INT: whose you dread shall be two

9 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6973
9 Occurrences


qāṣ — 1 Occ.
qā·ṣāh — 1 Occ.
qaṣ·tî — 1 Occ.
tā·qōṣ — 1 Occ.
ū·nə·qî·ṣen·nāh — 1 Occ.
wā·’ā·quṣ — 1 Occ.
way·yā·qāṣ — 2 Occ.
way·yā·qu·ṣū — 1 Occ.

6972
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