7176. qereth
Lexical Summary
qereth: City, town

Original Word: קֶרֶת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qereth
Pronunciation: keh-reth
Phonetic Spelling: (keh'-reth)
KJV: city
NASB: city
Word Origin: [from H7136 (קָרָה - To encounter) in the sense of building]

1. a city

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
city

From qarah in the sense of building; a city -- city.

see HEBREW qarah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from qarah
Definition
town, city
NASB Translation
city (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[קֶ֫רֶת] noun feminine town, city (late poetry) (compare Phoenician קרת חדשת proper name, of a location in Cyprus, also = Carthage, and perhaps Cirta, Tigranocerta; compare Thes); — always קָ֑רֶת; — of Job's city, Job 29:7; indefinite Proverbs 8:3; Proverbs 9:3,14; city as a corporate body of men Proverbs 11:11.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scope

קֶרֶת (Strong’s 7176) denotes the communal space of a “city” or “town,” with emphasis on its public, civic life rather than its fortifications. In each biblical appearance the word places the reader at the hub where social, judicial, and moral exchanges shape the well-being of the population.

Occurrences in Scripture

Job 29:7; Proverbs 8:3; Proverbs 9:3; Proverbs 9:14; Proverbs 11:11. The references cluster in wisdom literature, showing the term’s instructional intent and its backdrop of daily life.

The City Gate as a Place of Authority

Job recalls his former days: “When I went out to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square” (Job 29:7). The gate was the courtroom, marketplace, and forum all in one. Elders rendered judgments, merchants traded, and covenant life found visibility. קֶרֶת therefore evokes human accountability lived before neighbors and, ultimately, before God.

Wisdom’s Public Call

Proverbs repeatedly stages personified Wisdom at the entrance of קֶרֶת:
• “Beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances she cries aloud” (Proverbs 8:3).
• “She has sent out her maidservants; she calls out from the heights of the city” (Proverbs 9:3).

Wisdom’s message is not hidden in cloisters; it is proclaimed where every passerby must decide. The urban setting underlines that divine instruction intersects ordinary routines—commerce, governance, family errands—demanding response in public and private ethics alike.

Folly’s Rival Appeal

Counter-wisdom likewise positions itself “on a seat by the heights of the city” (Proverbs 9:14). The competing voices of Wisdom and Folly within the same קֶרֶת dramatize the moral battlefield of cultural conversation. Cities amplify influence; thus righteousness or wickedness radiates outward from these hubs.

Moral Influence upon the Community

Proverbs 11:11 summarizes the civic outcome: “By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down”. קֶרֶת becomes a barometer of collective integrity. Words—blessing or slander—carry formative power over social structures, commerce, and security.

Theological Reflections

1. Covenant Responsibility: The recurring scene at the gate affirms that God’s wisdom addresses communal justice (Deuteronomy 16:18), not merely private piety.
2. Public Revelation: Divine truth seeks audible, visible announcement; it is designed for streets and councils, anticipating the prophetic ministry and, ultimately, the open proclamation of the Gospel (Acts 17:17).
3. Dual Paths: The juxtaposition of Wisdom and Folly previews Jesus’ teaching on the narrow and broad ways (Matthew 7:13-14), rooting the choice in the marketplace of life.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Engage the Public Square: Churches and believers are called to reflect Job’s integrity at the “gate”—in civic service, vocational excellence, and ethical speech.
• Proclaim Wisdom Where People Gather: Like Proverbs’ herald, biblical preaching and discipleship should address workplaces, schools, media, and local councils.
• Guard Communal Speech: Encourage blessing, truth, and justice in public discourse, recognizing their constructive impact on the “city.”
• Discern Competing Voices: Teach discernment so that congregations identify and reject modern forms of Folly that vie for cultural dominance.

קֶרֶת therefore challenges God’s people to live wisely and speak righteously in the arenas that shape society, confident that scriptural wisdom still builds cities and nations today.

Forms and Transliterations
קָ֑רֶת קָֽרֶת׃ קרת קרת׃ Karet qā·reṯ qāreṯ
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Englishman's Concordance
Job 29:7
HEB: שַׁ֣עַר עֲלֵי־ קָ֑רֶת בָּ֝רְח֗וֹב אָכִ֥ין
NAS: out to the gate of the city, When I took
KJV: to the gate through the city, [when] I prepared
INT: to the gate of the city the square took

Proverbs 8:3
HEB: שְׁעָרִ֥ים לְפִי־ קָ֑רֶת מְב֖וֹא פְתָחִ֣ים
NAS: at the opening to the city, At the entrance
KJV: at the entry of the city, at the coming
INT: the gates the opening to the city the entrance of the doors

Proverbs 9:3
HEB: גַּ֝פֵּ֗י מְרֹ֣מֵי קָֽרֶת׃
NAS: of the heights of the city:
KJV: upon the highest places of the city,
INT: the tops of the heights of the city

Proverbs 9:14
HEB: כִּ֝סֵּ֗א מְרֹ֣מֵי קָֽרֶת׃
NAS: by the high places of the city,
KJV: in the high places of the city,
INT: A seat the high of the city

Proverbs 11:11
HEB: יְ֭שָׁרִים תָּר֣וּם קָ֑רֶת וּבְפִ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים
NAS: of the upright a city is exalted,
KJV: of the upright the city is exalted:
INT: of the upright is exalted A city the mouth of the wicked

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7176
5 Occurrences


qā·reṯ — 5 Occ.

7175b
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