What does קָשֶׁה (qāšeh) mean in the Bible?
קָשֶׁה (qāšeh): Resistance or rigidity—physical hardness, emotional obstinacy, or relational harshness—unified by inflexibility.
Hebrew · H7186
קָשֶׁה
Severe (in various applications)
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קָשֶׁה H7186
Pronunciation qāšeh
What does קָשֶׁה (qāšeh) mean in the Bible?
קָשֶׁה (qāšeh): Resistance or rigidity—physical hardness, emotional obstinacy, or relational harshness—unified by inflexibility.
Full entry for קָשֶׁה (H7186) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7186?
The BSB source-word alignment has 36 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include harshly (4), are a stiff-necked (3), a stiff-necked (2), the burden (2), . . . (1).
Where does קָשֶׁה (qāšeh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 42:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Exodus (7), Isaiah (6), Deuteronomy (4), 1 Kings (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It harshly 4× Genesis 42:7, Genesis 42:30, 1 Kings 12:13, 2 Chronicles 10:13
are a stiff-necked 3× Exodus 33:3, Exodus 33:5, Deuteronomy 9:6
a stiff-necked 2× Exodus 32:9, Deuteronomy 9:13
the burden 2× 1 Kings 12:4, 2 Chronicles 10:4
. . . 1× Deuteronomy 31:27
[will take] His sharp 1× Isaiah 27:1
[with] bad [news] 1× 1 Kings 14:6
A dire 1× Isaiah 21:2
and cruel 1× Exodus 6:9
and from the hard 1× Isaiah 14:3
and hard-hearted 1× Ezekiel 3:7
and stronger 1× Judges 4:24
and stubborn 1× Judges 2:19
are stubborn 1× Isaiah 48:4
are too fierce 1× 2 Samuel 3:39
as unrelenting 1× Song Of Solomon 8:6
for those in trouble 1× Job 30:25
hardship 1× Psalms 60:3
intense 1× 2 Samuel 2:17
is a stiff-necked 1× Exodus 34:9
of a harsh 1× Isaiah 19:4
the difficult 1× Exodus 18:26
They are obstinate 1× Ezekiel 2:4
to hard 1× Deuteronomy 26:6
troubled 1× 1 Samuel 1:15
was harsh 1× 1 Samuel 25:3
with a fierce 1× Isaiah 27:8
with hard 1× Exodus 1:14
you harshly 1× 1 Samuel 20:10
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 42:7 קָשׁ֗וֹת to harshly Adjective - feminine plural Genesis 42:30 קָשׁ֑וֹת to harshly Adjective - feminine plural Exodus 1:14 קָשָׁ֗ה to with hard Adjective - feminine singular Exodus 6:9 קָשָֽׁה׃פ to and cruel Adjective - feminine singular Exodus 18:26 הַקָּשֶׁה֙ to the difficult Article | Adjective - masculine singular Exodus 32:9 קְשֵׁה־ to a stiff-necked Adjective - masculine singular construct Exodus 33:3 קְשֵׁה־ to are a stiff-necked Adjective - masculine singular construct Exodus 33:5 קְשֵׁה־ to are a stiff-necked Adjective - masculine singular construct Exodus 34:9 קְשֵׁה־ to is a stiff-necked Adjective - masculine singular construct Deuteronomy 9:6 קְשֵׁה־ to are a stiff-necked Adjective - masculine singular construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 42:7
Aligned rows 36
Books represented 13
Genesis 2 Exodus 7 Deuteronomy 4 Judges 2 1 Samuel 3 2 Samuel 2 1 Kings 3 2 Chronicles 2 Job 1 Psalms 1 Song Of Solomon 1 Isaiah 6 Ezekiel 2
Source forms
קְשֵׁה־ 6x qə·šêh- Exodus 32:9, Exodus 33:3, Exodus 33:5, Exodus 34:9
קָשָׁ֑ה 3x qā·šāh 1 Kings 12:13, 2 Chronicles 10:13, Psalms 60:3
הַקָּשָׁ֗ה 2x haq·qā·šāh 1 Kings 12:4, 2 Chronicles 10:4
הַקָּשָׁ֖ה 2x haq·qā·šāh Isaiah 14:3, Isaiah 27:8
קָשָׁ֥ה 2x qā·šāh 2 Samuel 2:17, Song Of Solomon 8:6
קָשָֽׁה׃ 2x qā·šāh Deuteronomy 26:6, 1 Kings 14:6
הַקָּשֶׁה֙ 1x haq·qā·šeh Exodus 18:26
הַקָּשֶׁ֑ה 1x haq·qā·šeh Deuteronomy 31:27
Parsing patterns
Adjective - feminine singular 11x Exodus 1:14, Exodus 6:9, Deuteronomy 26:6, 1 Samuel 20:10
Adjective - masculine singular construct 6x Exodus 32:9, Exodus 33:3, Exodus 33:5, Exodus 34:9
Article | Adjective - feminine singular 6x Judges 2:19, 1 Kings 12:4, 2 Chronicles 10:4, Isaiah 14:3
Adjective - masculine singular 3x 1 Samuel 25:3, Isaiah 19:4, Isaiah 48:4
Adjective - feminine plural 2x Genesis 42:7, Genesis 42:30
Article | Adjective - masculine singular 2x Exodus 18:26, Deuteronomy 31:27
Adjective - feminine singular construct 1x 1 Samuel 1:15
Adjective - masculine plural 1x 2 Samuel 3:39
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Resistance or rigidity—physical hardness, emotional obstinacy, or relational harshness—unified by inflexibility.
Source Gloss
severe (in various applications)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Resistance or rigidity—physical hardness, emotional obstinacy, or relational harshness—unified by inflexibility.
severe (in various applications) BDB: hard Usage: churlish, cruel, grievous, hard((-hearted), thing), heavy, impudent, obstinate, prevailed, rough(-ly), sore, sorrowful, stiff(necked), stubborn, in trouble.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Hard or obstinate.
Showing 1 selected witness from 36 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
קָשֶׁה is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Describes resistant rebellion against God. Isaiah 48:1-8
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain