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Isaiah 33:11 — Word Study

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WLCתַּהֲר֥וּ חֲשַׁ֖שׁ תֵּ֣לְדוּ קַ֑שׁ רוּחֲכֶ֕ם אֵ֖שׁ תֹּאכַלְכֶֽם׃

BSAYou conceivehârâh [bring forth, become pregnant with] chaffchâshash [dry grass, worthless material] you give birth toyâlad [beget, bring into existence] stubbleqash [dry straw, worthless residue] Your breathrûwach [spirit, the breath of life] is a fireʼêsh [a consuming flame, divine judgment] that will consume youʼâkal [devour, eat away]

Word
Listen & take awayIsaiah 33
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 11 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (to.khal.Khem) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Isaiah 33:11quick helps
In a sentenceThe verse declares the futility of human efforts, producing worthless outcomes that lead to self-destruction.
Who is speakingThe LORD, addressing those who oppose Him.
Where we areThis verse is part of a prophetic declaration about judgment and consequences.
The hard wordתַּהֲר֥וּ
Take awayHuman efforts without God lead to destruction.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbהָרָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Isaiah 33:11

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Prophetic Warninggenerated

10“Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted.
11You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.
13You who are far off, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

Isaiah 33:11 presents a stark warning about the consequences of human actions that are disconnected from divine purpose. The LORD emphasizes that what they produce will be worthless, symbolized by chaff and stubble, leading to their own destruction through divine judgment, as illustrated in the surrounding verses.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Isaiah 8:9–10Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
2Isaiah 10:7–14But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.
3Isaiah 17:13The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale.
4Isaiah 29:5–8But your many foes will be like fine dust, the multitude of the ruthless like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,
5Isaiah 59:4No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

The Key Word תַּהֲר֥וּ, ta.ha.Rugenerated

The verb הָרָה (*harah*) means 'to conceive' or 'to become pregnant.' It is used here to illustrate how the people are bringing forth something that is ultimately useless and destructive, akin to the way a mother brings forth life. However, in this context, the outcome is not life but worthless material.

This verb is in the imperfect tense, indicating an ongoing action. The people are actively engaged in this process of conceiving chaff, highlighting the futility of their efforts.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses conceive and give birth to consistently with the KJV and ASV, emphasizing the idea of producing worthless outcomes.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verbs תַּהֲר֥וּ and תֵּ֣לְדוּ govern the clauses, with two noun phrases acting as objects: חֲשַׁ֖שׁ and קַ֑שׁ. This structure emphasizes the actions of conceiving and giving birth to worthless things.

The order of the Hebrew words also highlights the relationship between the actions and their consequences, culminating in the declaration about the consuming fire.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the Hebrew תַּהֲר֥וּ is rendered as ὄψεσθε, meaning 'you will see.' This choice shifts the focus from the act of conceiving to the result of witnessing the consequences of their actions.

This translation reflects a broader interpretative approach, emphasizing the eventual realization of their futility rather than the act of producing worthless material.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Isaiah 33:11 warns that the efforts of the people will yield worthless results, like chaff and stubble. Their breath, representing their spirit, will lead to their destruction through divine judgment.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to conceive chaff?

It means that the actions of the people are producing worthless outcomes, similar to how chaff is the useless outer husk of grain.

Why is breath described as a fire?

Breath symbolizes the spirit and life force, and here it represents divine judgment that will consume the people.

What is the significance of stubble in this verse?

Stubble signifies something that is easily destroyed and worthless, highlighting the futility of the people's efforts.

How does this verse relate to God's judgment?

It illustrates that actions disconnected from God lead to destruction, as divine judgment consumes what is worthless.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life am I producing results that are worthless or unfruitful?
  2. How can I align my actions more closely with God's purpose to avoid destruction?
  3. What does it mean for my spirit to be a consuming fire, and how can I ensure it is directed positively?
  4. How can I discern between actions that lead to life versus those that lead to worthlessness?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Isaiah 33:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble,.... Signifying that all the counsels, designs, and schemes, of the antichristian party, to continue themselves in their present state, and save

Read John Gill on Isaiah 33 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. Ye - the enemy. Shall conceive chaff - (Isaiah 26:18; Isaiah 59:4).

Read Robert Jamieson on Isaiah 33 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble, instead of solid corn. Your great hopes and designs, O ye Assyrians! shall be utterly disappointed. Your breath, as fire, shall devour you; your rage against my people shall bring ruin upon yourselves.

Read Matthew Poole on Isaiah 33 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Isaiah 33:11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, [as] fire, shall devour you.Ver. 11. Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble.] Gravidi estis stramiue, parietis stipulum. So did Pharaoh, Antiochus, Julian, &c. So doth Antichrist and his champions, notwithstanding his bloody alarms to them, such as was that sounded out in the year 1582. “ Utere iure tao, Caesar, sectamque Lutheri Ease, rota, ponto, funibus, igne neca. ” And that other of the King of France not many years since, exhorting him to kill up all the Protestants per Galliam stabulantes, the very words of the Pope’ s bull, that had any stable room in France. Your breath as fire shall…

Read John Trapp on Isaiah 33 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) Ye shall conceive chaff . . .—Primarily the words are addressed to the Assyrian invaders, but not without a side glance at all who had been weaving their own webs of policy instead of trusting in Jehovah. Scheme and result, conception and parturition, would be alike worthless. Your breath, as fire . . .—“Breath,” the hot panting of rage; this, instead of working the destruction of Judah, should prove suicidal.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Isaiah 33 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 11. Your breath - "And my spirit"] "For רוחכם ruchechem, your spirit, read רוחי כמו ruchi kemo." Secker. Which reading is confirmed by the Chaldee, where מימרי meywri, "my word," answers to רוחי ruchi, "my spirit."

Read AdamClarke on Isaiah 33 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. Still the words of Jehovah, addressed to the enemy. The present tense would be better than the future. For the first figure see ch. Isaiah 59:4; Job 15:35; Psalms 7:14. your breath …] Better as R.V. your breath (i.e. “anger”) is a fire that devours you.

Read Cambridge on Isaiah 33 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ye shall conceive chaff - An address of God to the Assyrians. The figure is one that denotes that their counsels would be in vain.

Read Albert Barnes on Isaiah 33 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

You will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you.

NETBNew English Translation2006

You conceive straw, you give birth to chaff; your breath is a fire that destroys you.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire that shall devour you.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire that shall devour you.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Ye shall conceiue chaffe, and bring forth stubble: the fire of your breath shall deuoure you.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Ye shall conceive dry grass, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath shall devour you [as] fire.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Ye conceive chaff, ye bear stubble, Your spirit! — fire devoureth you.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

You conceive chaff, you bear stubble; Your spirit—a fire [that] devours you.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Ye shall be pregnant with hay, [and] ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire, which shall devour you.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

You shall conceive heat, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath as fire shall devour you.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

All you give birth to is only dry grass, all you deliver is just stubble. Your breath is a fire that will burn you up.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Your designs will be without profit, and their effect will be nothing: you will be burned up by the fire of my breath.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseverbתַּהֲר֥וּyou.will.conceiveobjectחֲשַׁ֖שׁdry.grassclauseverbתֵּ֣לְדוּyou.will.give.birth.toobjectקַ֑שׁstubbleclausenoun phrase · subjectרוּחֲbreathכֶ֕םyournoun phrase · predicateאֵ֖שׁ[is].a.fireclauseverbתֹּאכַלְ[which].itobjectכֶֽםwill.consume.you

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text aligns closely with the Dead Sea Scrolls, with only minor variations in spelling. Both texts convey the same essential message about the consequences of human actions.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

תַּהֲר֥וּ חֲשַׁ֖שׁ תֵּ֣לְדוּ קַ֑שׁ רוּחֲכֶ֕ם אֵ֖שׁ תֹּאכַלְכֶֽם׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
תַּהֲר֥וּὄψεσθεחֲשַׁ֖שׁαἰσθηθήσεσθεרוּחֲכֶ֕םὑμῶνאֵ֖שׁπῦρתֹּאכַלְכֶֽם׃ὑμᾶς

5 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Qisaaa copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

תהרו חששה תלדו קש רוח׳כם אש תאכל׳כם

7 words on the leather.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Isaiah 33:11הָרָהyou will coyou will conceiהָרָהחֲשַׁשׁdry grassdry grassחֲשַׁשׁיָלַדyou will giyou will give bיָלַדקַשׁstubblestubbleקַשׁרוּחַbreath yourbreath yourרוּחַאֵשׁ[is] a fire[is] a fireאֵשׁאָכַל[which] it [which] it willאָכַלקָשַׁשׁto gatherto gatherקָשַׁשׁרִיחַto smellto smellרִיחַקַשׁstubblestubbleקַשׁלֵאָהLeahLeahלֵאָהיָלַדto begetto begetיָלַדשֶׁ֫לַחShelahShelahשֶׁ֫לַחהָרָהto conceivto conceiveהָרָהחֲשַׁשׁchaffchaffחֲשַׁשׁנָדַףto driveto driveנָדַףנְשָׁמָהbreathbreathנְשָׁמָהקָדִיםeasteastקָדִיםלֶהָבָהflameflameלֶהָבָהיָצַתto kindleto kindleיָצַתשָׁתָהto drinkto drinkשָׁתָהלֶ֫חֶםfoodfoodלֶ֫חֶם
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Isaiah 33:11

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

you will conceive dry grass you will give birth to stubble breath your [is] a fire [which] it will consume you
תַּהֲר֥וּta.ha.Ru you will conceive H2029 Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine plural
43× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To conceive or become pregnant, as seen in the story of Sarah and Abraham in Genesis 17, where Sarah conceives Isaac in her old age. This word is used to describe the miracle of birth and new life.
Amplified meaning
bring forth, become pregnant with
Tyndale gloss
to conceive
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָרָה (*harah*) primarily means to conceive or become pregnant, as noted in various lexicons. It can refer to both literal and figurative conception, and includes nuances such as bearing a child or devising something. The entries also indicate different grammatical forms, including Qal, Pual, and Poel, which reflect various aspects of the root meaning.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָרָה vb. conceive, become pregnant

Qal

lit. conceive, become pregnant

metaph.

Pu. a man hath been conceived

Po. conceive, contrive, devise

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2029 הָרָה conceive, become pregnant

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2029 harah haw-raw'

a primitive root; to be (or become) pregnant, conceive

(literally or figuratively):--been, be with child, conceive,

progenitor.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָרָה (ha.rah) — to conceive.

1) to conceive, become pregnant, bear, be with child, be conceived, progenitor

1a)(Qal) to conceive, become pregnant

1b) (Pual) to be conceived

1c) (Poel) to conceive, contrive, devise

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-2mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine plural
HVqi2mp
you will conceive dry grass you will give birth to stubble breath your [is] a fire [which] it will consume you
חֲשַׁ֖שׁcha.Shash dry grass H2842 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
2× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means dry grass or chaff, which is the outer husk of grain that's often blown away by the wind.
Amplified meaning
dry grass, worthless material
Tyndale gloss
chaff
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word חֲשַׁשׁ (chashash) means 'chaff' or 'dry grass.' It is consistently defined across entries, with no significant variation in meaning. The term is related to the concept of waste material from grain processing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חֲשַׁשׁ n.m. chaff

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2842 חֲשַׁשׁ chaff

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2842 chashash khaw-shash'

by variation for 7179; dry grass:--chaff.

see HEBREW for 07179

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חֲשַׁשׁ (cha.shash) — chaff.

chaff, dry grass

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

gras:

(1) chatsir, from a root meaning "greenness"; compare Arabic Khudra, which includes grasses and green vegetables (1Ki 18:5; 2Ki 19:26; Job 40:15; Ps 104:14, etc.). Isa 15:6 is translated in the King James Version "have," the Revised Version (British and American) "grass"; Pr 27:25, English Versions of the Bible "hay," margin "Hebrew grass"; Nu 11:5 English Versions of the Bible translates "leeks." It is a term for herbage in general.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Grass

(1.) Heb. hatsir, ripe grass fit for mowing (1 Kings 18:5; Job 40:15; Ps. 104:14). As the herbage rapidly fades under the scorching sun, it is used as an image of the brevity of human life (Isa. 40:6, 7; Ps. 90:5). In Num. 11:5 this word is rendered “leeks.”

(2.) Heb. deshe’, green grass (Gen. 1:11, 12; Isa. 66:14; Deut. 32:2). “The sickly and forced blades of grass which spring up on the flat…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Sometimes means any green herbage, Isa 15:6, and sometimes the usual food of cattle, Ps 104:14. The quick growth of grass, its tenderness, and its rapid combustion when dry, have furnished the sacred writers with some of their most appropriate illustrations, Ps 90:5,6 92:7 103:15,16 Isa 40:6-8 51:12 Jas 1:10 1Pe 1:24. All sorts of grass and small shrubs are still used in Syria for fuel, on account of the scarcity of wood, Mt 6:28-30. Travelers in that country often see grass growing on the housetops, the roofs…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Created on the third creative day Ge 1:11

→ Mown Ps 72:6

→ God's care of Mt 6:30; Lu 12:28

→ On roofs of houses Ps 129:6

→ FIGURATIVE Ps 90:5,6; Isa 40:6; 1Pe 1:24; Jas 1:10,11

you will conceive dry grass you will give birth to stubble breath your [is] a fire [which] it will consume you
תֵּ֣לְדוּTe.le.du you will give birth to H3205 Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine plural
496× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to give birth or beget a child, like when Eve gave birth to Cain in Genesis 4:1. It can also mean to help someone give birth, like a midwife. This word is used in many KJV translations, including Genesis and Isaiah.
Amplified meaning
beget, bring into existence
Tyndale gloss
to beget
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word יָלַד (*yalad*) means to bear, bring forth, or beget, and it encompasses various forms of childbirth and lineage declaration. It can refer to both the act of giving birth and the role of a midwife. The entries also note its use in contexts of distress and wicked behavior, as well as in reference to birthdays.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָלַד 497 vb. bear, bring forth, beget

Qal

bear, bring forth

less often beget

of both parents

Niph. be born

Pi. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife

Pu. be born

Hiph.

beget (a father a child)

bear

Hoph. day of one's being born = birthday

Hithp. declared their pedigree

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3205 יָלַד bear, bring forth, beget .. bear, bring forth

. less often beget

. of both parents

. be born

. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife

. be born

. . beget (a father a child)

. bear

. day of one's being born = birthday

. declared their pedigree

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3205 yalad yaw-lad'

a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget;

medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show

lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring

forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be

delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch,

labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be

the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָלַד (ya.lad) — to beget.

1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to bear, bring forth

1a1a) of child birth

1a1b) of distress (simile)

1a1c) of wicked (behaviour)

1a2) to beget

1b) (Niphal) to be born

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to cause or help to bring forth

1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife

1c3) midwife (participle)

1d) (Pual) to be born

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to beget (a child)

1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity)

1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive)

1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-2mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine plural
HVqi2mp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

burth (genesis):

(1) It was said by the angel beforehand of John the Baptist, "Many shall rejoice at his birth"; and when he was born Elisabeth said, "Thus hath the Lord done unto me .... to take away my reproach among men" (Lu 1:14,25). Among the ancient Hebrews barrenness was a "reproach" and the birth of a child, of a son especially, an occasion for rejoicing.

(2) This, no doubt, was due in part to the Messianic hope inspired and sustained by prophecy (see Ge 3:15, where it was foretold that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head; and subsequent prophecies too numerous to mention). Cases in point worth studying are found in Ge 4:1, where Eve rejoices over the birth of her firstborn and cries, "I have gotten a…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Birth

As soon as a child was born it was washed, and rubbed with salt (Ezek. 16:4), and then swathed with bandages (Job 38:9; Luke 2:7, 12). A Hebrew mother remained forty days in seclusion after the birth of a son, and after the birth of a daughter double that number of days. At the close of that period she entered into the tabernacle or temple and offered up a sacrifice of purification (Lev. 12:1-8; Luke 2:22). A son was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, being thereby consecrated to God (Gen. 17:10-12; comp.

→ Giving, ordained to be in sorrow Ge 3:16

→ See ABORTION

→ See CHILDREN

you will conceive dry grass you will give birth to stubble breath your [is] a fire [which] it will consume you
קַ֑שׁKash stubble H7179 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
16× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word refers to dry straw or stubble, often used to describe something that is worthless or easily destroyed. It appears in prophetic passages, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, to symbolize God's judgment.
Amplified meaning
dry straw, worthless residue
Tyndale gloss
stubble
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קַשׁ (qash) refers to stubble or chaff, typically associated with dry straw. The entries indicate that it is derived from another Hebrew word, but they do not provide further details on its usage in specific verses.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

קַשׁ n.m. stubble, chaff

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7179 קַשׁ stubble, chaff

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7179 qash kash

from 7197; straw (as dry):--stubble.

see HEBREW for 07197

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קַשׁ (qash) — stubble.

stubble, chaff

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

stub'-'-l (qash (Ex 5:12, etc.); kalame (The Wisdom of Solomon 3:7; 1Co 3:12)): These Hebrew and Greek forms are used of the stalks of wheat, etc., left knee-high in the field by the reapers. tebhen (Job 21:18), is a mixture of chopped straw and chaff produced in threshing, which is winnowed out by the fan (compare Jer 23:28; Isa 5:24; Mt 3:12). When tebhen was withheld from them the Israelites had to utilize qash for the manufacture of their bricks (Ex 5:12).

Nave's Topical Bible

→ FIGURATIVE

Of wicked people Ex 15:7; Job 21:18; Ps 83:13; Isa 5:24; 40:24; 41:2; 47:14; Jer 13:24; Joe 2:5; Na 1:10; Mal 4:1

you will conceive dry grass you will give birth to stubble breath your [is] a fire [which] it will consume you
רוּחֲכֶ֕םru.cha.Khem breath your H7307 Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
378× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word for spirit refers to the breath of life, the wind, or a person's mind and emotions, as seen in the book of Ezekiel.
Amplified meaning
spirit, the breath of life
Tyndale gloss
spirit
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רוּחַ (ruach) means breath, wind, or spirit. It encompasses various meanings, including the breath of life, emotional disposition, and the spirit of God. The term can refer to both physical phenomena, like wind, and abstract concepts, such as moral character or mental acts. Notably, it is used frequently in the context of divine inspiration and the Holy Spirit.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רוּחַ 378 n.f. (less oft. m.) breath, wind, spirit

breath of mouth or nostrils (33 t.)

wind (117 t.)

spirit, as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation = temper, disposition (76 t.)

spirit of the living, breathing being

spirit as seat of emotion

occasionally (and late) = seat or organ of mental acts

rarely of the will

רוּחַ esp. of moral character

spirit of God (94 t.)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7307 רוּחַ breath, wind, spirit . breath of mouth or nostrils (33 t.)

. wind (117 t.)

. spirit, as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation = temper, disposition (76 t.)

. spirit of the living, breathing being

. spirit as seat of emotion

. occasionally (and late) = seat or organ of mental acts

. rarely of the will

. רוּחַ esp. of moral character

. spirit of God (94 t.)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7307 ruwach roo'-akh

from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or

even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger,

unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by

resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including

its expression and functions):--air, anger, blast, breath, X

cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit((-ual)),

tempest, X vain, ((whirl-))wind(-y).

see HEBREW for 07306

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רוּחַ (ru.ach) — spirit.

: spirit

1) wind, breath, mind, spirit

1a) breath

1b) wind

1b1) of heaven

1b2) quarter (of wind), side

1b3) breath of air

1b4) air, gas

1b5) vain, empty thing

1c) spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation)

1c1) spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour

1c2) courage

1c3) temper, anger

1c4) impatience, patience

1c5) spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented)

1c6) disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse

1c7) prophetic spirit

1d) spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals)

1d1) as gift, preserved by God, God's spirit, departing at death, disembodied being

1e) spirit (as seat of emotion)

1e1) desire

1e2) sorrow, trouble

1f) spirit

1f1) as seat or organ of mental acts

1f2) rarely of the will

1f3) as seat especially of moral character

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-cs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HNcfsc/Sp2mp
you will conceive dry grass you will give birth to stubble breath your [is] a fire [which] it will consume you
אֵ֖שׁ'esh [is] a fire H784 Noun common · both singular absolute
378× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Fire is a powerful symbol in the Bible, representing both God's anger and his refining presence, as seen in Deuteronomy 4:24 and Malachi 3:2-3. It is also used for cooking and warmth. This concept is central to many biblical stories.
Amplified meaning
a consuming flame, divine judgment
Tyndale gloss
fire
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֵשׁ (esh) means 'fire' and encompasses various types, including natural fire, supernatural fire associated with divine appearances, and fire used for cooking or on altars. It can also figuratively represent God's anger. The entries consistently highlight its literal and metaphorical uses, with no significant disagreement among lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵשׁ 377 n.f. fire

fire, of conflagration

of supernatural fire

fire for cooking, roasting, parching

esp. of altar fire

fig. of Yahweh's anger

in various combinations

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H784 אֵשׁ fire . fire, of conflagration

. of supernatural fire

. fire for cooking, roasting, parching

. esp. of altar fire

. fig. of Yahweh's anger

. in various combinations

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

784 'esh aysh

a primitive word; fire (literally or figuratively):--

burning, fiery, fire, flaming, hot.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵשׁ (esh) — fire.

1) fire

1a) fire, flames

1b) supernatural fire (accompanying theophany)

1c) fire (for cooking, roasting, parching)

1d) altar-fire

1e) God's anger (fig.)

Aramaic equivalent: esh (אֶשָּׁא "fire" H0785)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-cs — Noun common · both singular absolute
HNcbsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fir ('esh; pur):

These are the common words for fire, occurring very frequently. 'Ur, "light" (Isa 24:15 the King James Version; compare the Revised Version (British and American); Isa 31:9, and see FIRES), nur (Aramaic) (Da 3:22 ff) are found a few times, also 'eshshah (Jer 6:29), and be`erah (Ex 22:6), once each. Ac 28:2,3 has pura, "pyre," and Mr 14:54; Lu 22:56, phos, "light," the Revised Version (British and American) "in the light (of the fire)." "To set…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Fire

(1.) For sacred purposes. The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at the dedication of Solomon’s temple (2 Chr. 7:1, 3). The expressions “fire from heaven” and “fire of the Lord” generally denote lightning, but sometimes also the fire of the altar was so called (Ex. 29:18; Lev. 1:9; 2:3; 3:5, 9).

Fire for a sacred purpose obtained otherwise than from the altar was called “strange fire” (Lev. 10:1, 2;

is represented as the symbol of Jehovah’s presence and the instrument of his power, in the way either of approval or of destruction. (Exodus 3:2; 14:19) etc. There could not be a better symbol for Jehovah than this of fire, it being immaterial, mysterious, but visible, warming, cheering, comforting, but also terrible and consuming. Parallel with this application of fire and with its symbolical meaning are to be noted the similar use for sacrificial purposes and the respect paid to it, or to the heavenly bodies as symbols of deity, which prevailed among so many nations of antiquity, and of which the traces are not even now extinct; e.g. the Sabean and Magian systems of worship. (Isaiah 27:9) Fire for sacred purposes obtained elsewhere than from the altar was called "strange fire," and for the use of such Nadab and Abihu were punished…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

In Scripture, is often connected with the presence of Jehovah; as in the burning bush, and on Mount Sinai, Ex 3:2 19:18 Ps 18:1-50 Hab 1:1-3:19. The second coming of Christ will be "in flaming fire," 2Th 1:8. In the New Testament it illustrates the enlightening, cheering, and purifying agency of the Holy Spirit, Mt 3:11 Ac 2:3. By sending fire from heaven to consume sacrifices, God often signified his acceptance of them: as in the case of Abel, Ge 4:4; Abraham, Ge…

you will conceive dry grass you will give birth to stubble breath your [is] a fire [which] it will consume you
תֹּאכַלְכֶֽם׃to.khal.Khem [which] it will consume you H398 Verb qal imperfect third person feminine singular · suffix
810× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to eat or devour, and it's used in many stories, including when Jesus fed the 5000 with fish and bread in the book of Matthew. It's about taking in nourishment and being satisfied.
Amplified meaning
devour, eat away
Tyndale gloss
to eat
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָכַל (akal) means 'to eat' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including literal consumption by humans and animals, as well as figurative uses like devouring by fire or destruction. It can describe actions such as feeding or causing to eat, and it also appears in contexts of oppression and destruction. The verb has various forms, indicating different subjects and nuances.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָכַל 806 vb. eat

Qal

eat, human subject

of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour

fig. of fire, devour, consume

of sword, devour, slay

in genl., devour, consume, destroy

fig. of oppression, devour the poor

Niph.

be eaten by man

be devoured by fire, consumed

be wasted, destroyed, of flesh

Pu. be consumed

Hiph.

cause to eat, feed with

cause to devoure, obj. sword

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H398 אָכַל eat .. eat, human subject

. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour

. fig. of fire, devour, consume

. of sword, devour, slay

. in genl., devour, consume, destroy

. fig. of oppression, devour the poor

. . be eaten by man

. be devoured by fire, consumed

. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh

. be consumed

. . cause to eat, feed with

. cause to devoure, obj. sword

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

398 'akal aw-kal'

a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively):--X at

all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up),

feed (with), food, X freely, X in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay)

meat, X quite.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָכַל (a.khal) — to eat.

1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to eat (human subject)

1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds)

1a3) to devour, consume (of fire)

1a4) to devour, slay (of sword)

1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought)

1a6) to devour (of oppression)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be eaten (by men)

1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire)

1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh)

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to cause to eat, feed with

1c2) to cause to devour

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to feed

1d2) to cause to eat

1e) (Piel)

1e1) consume

Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3fs | Suff — Verb qal imperfect third person feminine singular · suffix
HVqi3fs/Sp2mp
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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