קָשָׁהqâshâh

be hard, severe, fierce

Pronunciation: kaw-shaw' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H7185

Meanings

Qal

1. be hard, difficult (Deuteronomy 1:17)

2. be hard, severe (1 Samuel 5:7; Deuteronomy 15:18; Genesis 49:7)

Niph`al: hardly bestead, hard pressed. (Isaiah 8:21)

Pi`el: she made hard in her bearing (had severe labour) (Genesis 35:16)

Hiph`il

1. make difficult, difficulty (Exodus 13:15; Genesis 35:17; 2 Kings 2:10)

2. make severe, burdensome (1 Kings 12:4; 2 Chronicles 10:4)

3.

a. make hard, stiff, stubborn, figurative of obstinacy (2 Kings 17:14; Jeremiah 7:26; Jeremiah 17:23)

b. shew stubborness (Job 9:4)

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 28 times in the Bible.

  • Genesis 35:16 Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense.
  • Genesis 35:17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!”
  • Genesis 49:7 A curse on their anger, for it is fierce; a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel. I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob; I will disperse them throughout Israel.
  • Exodus 7:3 But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
  • Exodus 13:15 Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the Lord killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the Lord—except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.’
  • Deuteronomy 1:17 and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’
See every passage

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).