כָּבָה (ka.vah)
ka.vah
to quench
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 19 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb kawah describes the act of putting out a fire or extinguishing a light. It appears in nineteen verses, with significant usage in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Proverbs. The word captures the finality of a flame being completely consumed or suppressed, leaving no heat or glow behind.
Its meaning extends beyond physical combustion to include spiritual and moral dimensions. In Proverbs 26:20, for instance, the text notes that without wood, a fire goes out, illustrating how conflict requires fuel to sustain itself. Similarly, Isaiah uses the imagery to describe God’s judgment or protection, where divine action can either extinguish enemies or preserve the faithful like a lamp in the night.
The verb carries two main forms: the Qal, which indicates the state of being quenched, and the Piel, which denotes the active force of quenching. This distinction allows Scripture to portray both the passive result of divine intervention and the deliberate act of suppression. Translators often render it as "extinguish" or "put out," preserving the concrete imagery of fire while allowing for metaphorical applications in moral and theological contexts.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew verb kawah describes the act of putting out a fire or extinguishing a light. It appears in nineteen verses, with significant usage in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Proverbs. The word captures the finality of a flame being completely consumed or suppressed, leaving no heat or glow behind. Its meaning extends beyond physical combustion to include spiritual and moral dimensions.
In Proverbs 26:20, for instance, the text notes that without wood, a fire goes out, illustrating how conflict requires fuel to sustain itself. Similarly, Isaiah uses the imagery to describe God’s judgment or protection, where divine action can either extinguish enemies or preserve the faithful like a lamp in the night.
The verb carries two main forms: the Qal, which indicates the state of being quenched, and the Piel, which denotes the active force of quenching. This distinction allows Scripture to portray both the passive result of divine intervention and the deliberate act of suppression. Translators often render it as "extinguish" or "put out," preserving the concrete imagery of fire while allowing for metaphorical applications in moral and theological contexts.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 19 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it will be quenched3×
- it will be extinguished3×
- [will be one who] extinguishes3×
- it is extinguished2×
- you will extinguish1×
- to/ extinguish1×
- they were quenched1×
- it was extinguished1×
- he will extinguish/ it1×
- and/ they will extinguish1×
- and/ they extinguished1×
- [one who] extinguishes [it]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תִכְבֶּֽה\׃2×
- תִכְבֶּ֔ה2×
- מְכַבֶּ֔ה2×
- תִּכְבֶּה\־1×
- תִכְבֶּֽה\׃\ \פ1×
- תִכְבֶּֽה\׃\ \ס1×
- תְכַבֶּ֖ה1×
- מְכַבֶּֽה\׃\ \ס1×
- מְכַבֶּ֖ה1×
- לְ/כַבּ֣וֹת1×
- כָבֽוּ\׃1×
- יִכְבֶּ֖ה1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 42:3
He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.
This verse highlights God's gentle care, showing He will not quench a dimly burning wick, offering hope to those feeling weak or faint.
-
Song of Solomon 8:7
Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
Here the word emphasizes the unstoppable nature of true love, which no amount of water or flood can extinguish.
-
Jeremiah 4:4
Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go out like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
The prophet warns that God's wrath, if provoked by evil deeds, will burn like a fire that no one can quench.
-
Proverbs 26:20
For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down.
This practical wisdom illustrates that quarrels die down when the fuel of gossip is removed, just as a fire goes out without wood.