תְּקֵף (te.qeph)
te.qeph
to grow strong
A:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb teqeph describes a process of becoming strong or hardened. In its basic sense, it refers to physical or spiritual fortification, but it carries a distinct negative connotation when applied to human character. Specifically, it is used to describe a spirit that grows arrogant or stubborn, resisting correction rather than yielding to wisdom.
This word appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Daniel 5:20. The text uses it to describe King Nebuchadnezzar’s heart as it became "hardened" by pride after witnessing God’s mighty works. The usage highlights a dangerous trajectory where strength turns into defiance, illustrating how power without humility leads to spiritual rigidity.
While the related Pael stem can mean to make something firm or stringent, the Qal form found in Daniel focuses on the internal state of the person. It serves as a warning that resistance to divine authority eventually calcifies the heart, making it unable to perceive truth even when it is plainly visible.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word teqeph describes a heart that grows hard, like metal cooling into an unyielding shape. It appears only once in Scripture, in Daniel 5:20, to describe King Nebuchadnezzar’s spirit after he had seen God’s power yet chose pride instead of humility. This is not just stubbornness; it is a spiritual calcification where the heart stops listening to wisdom and truth.
For us, this word serves as a gentle warning against letting success or repeated blessings make us self-reliant. When we stop yielding to God’s correction, our hearts can become rigid, unable to see what He is doing right in front of us. It invites us to check our own spirits daily, asking for softness rather than strength that resists change.
May we keep our hearts tender and open to His voice, knowing that true strength comes from humility before Him, not from our own willful independence.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it grew strong1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תִּֽקְפַ֣ת1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 5:20
But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.
This verse shows the word describing Nebuchadnezzar’s spirit hardening after pride, illustrating how strength without humility leads to spiritual blindness.