קָצֶה92 H7097a
End, extremity, edge; the tip or border of an object; the farthest reach of territory or earth; the end of a time period.
The noun קָצֶה marks the point where something terminates — the tip of a staff, the edge of a camp, the border of a territory, or the close of a span of time. Overwhelmingly spatial in its primary uses, it appears in measurement formulas (the end of the curtain, Exod 26:5), geographic descriptions (the end of the land, Deut 28:49), and grand theological statements about God's dominion reaching 'from one end of the earth to the other' (Deut 13:8). The temporal sense, always in the construction מִקְצֵה + time expression ('at the end of forty days,' Gen 8:6), accounts for about a tenth of its occurrences. Spanish confín/extremo, French extrémité, and German Ende converge on the same terminal-point semantics across all three senses.
Senses
1. physical end, edge, or tip of an object — The physical end, tip, edge, or border of a concrete object or bounded area (44 occurrences). This covers the tip of a staff (Judg 6:21; 1 Sam 14:27), the edge of a curtain or board (Exod 26:28; 36:33), the border of a camp (Exod 13:20; 16:35; Num 11:1), and the mouth of a conduit (Isa 7:3). Spanish extremo de, French extrémité de, and Korean 끝 all designate the terminal point of a tangible entity. The sense presupposes a bounded, manipulable or traversable object whose endpoint is in view. 44×
AR["أَقْصَى", "طَرَفَ", "طَرَفِ", "فِي-طَرَفِ"]·ben["-প্রান্তে", "কাছে-", "প্রান্ত", "প্রান্তে", "প্রান্তের", "শেষ-প্রান্তে"]·DE["Ende", "Ende-von", "bei-Rand-von", "in-Rand-von"]·EN["at-edge-of", "end-of", "in-edge-of", "the-end-of"]·FR["dans-edge-de", "extrémité", "fin-de", "à-bord-de"]·heb["ב-קצה", "קצה"]·HI["किनारे", "किनारे-पर", "छोर", "छोर-तक", "छोर-पर", "सिरा", "सीमा", "ही"]·ID["di-tepi", "ujung"]·IT["a-bordo-di", "estremita", "fine-di", "finire-di", "in-orlo-di"]·jav["pinggir", "pucuk", "pungkasan", "pungkasaning", "pungkasanipun", "ujung-ipun", "wonten-ing-pinggir"]·KO["(접)-끝", "끝", "끝-을", "끝-의", "끝까지", "끝에", "끝을", "끝의", "에-끝", "에서-끝", "의-끝에"]·PT["confim-de", "extremidade-de", "extremidade-de-", "extremo-de", "fim-de", "na-extremidade-de", "ponta-de"]·RU["-края", "в-краю", "конец", "край", "краю", "края", "края-", "на-краю"]·ES["confin-de", "el-confin-de", "en-extremo-de", "en-extremo-de-", "extremo-de", "punta-de"]·SW["miisho-ya", "mwisho", "mwisho-wa", "ncha", "ncha-ya", "pembeni-mwa"]·TR["-de-kenarında", "kenarında-", "ucuna", "ucuna-", "ucunda-", "ucunu"]·urd["سرے", "کنارہ", "کنارے", "کنارے-میں", "کنارے-پر"]
Gen 47:21, Exod 13:20, Exod 16:35, Exod 19:12, Exod 26:28, Exod 26:28, Exod 36:33, Exod 36:33, Num 11:1, Num 20:16, Num 22:36, Num 22:41 (+32 more)
2. farthest extent of territory or earth — The farthest extent, outermost boundary, or uttermost part of a territory, nation, or the earth itself (38 occurrences). Frequently in the construction מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ ('from the end of the earth,' Deut 28:49; Isa 5:26) or מִקָּצֶה ('from the edge of,' Gen 47:21). This sense scales up from local edges to cosmic horizons — the same word describes the edge of a field (Gen 23:9) and the ends of the heavens (Deut 4:32). German am Ende and Swahili mwisho wa maintain the boundary-marking function at geographic scale. 38×
AR["فِي-طَرَفِ", "مِن-أَقصَى", "مِنْ-أَقَاصِي-", "مِنْ-أَقْصَى", "مِنْ-أَقْصَى-", "مِنْ-طَرَفِ"]·ben["-প্রান্ত-থেকে", "প্রান্ত-থেকে", "প্রান্ত-থেকে-", "প্রান্তে", "শেষ-থেকে"]·DE["Ende", "am-Ende", "bei-Ende", "von-Ende-von", "von-einem-Ende"]·EN["at-end", "from-end-of", "from-the-end-of", "from-the-end-of-", "from-the-ends-of", "is-at-the-end-of"]·FR["de-fin-de", "de-l'extrémité", "est-à-le-fin-de", "extrémité", "à-fin"]·heb["ב-קצה", "מ-קצה", "מ-קצה-"]·HI["किनारे-पर", "किनारे-से", "छोर-से", "छोर-से-", "से-कोने", "से-छोर", "से-छोर-"]·ID["dari-ujung", "dari-ujung-", "di-ujung"]·IT["a-finire", "da-estremita", "da-fine", "da-fine-di", "da-finire-di", "è-a-il-fine-di"]·jav["ing-pungkasaning", "pungkasan", "saking-pucuk", "saking-pungkasan", "saking-pungkasan-", "saking-pungkasaning", "saking-pungkasanipun", "saking-ujung-ipun"]·KO["(전)-끝-에서", "끝-에서", "끝-에서-", "끝에서", "끝에서-", "에-끝", "에서-끝", "에서-끝-", "에서-끝으로부터", "에서-의-끝에서"]·PT["da-extremidade-de", "de-extremidade-de", "de-extremidade-de-", "de-extremo-de", "desde-extremo-de", "do-extremo-de", "do-fim-de-", "dos-confins-de", "no-fim-de"]·RU["на-краю", "от-конца", "от-края", "от-края-"]·ES["del-extremo", "del-extremo-de", "desde-confines-de", "desde-el-extremo", "desde-el-extremo-de", "desde-extremo-de", "en-extremo-de"]·SW["kutoka-miisho", "kutoka-miisho-ya", "kutoka-mwisho", "kutoka-mwisho-", "kutoka-mwisho-wa", "mwisho-wa", "shambani-wake"]·TR["-dan-ucundan", "-den-ucundan", "ucindan-", "uclarindan", "ucunda", "ucundadır", "ucundan", "ucundan-"]·urd["-کنارے-سے", "سرے-سے", "سرے-پر", "سے-سرے", "سے-کنارے", "کنارے-سے", "کنارے-سے-"]
Gen 19:4, Gen 23:9, Gen 47:2, Gen 47:21, Exod 26:5, Exod 36:12, Num 34:3, Deut 4:32, Deut 13:7, Deut 28:49, Deut 28:64, Deut 30:4 (+26 more)
3. temporal end of a period — The temporal end of a period, meaning 'after' or 'at the conclusion of' a specified duration (10 occurrences). Always in the fixed construction מִקְצֵה/מִקֵּץ + time noun: 'at the end of forty days' (Gen 8:6), 'at the end of three years' (Deut 14:28), 'at the end of three days' (Josh 3:2; 9:16). Spanish al fin de, French à la fin de, and Hindi अंत में all switch to temporal vocabulary, confirming that translators consistently recognize the metaphorical mapping from spatial terminus to temporal terminus. 10×
AR["بَعْدَ", "بَعْدَ-نِهَايَةِ", "عِنْدَ-نِهايَةِ", "فِي-نِهَايَةِ", "مِن-نِهايَةِ", "مِنْ-آخِرِ", "مِنْ-نِهايَةِ"]·ben["-শেষে", "শেষে", "শেষে-"]·DE["Ende", "am-Ende", "bei-Ende-von", "bei-der-Ende-von", "von-Ende-von"]·EN["at-end-of", "at-the-end-of", "from-end-of"]·FR["de-fin-de", "extrémité", "à-fin-de", "à-le-fin-de"]·heb["מ-קצה", "מִ-קְצֵה"]·HI["अंत-में", "अन्त-में", "अन्त-मेइन", "मिक्चेह", "से-अंत"]·ID["Pada-akhir", "pada-akhir"]·IT["a-fine-di", "a-il-finire-di", "da-fine", "da-fine-di"]·jav["Saking-pungkasaning", "ing-pungkasan", "saking-pungkasan", "saking-pungkasan-", "saking-pungkasan-ipun", "saking-pungkasaning", "sasampunipun", "sawis"]·KO["-에서-끝", "끝-에서", "끝에", "끝에서", "에서-끝"]·PT["ao-fim-de", "no-fim-de", "§ Ao-fim-de"]·RU["В-конце", "в-конце", "от-края", "по-истечении", "по-конце", "по-окончании"]·ES["Al-fin-de", "al-fin-de"]·SW["Mwishoni-mwa", "mwisho-wa", "mwishoni-mwa"]·TR["den-sonu", "sonunda", "sonunda-"]·urd["آخر-میں", "آخر-پر", "اختتام-پر", "سرے-پر", "سے-آخر", "کے-آخر-میں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
קָצֶה92 n.[m.] end, extremity, only sg.: abs. ק׳ Gn 19:4 + 3 times; cstr. קְצֵה Ju 6:21 +; sf. קָצֵ֫הוּ Gn 47:21 + 4 times; (םִ)קְצֵיהֶם Ez 33:2 (sg.; Ges§ 93 ss); pl. (cstr.) supplied by קְצוֹת, v. foll.;— 1. end, of staff Ju 6:21, rod 1 S 14:27, 43, curtains Ex 26:5 = 36:12 (P; cf. קָצָה); of conduit Is 7:3, river, = mouth v 18 (prob.), Jos 15:5(×2); 18:19; of field Gn 23:9, valley Jos 15:8,…