כִּיד
a crushing; figuratively, calamity
Definition
The Hebrew noun כִּיד (kîyd) refers to a violent crushing or shattering blow, often used figuratively to describe calamity or destruction. Its primary sense is that of a forceful impact that breaks or overwhelms, as seen in its sole biblical occurrence in Job 21:20, where it describes the cup of God's wrath. The word conveys a sense of sudden, devastating ruin, not merely misfortune, but a divinely administered judgment. This figurative usage links physical destruction to spiritual or existential catastrophe.
Biblical Usage
כִּיד appears only once in the Old Testament, in Job 21:20. In this context, Job speaks of the wicked, asking, 'Let his own eyes see his destruction (כִּידוֹ), and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.' Here, the word is used poetically and metaphorically, equating 'destruction' with the experience of drinking from a cup of divine wrath. Its singular usage in wisdom literature highlights its role in discussing the theme of retribution and divine judgment.
Etymology
כִּיד derives from a primitive root meaning 'to strike' or 'to pound.' This root connection emphasizes the word's inherent sense of a violent, crushing action. Cognates in other Semitic languages support meanings related to striking or beating. The development from a physical 'striking' to the abstract concept of 'calamity' is a common semantic shift, where a concrete action becomes a metaphor for devastating events.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, כִּיד is theologically significant as it appears in a key discourse on divine justice in the Book of Job. It directly associates human destruction with the 'wrath of the Almighty,' contributing to the book's exploration of suffering and retribution. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches reading by highlighting the poetic intensity and the concrete imagery—drinking from a cup of crushing judgment—used to portray God's dealings with the wicked.
In the ancient Near Eastern context, the imagery of drinking from a cup of wrath (as in Job 21:20) was a potent metaphor for accepting one's fate or judgment, often from a deity. The concept of a crushing blow (כִּיד) would resonate in an agrarian and martial society familiar with the physical destruction of crops, cities, or bodies in battle. This tangible sense of ruin undergirds the abstract idea of calamity.
אָבַד (ʾāḇaḏ, H6) — a more general term for perish or be lost, often implying complete ruin. שֶׁבֶר (šeḇer, H7667) — a breaking, fracture, or crushing, frequently used for national disaster or brokenness of spirit. כָּלָה (kālâ, H3617) — completion, cessation, or destruction, often implying a full end or consumption.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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