קַיִט
harvest
Definition
The Hebrew noun קַיִט (qayiṭ) refers to the 'harvest' or 'summer' season, specifically denoting the time of gathering ripe crops. In its sole biblical occurrence in Daniel 2:35, it describes the chaff of the threshing floor that the wind blows away in the 'summer,' symbolizing complete and effortless destruction. While the word itself means 'harvest,' the context emphasizes the dry, winnowing season (summer) when such agricultural processing occurs. This Aramaic term corresponds directly to the Hebrew קַיִץ (qayiṣ, H7019), which is used more frequently in the Old Testament for 'summer' as a season.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the entire Old Testament, in the Aramaic portion of the book of Daniel (Daniel 2:35). It is used in King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, where the statue representing kingdoms is struck and its components become like chaff on a threshing floor in the 'summer' (qayiṭ), which the wind carries away. The usage is metaphorical, employing a vivid agricultural image of the harvest season to depict total and sudden divine judgment against human empires.
Etymology
קַיִט (qayiṭ) is an Aramaic noun, which is the linguistic cousin of Biblical Hebrew. It corresponds directly to the Hebrew word קַיִץ (qayiṣ, H7019), meaning 'summer.' Both words derive from a common Semitic root (*q-y-ṣ/ṭ) associated with the heat of summer and the harvest. In Aramaic, the 'ṣ' sound often shifted to a 'ṭ,' resulting in the form qayiṭ. The core meaning revolves around the ripe, dry time of year for gathering grain.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, this word carries significant theological weight in its context. In Daniel 2:35, the 'summer' (qayiṭ) threshing floor scene is a powerful metaphor for God's sovereign judgment. It portrays human kingdoms as temporary and fragile, like chaff, which God utterly removes to establish his eternal kingdom. Understanding this agricultural metaphor enriches the reading by connecting God's ultimate authority to a familiar, seasonal process of separation (grain from chaff) and purification.
In the ancient Near East, the summer harvest was a critical, well-understood annual event. The threshing floor was a communal area where harvested grain was processed—beaten to separate the edible kernel from the inedible husk (chaff). The dry summer winds were essential for winnowing, where the lighter chaff was blown away. Daniel's audience would immediately grasp the image: something as worthless and easily dispersed as chaff in a summer breeze, representing the fate of kingdoms opposing God.
קַיִץ (qayiṣ, H7019) — The direct Hebrew equivalent, used more broadly for the 'summer' season. כָּצִיר (kāṣîr, H7105) — Typically refers to the 'harvest' itself as an action or the harvest time. אָסִיף (ʾāsîp̄, H7105) — Can mean 'ingathering,' often used for the autumn fruit harvest or the Feast of Ingathering (Tabernacles).
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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