Word Study for H6958 (קוֹא) | Strong's Concordance

qôwʼ /ko/ Ask about this word

Rootor קָיָה

Meaning(Jeremiah 25:27), a primitive root; to vomit

KJV usagespue (out), vomit (out, up, up again).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of qôwʼ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word qôwʼ, represented by H6958, is a primitive root that means to vomit or spue (out). It appears 8 times across 7 unique verses in the Bible, often used to illustrate a visceral and forceful rejection, whether literal or metaphorical.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H6958 describes both physical and symbolic expulsion. Literally, it is used when the great fish H1709 vomited out Jonah onto the shore at the Lord's command Jonah 2:10. The book of Proverbs uses it to warn against overindulgence, noting that if one eats too much honey, they will vomit it Proverbs 25:16. Figuratively, the term is used to personify the land, which vomiteth out its inhabitants because they have defiled it with their iniquity Leviticus 18:25. Similarly, Job describes how ill-gotten riches, once swallowed, will be vomited up again Job 20:15.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context and meaning of H6958:

H1104 bâlaʻ (swallow down): Defined as "to make away with (specifically by swallowing)," this root is the direct opposite of vomiting. It is used in contrast to H6958 in Job 20:15, where riches are swallowed down only to be forcibly vomited up.
H2930 ṭâmêʼ (defile): This word, meaning "to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense," is the direct cause for the land's violent reaction in Leviticus. The land vomits out its people because they first defile it (Leviticus 18:25, Leviticus 18:28).
H398 ʼâkal (eat): This root, meaning "to eat," is the action that often precedes vomiting. In Proverbs, having eaten a morsel or too much honey leads to the consequence of vomiting it up (Proverbs 23:8, Proverbs 25:16).
H3423 yârash (cast out): Meaning "to occupy (by driving out previous tenants)," this term is conceptually linked to the consequence of being vomited out. In Job 20:15, after the wicked man vomits up his riches, it is stated that God shall cast them out of his belly.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6958 is centered on the concepts of rejection and judgment.

Rejection of Defilement: The word is a powerful metaphor for the absolute incompatibility of holiness and sin. The land, as God's creation, cannot tolerate moral corruption and therefore spued out the nations that defiled it, serving as a warning to Israel Leviticus 18:28.
Divine Judgment: Being "spued out" is presented as an act of divine judgment. God warns the Israelites that if they fail to keep His statutes, the land will spue you not out Leviticus 20:22, linking their ability to remain in the land to their obedience.
Forced Restitution: The imagery illustrates that gains from wickedness are temporary. God himself will ensure that what was unjustly swallowed will be vomited up again, demonstrating that injustice will ultimately be reversed Job 20:15.

Summary

In summary, H6958 is more than a simple biological term; it is a vivid depiction of total rejection. While it has literal applications in the stories of Jonah and the wisdom of Proverbs, its primary significance is metaphorical. It powerfully illustrates how defilement leads to expulsion, how injustice results in forced restitution, and how the divine order violently rejects that which is corrupt. The word uses a base physical reaction to communicate a profound spiritual truth.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 9 occurrences, inflected in 7 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Hiphil Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 2×
Hiphil Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine 2×
Hiphil Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×
Hiphil Consecutive Perfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Hiphil Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Qal Imperative 2nd Plural Masculine 1×
Qal Perfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Imperative: A command or entreaty.
Qal: The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Hiphil: The causative stem — the subject causes the action.
Consecutive Imperfect: Imperfect with vav — carries narrative forward ("and he…").
Consecutive Perfect: Perfect with vav — continues a sequence into the future.

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 7 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Leviticus (3 verses); never once in the other 35.

Leviticus

Job

Proverbs

Jonah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.