Word Study for H7057 (קִמּוֹשׁ)

qimmôwsh /kim-moshe'/ Ask about this word

Rootor קִימוֹשׁ · from an unused root meaning to sting

Meaninga prickly plant

KJV usagenettle. Compare קִמָּשׁוֹן.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of qimmôwsh — 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 qimmôwsh, represented by H7057, refers to a prickly plant; nettle. It derives from an unused root that means "to sting." This specific term appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible and is associated with the related word qimmāšôn.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H7057 consistently symbolizes desolation and divine judgment. In Hosea, as a consequence of destruction, nettles are prophesied to possess the "pleasant places for their silver," indicating that former places of wealth will be overrun and abandoned Hosea 9:6. Similarly, Isaiah foretells a time of ruin when nettles and brambles will grow in the palaces and fortresses of a desolate land, transforming them into a habitat for wild creatures Isaiah 34:13.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words for thorny plants appear alongside H7057, reinforcing the theme of hostile overgrowth:

H2336 chôwach (bramble, thistle, thorn): This word, from a root meaning to pierce, is used for thorns and brambles. It appears with nettles in both of its occurrences, describing thorns in the tabernacles Hosea 9:6 and brambles in the fortresses Isaiah 34:13.
H5518 çîyr (thorn): Defined as a thorn that springs up rapidly, this word is used alongside H7057 in Isaiah's prophecy, where thorns "shall come up in her palaces" Isaiah 34:13, emphasizing the swift and complete nature of the desolation.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H7057 is tied to its vivid imagery of divine retribution and abandonment.

Symbol of Desolation: The appearance of nettles is a clear indicator that a place has been cursed and forsaken. When nettles take over palaces and places of treasure, it signifies a total reversal of fortune from blessing to ruin (Hosea 9:6, Isaiah 34:13).
Consequence of Judgment: The growth of nettles is not a random natural event but a direct result of judgment. It follows destruction and serves as a lasting sign that a once-civilized and valued area has been given over to the wilderness Hosea 9:6.
Reversal of Order: The imagery of stinging plants overrunning human structures like fortresses and tabernacles illustrates a fundamental reversal, where the wild and untamed reclaims what was once ordered and inhabited, signifying the absence of divine protection and human stewardship.

Summary

In summary, H7057 is a potent, though rare, word in the Hebrew Bible. While literally meaning nettle, it functions as a powerful symbol of the consequences of sin and disobedience. Its presence in scripture paints a stark picture of desolation, where places of human pride and wealth are abandoned to become wastelands, overrun by stinging and unproductive weeds as a visible sign of divine judgment.

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 noun across 3 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

קִמּוֹשׂ
קִמְּשֹׂנִים

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 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah and Hosea (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Isaiah

Hosea

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, by grammatical form, 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.