Lexical Definition

‎קֶשֶׁת‎ qesheth (keh'-sheth) bow ^H:N-F
from ‎קָשָׁה‎ in the original sense (of ‎קוֹשׁ‎) of bending

[idiom] arch(-er), [phrase] arrow, bow(-man, -shot).

• a bow, forshooting (hence, figuratively, strength) or the iris

1) bow
1a) bow (for hunting, battle)
1b) bowmen, archers
1c) bow (fig. of might)
1d) rainbow

See Greek: τόξον

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎קֶ֫שֶׁת‎ noun feminine^{Gen 9:14} (apparently masculine 2Sam 1:22 but see Albr^{ZAW xvi (1896) 91}) bow (originally √ perhaps ‎קושׁ‎, meaning unknown; Late Hebrew id.; Assyrian ‡aštu; Ethiopic Arabic plural , etc.; ᵑ7 and (‎קַשְׁתָּא‎ and (‎ט‎ for ‎ת‎ after ‎ק‎ P) ‎קוּשְׁטָא‎ (rare), all bow, ‎קַשָּׁתָא‎ bowman; Syriac bow, bowman; Old Aramaic ‎קשת‎ bow, Mandean ‎כשטא‎ (Frä²⁰⁶); Palmyrene ‎קשטא‎ bowman); — absolute ‎׳‎‎ק‎ Hos 1:7 +, ‎קָ֑שֶׁת‎ Jer 46:9 +; construct‎קֶ֫שֶׁת‎ Hos 1:5 +; suffix ‎קַשְׁתִּי‎ Gen 48:22 + ,etc.; plural absolute ‎קְשָׁתוֺת‎ 2Chr 26:14 +; suffix ‎קַשְּׁתֹתָיו‎ (Ges^{«GKC:20h»§ 20h}) Isa 5:28, ‎קַשְּׁתוֺתָם‎ Jer 51:56; Ps 37:15, ‎קַשְּׁתֹתֵיהֶם‎ Neh 4:7* (‎קַשְׁתֹּתָיו‎ etc., van d. H. [except Ps 37:15]); —

1. bow:
a. for hunting Gen 27:3 (J; + ‎תְּלְי‎)
b. battle: + (or ||) ‎חֶרֶב‎ Gen 48:22; Josh 24:12 (both E), Hos 1:7; Hos 2:20*; 1Sam 18:4 (+ ‎חְַגֹרוֺ‎), 2Sam 1:22; 2Kgs 6:22; Isa 41:2; Neh 4:7* (+ ‎רָמְחֵיהֶם‎), Zech 9:13 (figurative of Judah as ‎׳‎‎י‎'s bow), Ps 37:15 (figurative) Ps 44:7* (+ or || ‎חֶרֶב‎ also below) ;+ (or ||) ‎חִצִּים‎ Isa 7:24; 2Kgs 13:15 (twice in verse); Ezek 39:3; Ezek 39:9; 1Chr 12:2a; compare ‎׳‎‎רִשְׁפֵי ק‎ Ps 76:4* = arrow (+ ‎מָנֵן וְחֶרֶב‎) so ‎׳‎‎בֶּן ק‎ Job 41:20* (compare Lam 3:13; Job 5:7); + ‎חֲנִית‎ Ps 46:10*, + ‎כִּידוֺן‎ Jer 6:23; Jer 50:42 + varius weapons Neh 4:10*; 2Chr 26:14 alone Isa 13:18 (context corrupt), Isa 22:3; Jer 51:56; Hab 3:9 (of ‎׳‎‎י‎ as warrior); ‎מִלְחָמָה‎ ‎׳‎‎ק‎ Zech 9:10; Zech 10:4 in simile ‎רְמִיָּה‎ ‎׳‎‎כְּק‎ like a bow of deception Hos 7:16; Ps 78:57 (i.e. one that misses its aim; al. slack bow).
c. ‎׳‎‎ק‎ collective = bow (-men), archers Isa 21:17.
d. phrases are: ‎׳‎‎הַמּרִים אֲנָשִׁים בַּקּ‎ 1Sam 31:3 archers, bowmen (but dubious; Dr Kit Löhr translates, ‎׳‎‎הַמּ‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎; We Bu strike out ‎׳‎‎א‎ as || 1Chr 10:3 HPS Now strike out ‎׳‎‎בַּקּ‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎), ‎׳‎‎הַמּוֺרִים בַּקּ‎ 1Chr 10:3 ‎׳‎‎מְטַחֲוֵי ק‎ Gen 21:16 (see [‎טָתָה‎], ‎׳‎‎רמֵה ק‎ Jer 4:29, compare perhaps Gen 21:21 see ‎קִשָּׁת‎, || ‎׳‎‎נשְׁקֵי ק‎ (see II.‎נָשַׁק‎) 1Chr 12:2b 2Chr 17:17, ‎׳‎‎רוֺמֵי ק‎ ‎׳‎‎נוֺ‎ Ps 78:9 ‎׳‎‎תֹּפֵשׁ הַקּ‎ Amos 2:15 one grasping the bow, (see Jer 46:9 below) see also ‎׳‎‎מִלֵּא יָדוֺ בַקּ‎ 2Kgs 9:24, ‎׳‎‎הַרְכֵּב יָֽדְךָ עַלהַֿקּ‎ 2Kgs 13:16 ‎׳‎‎דָּרַח ק‎ bend (literally tread) the bow, Isa 5:28 (participle passive), Isa 21:15 (id.; || ‎חֶרֶב‎) Jer 50:14; Jer 50:29; Jer 51:3; 1Chr 5:18; 1Chr 8:40; 2Chr 14:7*; Ps 37:14 (|| ‎חֶרֶב‎), in figure Ps 11:2 (|| ‎חֵץ‎), and, of God, Lam 2:4; Lam 3:12; Ps 7:13* (|| ‎הֶרֶב‎); ‎׳‎‎תֹּפְשֵׂי דֹּרְכֵי ק‎ Jer 46:9 compare(figurative) ‎וַיַּדְרְכוֺ אֶתלְֿשׁוֺנָם קַשְׁתָּם‎ Jer 9:2* also ‎נְחוּשָׁה וְנִחֲתָה‎ ‎׳‎‎ק‎ Ps 18:35* = 2Sam 22:35 (read‎וְנִחֲתָה‎ for ‎וְנִחַת‎) ‎׳‎‎מָשַׁח בַּקּ‎draw the bow 1Kgs 22:34 = 2Chr 18:33; Isa 66:19.
e. bow (passing over into) figurative of might Gen 49:24 (poem), 1Sam 2:4; Hos 1:5; Jer 49:35; Job 29:20 (compare Ps 37:15,
b. above) feminine ‎נְחוּשָׁה‎ ‎׳‎‎ק‎ fig of divine judgment Job 20:24 (|| ‎נֵשֶׁק בַּרְזֶל‎)

2. rainbow: ‎אֲשַׁר יִהְיֶה בֶעָנָן בְּיוֺם הַנֶּשֶׁם‎ ‎׳‎‎כְּמַרְאֵה הַקּ‎ Ezek 1:28; Gen 9:13; Gen 9:14; Gen 9:16 (P). — ‎קָ֑שֶׁה וַיּאֹמֶר לְלַמֵּד בְּנֵייְֿהוּדָה‎ 2Sam 1:18 is corrupt; ᵐ5 al. omits; We Now think misplaced gloss on v2Sam 1:6 see further HPS.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References