Hebrew word · H6949

קָהָה

kehah

be blunt

To be blunt or dull. Used of teeth in the Qal (Jer 31:29–30; Ezek 18:2), and of an iron tool in the Piel (an intensive form) in Ecclesiastes 10:10 ('if the iron is blunt'). Later Hebrew uses the root for teeth 'set on edge' and for dullness generally.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be blunt, be dull

1a) (Qal) to be blunt, be dull

1b) (Piel) to be blunt

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 18:2

Range of meaning

To be blunt or dull. Used of teeth in the Qal (Jer 31:29–30; Ezek 18:2), and of an iron tool in the Piel (an intensive form) in Ecclesiastes 10:10 ('if the iron is blunt'). Later Hebrew uses the root for teeth 'set on edge' and for dullness generally.

Against the English

'Set on edge' (KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV) is an old English idiom for the physical sensation of teeth after something sour. YLT's 'blunted' is more literal. NLT turns the sensation into a pucker of the mouth.

How it drifted

In modern English 'to set someone's teeth on edge' mostly means 'to irritate or grate on someone'. The physical sense from sour fruit is half-forgotten.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare in the Bible: only the three passages named above. The Septuagint renders it with gomphiazō, 'to have the teeth set on edge'. The Vulgate (as commonly cited) uses obstupescunt, 'become numb'.

From the study of Jeremiah 31:29

Range of meaning

To be or become blunt or dull. Of iron: a dulled blade (Eccl 10:10, of an axe whose edge has gone). Of teeth: the rough, numb, 'squeaky' feeling that acidic, astringent fruit leaves on them.

Against the English

'Set on edge' (KJV and most English versions, going back to Tudor-era English) once named exactly this physical sensation. YLT's 'blunted' keeps the Hebrew's 'dull edge' image. NLT turns it into a puckered mouth. In modern English, 'on edge' usually means tense or irritated.

How it drifted

The English phrase 'to set one's teeth on edge' moved from a physical feeling to a figure of speech for annoyance, as in a sound that 'sets my teeth on edge'. Readers may hear irritation or anxiety instead of a taste-and-touch sensation.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only Jer 31:29–30; Ezek 18:2; Eccl 10:10. The Septuagint uses gomphiazō (related to gomphios, 'molar'), meaning to have aching or dulled teeth. The Vulgate has obstupuerunt, 'became numb'.

Where it appears

Ecclesiastes · 1

  1. Ecclesiastes 10:10 קֵהָ֣ה it is blunt

    If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success.

    Here: 'Is blunt' or 'has gone dull'. Elsewhere the same root describes teeth 'set on edge' by sour grapes (Jeremiah 31:29; Ezekiel 18:2). The edge has lost its bite.

Jeremiah · 2

  1. Jeremiah 31:29 תִּקְהֶֽינָה׃ they will be blunt

    “In those days, it will no longer be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.’

    Here: 'They become blunt.' The form describes an ongoing present effect (the subject is the feminine word 'teeth'). It names the rough, dulled, puckered feeling that sour fruit leaves on the teeth. The past act (fathers ate) sits next to the ongoing effect (children's teeth go dull).

  2. Jeremiah 31:30 תִּקְהֶ֥ינָה they will be blunt

    Instead, each will die for his own iniquity. If anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 18:2 תִּקְהֶֽינָה׃ they are blunt

    “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’?

    Here: The teeth 'go blunt' or 'go dull': the gritty, numb, squeaky feeling that sour fruit leaves on the teeth. The point is the children feel it even though they never ate.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.