Hebrew word · H7184

קַשְׂוָה

kesot

jug

A jug, jar or pitcher for liquid. It occurs only four times (Exod 25:29; 37:16; Num 4:7; 1 Chr 28:17).

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

What it means

a kind of jug, jar

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 Exodus 25:29

Range of meaning

A jug, jar or pitcher for liquid. It occurs only four times (Exod 25:29; 37:16; Num 4:7; 1 Chr 28:17).

Against the English

BSB and NIV: 'pitchers'. NASB: 'jars'. ESV: 'flagons'. KJV and YLT: 'covers'. WEB: 'ladles'. 'Covers' and 'ladles' both miss the meaning of a container for pouring.

How it drifted

KJV's 'covers' comes from reading yussak as 'cover' (see nāsak). Rabbinic tradition explained the qeśôt as hollow half-tubes laid between the loaves.

Used elsewhere in the period

Numbers 4:7, 'the jugs of the drink offering'. 1 Chronicles 28:17 lists gold qeśôt among David's plans for the temple. The Septuagint uses spondeion, 'libation vessel'.

From the study of Exodus 37:16

Range of meaning

Jug, jar, flask for pouring.

Against the English

KJV 'covers'; WEB, BSB 'pitchers'; ESV 'flagons'; NASB 'jars'. The KJV reading comes from misparsing the next verb, not from this noun.

How it drifted

KJV translators took yussakh, 'is poured', from sakhakh, 'to cover', and so made these vessels 'covers'. The KJV margin at 25:29 gives the alternative 'to pour out withal'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Numbers 4:7 calls them 'the jugs of the drink offering'. 1 Chronicles 28:17 lists gold qesavot for Solomon's temple.

Where it appears

Exodus · 2

  1. Exodus 25:29 וּקְשׂוֹתָיו֙ and jugs its

    You are also to make the plates and dishes, as well as the pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold.

    Here: A rare word for jars or pitchers that hold liquid. Numbers 4:7 calls them 'the jugs of the libation' (qeśôt hannesek), which settles what they were for: wine to be poured.

  2. Exodus 37:16 הַקְּשָׂוֹ֔ת the jugs

    He also made the utensils for the table out of pure gold: its plates and dishes, as well as its bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.

    Here: Pouring jugs or flasks. Numbers 4:7 calls them 'the jugs of the drink offering' (qesot hannesekh), which makes their use clear.

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 4:7 קְשׂ֣וֹת [the] jugs of

    Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it, along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to remain on it.

    Here: Jugs or jars (also Exod 25:29; 37:16; 1 Chr 28:17). Here they are bound to the word that follows: 'jugs of the poured-offering.'

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 28:17 וְהַקְּשָׂוֹ֖ת and the jugs

    the weight of the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl;

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