StrongerBible

qe'arah

קְעָרָה

HebrewH7086charger, dish, ...

Appears 17 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Exo 25:29Exo 37:16Num 4:7Num 7:13Num 7:19Num 7:25Num 7:31Num 7:37Num 7:43Num 7:49Num 7:55Num 7:61Num 7:67Num 7:73Num 7:79Num 7:84Num 7:85
Root family
Word studykeh-ah-RAHnoun

What qe'arah means

a large flat serving dish or platter, a vessel of silver or gold used on the sacred table and in temple offerings

TranslatabilityApproximateCertaintyStrong

Every appearance of this word points to the same object: a broad, shallow dish for holding food or gifts. It is never an everyday household plate in the text. It belongs to the sanctuary, made of precious metal and counted among the holy furnishings.

Most of its uses come from one long passage, the tribal offerings at the dedication of the altar, where each of the twelve leaders brings the same set of gifts, and "one silver dish" heads the list every time. The others describe the vessels of the golden table that held the bread set before God, both when the table is built and when it is covered for travel.

Because the word names a specific temple vessel rather than a common dish, translators reach for different English words for it, from the old word "charger" to plainer choices like "dish", "platter", or "plate". The object itself stays the same throughout: a heavy, flat, open bowl for presenting food or an offering.

Exo 25:29Exo 37:16Num 4:7Num 7:13Num 7:19Num 7:25Num 7:31Num 7:37Num 7:43Num 7:49Num 7:55Num 7:61

What scholars say about qe'arah

The standard lexica (HALOT, BDB, DCH) gloss the noun as a broad, flat dish or platter, distinguished from the deeper sprinkling basin (מִזְרָק) and the small incense pan (כַּף) with which it is repeatedly listed. Its distribution is narrow and cultic: the vessels of the golden table for the bread of the Presence (Exodus 25:29; 37:16; Numbers 4:7) and the twelvefold silver dish of the tribal dedication offering (Numbers 7). Its precise dimensions are inferred from the offering's stated weight rather than described, so descriptions of the vessel's exact profile remain approximate.

Sources

  • HALOT, s.v. קְעָרָהlexicon
  • BDB, s.v. קְעָרָהlexicon
  • DCH, s.v. קְעָרָהlexicon

All attested forms of קְעָרָה

f s construct

קַעֲרַת

Num 7:13, Num 7:19, Num 7:25, Num 7:31, Num 7:37, Num 7:43, Num 7:49, Num 7:55

f p construct

קְעָרֹתָיו, קְּעָרֹתָיו

Exo 37:16, Exo 25:29

f p absolute

קְּעָרֹת

Num 4:7

f p construct

קַעֲרֹת

Num 7:84

f s absolute

קְּעָרָה

Num 7:85