קהי, קָהָה, קָהָא (b. h.; cmp. כָּהָה) 1) to be dull, blunt; (of a sword) to slide off a hard object. Y. Ber. IX, 13ᵃ וקָהַת החרב מעל וכ׳ and the sword slid off Moses’ neck and broke; Deut. R. s. 2; Yalk. Ex. 167 וקהית (corr. acc.). Gen. R. s. 78; Cant. R. to VII, 5 וקָהוּ שיניו וכ׳ and the teeth of the wicked (Esau) became blunt and loose. —2) to be tough, unyielding, hard. Num. R. s. 3 (ref. to Koh. X, 10) אם ראית שקהו השמים וכ׳, v. preced.—Trnsf. to be difficult, unsolvable. Cant. R. to III, 7 שהיו כולן שונין … הלכה קוֹהָא להם they all sharpened the discussion like a sword, so that, when a case came before them, the decision might not be too difficult for them. Ib. to IV, 4 שאין הלכה קוהא להם never was there a subject too difficult for them to decide; a. e. —3) to be wearied; to faint; esp. to have a morbid appetite (caused by the smell of a dish). Ib. to I, 12 the Lord sent them a sweet scent from Eden והיתה נפשם קוהא לאכול and they were dying to eat (of the Passover sacrifice), v. עָיֵף; a. e.
    Hif. - הִקְהָה (with שן) to make blunt and loose; trnsf. to refute; to break the power of; to grieve. Mekh. Bo, s. 18 אף אתה הַקְהֵה את שיניו thou, too, make his teeth blunt (refute his arguments). Gen. R. s. 99 (play on יקהת, Gen. XLIX, 10) מי שמַקְהֶה שני וכ׳ he (the Messiah) that shall break the power of all nations; ib. s. 98. Sot. 49ᵃ [read:] אומרים … למה הִקְהִיתָ וכ׳ (v. Rashi) they (the children of the wicked that died in their parents’ lifetime) argue before him, … if thou intendedst to punish them in the hereafter, why didst thou cause them grief while living? Ib. שמחת … והקהית השיני thou hast gladdened my heart (with the evidence of thy purity) and given me pain (by showing more affection for thy son than for myself). Snh. 109ᵇ (play on בן קהת, Num. XVI, 1) בן שה׳ וכ׳ a son that brought grief over his parents; a. e.
    Pi. - קֵיהָה to pronounce unsolvable. Neg. IV, 11, v. כָּהָה.
    Nif. - נִקְהָה 1) to become faint, powerless. Koh. R. to X, 10 אם נִקְהֵת אומה וכ׳ if the nation whose power was as hard as iron, has grown powerless. —2) to be tough, difficult. Ib. אם נ׳ תלמודך וכ׳ if thy lesson is as tough to thee as iron (v. preced).
    Hithpa. - הִתְקָהֵא, הִתְקָהֶה ; Nithpa. נִתְקָהֶה 1) to faint, long for. Yalk. Ex. 186 (ref. to מתלקחת, Ex. IX, 24) מִתְקָהָא לעשות שליחותה (not שליחותיה) it (the fire) was dying to perform its mission; Pesik. Vayhi, p. 4ᵃ מיתה מתקהא וכ׳ Ar. (ed. מתקריא, corr. acc.) dying, that is longing &c.; Cant. R. to III, 11 מיתה ומתקלהא בשביל לעשות רצון בוראם (corr. acc., a. read בוראה); Num. R. s. 12 (combining both versions) מיתה ומתקהלא לעשות … בוראה (corr. acc.). —2) to become tough, hard, unyielding, grievous, irksome. Koh. R. l. c. אם נִתְקָהוּ שמים שעל וכ׳ if the heavens above you have become hard as iron &c., v. supra. Ib. אם נתק׳ הרב על התלמיד וכ׳ if the teacher has been unyielding to the pupil like iron (out of patience, and refusing to teach him) …, and the teacher shows not a friendly face (does not relent) &c. Ib. אם נתק׳ התלמיד על הרב וכ׳ if the pupil has been annoying to his teacher (through his obtuseness or wearisome questions) …, and the teacher refuses to explain &c.