קֶרֶס QERES, Ex. 26:10-11

[Isaac Fried]

We read there
וְעָשִׂיתָ חֲמִשִּׁים לֻלָאֹת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה הָאֶחָת הַקִּיצֹנָה בַּחֹבָרֶת וַחֲמִשִּׁים לֻלָאֹת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה הַחֹבֶרֶת הַשֵּׁנִית. וְעָשִׂיתָ קַרְסֵי נְחֹשֶׁת חֲמִשִּׁים וְהֵבֵאתָ אֶת הַקְּרָסִים בַּלֻּלָאֹת וְחִבַּרְתָּ אֶת הָאֹהֶל וְהָיָה אֶחָד
KJV: "And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one."

The word is from the root קרס QRS, a variant of the roots:
גרד, גרז, גרט, גרס, גרש
הרס
חרד, חרז, חרט, חרס, חרץ, חרש, חרת
כרס, כרץ, כרש, כרת
קרט, קרס, קרץ, קרש
implying that QERES is but a כֶּרֶת, a splinter or a shaving curved or chipped away, כָּרוּת, from bigger piece.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

See also Isaiah 46:1
כָּרַע בֵּל קֹרֵס נְבוֹ
and notice the play of words between כרע (related to גרע and קרע) and קרס (so close to הרס), 'buckle, crumple, succumb, crush down'.
Also Job 33:6
מֵחֹמֶר קֹרַצְתִּי גַם אָנִי
where קֹרַצְתִּי = ק-הוּא-רצ-אתי is 'sliced away, curved out, cleaved, hewn, shaped', related to חוֹרשתי, namely, מעשה חרש.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

The related קֶרֶש, plank, board', as in Ex. 26:15-29, is also but a כֶּרֶת of a tall tree, planed, גרוּד or גרוּז בגרזן, by a חרש עצים.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Also related is the foreign word "carat", the weight of the carob fruit seed; the hard and smooth חרץ-אן = חרצן, 'seed, kernel, pit' (post biblical גרעין). See Nu. 6:4.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Possibly also related is "carrot", the succulent horn-like orange colored root vegetable, which spoken Hebrew prefers to call גֶזֶר GEZER, from the root GZR, 'slice, cut, wedge, section'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University