The Hebrew verb קבץ (qabatz, pronounced qa-BATZ or qa-VATZ) means "to gather, collect, assemble." The passive form of this verb, therefore, means "to be gathered, assembled." It is a fairly common verb in the Hebrew Bible, and became a popular theme, as in Deuteronomy 30:4: "Even if you are exiled to the ends of the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather (יקבצך) you, and from there he will bring you back." In fact, the verb קבץ (qabatz) is the root of the modern Hebrew noun for the common "gatherings" of Israelis living throughout Israel today: the kibbutz.