Strong's Lexicon: H3654 כֵּן | AI Bible Commentary

Definition / Gloss

Strong's Number:	H3654
Word:	כֵּן
Part of Speech:	noun masc
Etymology:	from H3661 in the sense of fastening
Language:	Hebrew
Occurrences:	7
Transliteration:	ken
Phonetic Spelling/Pronunciation:	kane
Meaning:	1. a gnat (from infixing its sting 2. used only in plural (and irreg. in Exod. 8 3. Heb. 13
KJV Renderings:	lice, X manner.

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Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced

BDB3945

I. כֵּן adjective right, veritable, honest (properly firm, upright ; Syriac [untranscribed source text 2475] recte PS¹⁶⁶²) — absolute כֵּן Exod 10:29 + (on possibly construct see 2 near the end); plural כֵּנִים Gen 42:11; Gen 42:19; Gen 42:31; Gen 42:33; Gen 42:34 —

1. right, usually indecl., often as substantive a right thing , especially with vbb. dicendi Exod 10:29 ( J ) כֵּן דִּבַּרְתָּ, Num 27:7 כֵּן דֹּבְרֹת, Num 36:5 (both P ); כֵּן יַאֲרִיךְ Prov 28:2 (the) right (i.e. order and justice) shall last long (see De Now VB ); = adverb aright, of pronunciation Judg 12:6 also with verb agendi Eccl 8:10 (on Isa 33:23 see III. כֵּן below כנן); right well Ps 65:10 ( Che; al. = so); with לֹא, as adjective, not right דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹאכֵֿן 2Kgs 17:9 things which were not right (verb agendi); of heart of a fool Prov 15:7; Jer 23:10 as substantive = what is not right, upright Jer 8:6 with verb agendi לֹאכֵֿן 2Kgs 7:9 that which is not right we are doing, Jer 48:30 b.

2. veritable, true, כֵּןצְֿדָקָה Prov 11:19 the veritable of righteousness = true righteousness; Isa 16:6 = Jer 48:30 a may be either their boastings are not true or (Thes Che Di Du Gr Gie and others) the untruth of their boastings ( לֹאכֵֿן as compound construct); absolute, in assent to something already said, Right! Correct! True! Josh 2:4.

3. plural concrete honest (men) Gen 42:11; Gen 42:19; Gen 42:31; Gen 42:33; Gen 42:34 (all E ).

—

II. כֵּן thus, so, see below;

III. כֵּן place, base, see below כנן;

IV. [כֵּן], כִּנִּם , כִּנָּם, see below כנן.

BDB4077

II. כֵּן see כון ; III. כֵּן see I. כנן ; IV. כֵּן see II. כנן . below

BDB4087

IV. כֵּן (?), כִּנִּם, כִּנָּם noun [masculine], meaning dubious; either gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm (so ᵐ5 ᵑ9 <TOPIC:Philo Judaeus> Philo^{Vita Mos. i, p. 97}, <TOPIC:Origen>Origen^{Hom. 4, 6
in Ex.}, and most moderns), or [louse,] lice (so ᵑ6 ᵑ7 Jos^{Ant. «JOSEPHUS:Antiquities 2:14»ii. 14}. 13 Boch^{Hieroz.
II, ii, 572 f.}, as Late Hebrew כִּנָּה, plural כִּנִּים = maggots, and especially lice) — absolute perhaps כֵּן Isa 51:6 (see below); plural כִּנִּים Exod 8:13; Exod 8:14; Ps 105:31, כִּנִּם Exod 8:12; Exod 8:13; Exod 8:14 has, also, כִּנָּם probably a mere Masoretic device for כִּנִּם (compare Di), on account of preceding וַתְּהִי (on which see Ges^{«GKC:145»§ 145}. 4 Da^{Synt. §
116}); ⅏ has כנים throughout: — of Egyptian plague Exod 8:12; Exod 8:13 (twice in verse); Exod 8:14 (twice in verse) (all P ), hence Ps 105:31 כְּמוֺכֵֿן יְמוּתוּן Isa 51:6 like a gnatswarm (?) shall they die (compare Di Du; Weir Che read כנים , compare Buhl^{p. 355}; > Brd De like this).

Note. — Nö^{M 54} Ba^{NB § 15, ES 53} Buhl^{Ges HWB ed. 12} connect this word etymologically with Aramaic כלמתא vermin, Ba and Buhl also with Assyrian kalmatu, id. [Dl^{HWB 333}], and even with Aramaic קלמתא, [untranscribed source text 2561], Arabic [untranscribed source text 2562], etc., Ethiopic [untranscribed source text 2563] louse; but these connections, as well as that with Late Hebrew כְּנִימָה, all involving radical מ, are most improbable

Other Resources

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke

Englishman's Hebrew Concordance

כן (hn)

Psalms 105:31

KJV: He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.

EHCC: Hes in all their coasts.

Isaiah 31:6

KJV: Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

EHCC: die in like manner: (perhaps, like as a louse]

Strong's Lexicon

H3654 — כֵּן