וַ/יִּכָּנְע֥וּ
𐤅/𐤉𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤅
vayikaneu
were humbled
a primitive root; properly, to bend the knee; hence, to humiliate, vanquish; bring down (low), into subjection, under, humble (self), subdue.
2 Chronicles 13:18 · Word #1
Lexicon H3665
| Lemma | כָּנַע |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤊𐤍𐤏 |
| Transliteration | kânaʻ |
| Strong's | H3665 |
| In-context | were humbled |
Morphology HC/VNw3mp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | N — Niphal — Simple passive or reflexive |
| Conjugation | w — Sequential Imperfect — Imperfect with waw-consecutive, narrating past events |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
SIBI-P1 H3665-16
and they were brought low
| Root | כנע (k-n-ʿ) |
| Core Meanings | to bend low, to bow the knee, to be humbled, to be subdued, to be brought down |
| Semantic Range | to be humbled, to be subdued, to be brought into subjection, to be humiliated, to submit, to be overcome |
| Conceptual Significance | This term often marks the humbling of nations or peoples under divine judgment or military defeat. The imagery of being "brought low" reflects covenantal themes of pride and abasement, where resistance to YHWH results in subjugation, and humility becomes both a judgment and, at times, a pathway to restoration. |
| Morphological Notes | Conjunction ו + Niphal wayyiqtol verb, 3rd person masculine plural, from כנע. The Niphal stem conveys passive or reflexive sense; the wayyiqtol form advances past narrative sequence as "and they were…". |
| Rendering Rationale | The root כנע carries the physical sense of bending or bowing low, which extends metaphorically to humiliation or subjugation. In the Niphal stem with wayyiqtol (3rd masculine plural), the verb expresses a passive result—"they were brought low"—preserving both the passive nuance of the stem and the masculine plural subject indicated by the morphology. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root כנע (to bend low, to bow the knee, to be humbled, to be subdued, to be brought down)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H3665-01 |
akhenia | I will cause to bow low |
H3669-01 |
bakenaani | against the Kenaanite |
H3669-02 |
hakenaani | the Kenaanite (Lowlander) |
Word Usage (36 occurrences of H3665)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leviticus 26:41 | יִכָּנַ֗ע | yikana | will be humbled |
| Deuteronomy 9:3 | יַכְנִיעֵ֖/ם | yakheniem | will subdue them |
| Judges 3:30 | וַ/תִּכָּנַ֤ע | vatikana | was subdued |