כָ֑תֶם
𐤊𐤕𐤌
khatem
of fine gold
from כָּתַם; properly, something carved out, i.e. ore; hence, gold (pure as originally mined); ((most) fine, pure) gold(-en wedge).
Proverbs 25:12 · Word #4
Lexicon H3800
| Lemma | כֶּתֶם |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤊𐤕𐤌 |
| Transliteration | kethem |
| Strong's | H3800 |
| In-context | of fine gold |
Morphology HNcmsa
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
| State | a — Absolute — The noun stands independently |
SIBI-P1 H3800-04
carved-out gold
| Root | כתם (k-t-m) |
| Core Meanings | to carve out, engrave, extract, hew from rock; by extension refined ore, pure gold |
| Semantic Range | ore, extracted gold, refined gold, pure gold, fine gold of exceptional quality |
| Conceptual Significance | In biblical literature, כֶּתֶם often symbolizes purity, rarity, and supreme value. Its association with gold freshly extracted from rock evokes imagery of something both precious and unalloyed, reinforcing themes of worth, splendor, and enduring value. |
| Morphological Notes | Common masculine singular absolute noun derived from the root כתם. Occurs here as a singular substantive referring to refined or high-quality gold. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun is masculine singular absolute (HNcmsa), so it is rendered as a singular substance noun. "Carved-out gold" preserves the root idea of something hewn or extracted, reflecting the sense of ore or freshly mined, refined gold rather than simply the generic term for gold. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root כתם (to carve out, engrave, extract, hew from rock; by extension refined ore, pure gold)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H3800-01 |
bekhetem | in mined gold |
H3800-02 |
haketem | the carved-out gold |
H3800-03 |
ketem | carved-out gold of |
Word Usage (9 occurrences of H3800)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 13:12 | מִ/כֶּ֥תֶם | miketem | than gold |
| Psalms 45:10 | בְּ/כֶ֣תֶם | bekhetem | in gold |
| Proverbs 25:12 | כָ֑תֶם | khatem | of fine gold |