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כֹּהֵן

𐤊𐤄𐤍

kôhên

H3548 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כהן to officiate, serve in religious ritual, conduct priestly service

Definition

An individual officially serving in a religious capacity, especially as an officiant in ritual or sacrificial contexts; most often, a member of a hereditary group responsible for overseeing offerings, maintaining sanctity, and mediating between the divine and the community. The term may also refer more broadly to religious functionaries or, in rare cases, non-Israelite priests or high-ranking religious officials in other cultures. Semantic range includes: religious officiant, sacrificial priest, temple functionary, cultic authority, religious leader, priest-like figure (in metaphorical or foreign contexts).

Semantic Range

priest, religious official, ritual functionary, temple officiant, sacrificial mediator, magico-religious figure (in foreign contexts), metaphorical leader

Root / Etymology

From the root כָּהַן (khn), meaning 'to officiate as a priest' or 'to serve in a sacerdotal capacity.' כֹּהֵן is the active participle form, literally 'one who performs priestly service.' The root denotes performance of religious rituals, though the noun came to refer specifically to the Israelite priestly office. Cognate forms appear in other Semitic languages (e.g., Ugaritic khn, Akkadian kinu), usually denoting similar ritual-religious functions.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כֹּהֵן most commonly designates members of the Israelite priesthood, descended from Aaron, who hold exclusive rights to officiate sacrifices and maintain the tabernacle/temple cult. During the monarchic period and through the Second Temple period, the word increasingly denotes the hereditary priestly caste, often distinguished from Levites (assistants) and lay Israelites. In non-Israelite settings (cf. Melchizedek as priest of El Elyon, or 'priests of Dagon'), כֹּהֵן is used generically for individuals in similar ritual roles among other peoples. In postexilic and later periods, the term becomes specialized for the temple priesthood in Jerusalem. English translations often render כֹּהֵן as 'priest,' but this can obscure differences between Israelite, Judahite, and other ancient near Eastern religious officials. In some passages, the term is metaphorically extended to prominent figures exercising mediating functions (e.g., in reference to royal advisors or leaders in certain poetic texts). Use of 'priest' as a translation can be misleading for pre-monarchic or early Israelite contexts, where ritual roles may not have been as institutionally formalized as in later periods. The modern surname 'Cohen' derives from this term, reflecting descent from the priestly line, but this carries later associations not present in the biblical text.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

active participle of כָּהַן; literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman); chief ruler, [idiom] own, priest, prince, principal officer.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כהן (k-h-n) — to officiate, perform priestly service, serve in ritual capacity

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3547 כָּהַן he performed priestly service
H3549 כָּהֵן the priests
H3550 כְּהֻנָּה the priestly office

Word Forms

36 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3548-05 הַ/כֹּהֵ֛ן hakohen HTd/Ncmsa the priest the officiating priest 355
H3548-04 הַ/כֹּהֲנִ֖ים hakohanim HTd/Ncmpa the priests the officiating-priests 182
H3548-19 כֹּהֵ֥ן kohen HNcmsc priest officiating priest 30
H3548-29 וְ/הַ/כֹּהֲנִ֣ים vehakohanim HC/Td/Ncmpa and the priests and the officiating-priests 28
H3548-20 לַ/כֹּהֲנִ֜ים lakohanim HRd/Ncmpa to the priests to the priestly officiants 23
H3548-21 לַ/כֹּהֵ֖ן lakohen HRd/Ncmsa to the priest to the priestly officiant 18
H3548-18 כֹּהֲנִ֖ים kohanim HNcmpa priests officiating priests 18
H3548-10 כֹהֵ֖ן khohen HNcmsa priest ritual officiant 14
H3548-13 כֹּהֲנֵ֣י kohaney HNcmpc priests officiating priests of 12
H3548-30 וְ/הַ/כֹּהֵ֗ן vehakohen HC/Td/Ncmsa and the priest and the priestly officiant 7

Occurrences in Scripture

750 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3548-10 Genesis 14:18 כֹהֵ֖ן khohen HNcmsa priest ritual officiant
H3548-19 Genesis 41:45 כֹּהֵ֥ן kohen HNcmsc priest officiating priest
H3548-19 Genesis 41:50 כֹּהֵ֥ן kohen HNcmsc priest officiating priest
H3548-19 Genesis 46:20 כֹּהֵ֣ן kohen HNcmsc priest officiating priest
H3548-04 Genesis 47:22 הַ/כֹּהֲנִ֖ים hakohanim HTd/Ncmpa the priests the officiating-priests
H3548-20 Genesis 47:22 לַ/כֹּהֲנִ֜ים lakohanim HRd/Ncmpa for the priests to the priestly officiants
H3548-04 Genesis 47:26 הַ/כֹּֽהֲנִים֙ hakohanim HTd/Ncmpa the priests the officiating-priests
H3548-27 Exodus 2:16 וּ/לְ/כֹהֵ֥ן ulekhohen HC/R/Ncmsc Now the priest of and to a priestly-officiant
H3548-19 Exodus 3:1 כֹּהֵ֣ן kohen HNcmsc the priest of officiating priest
H3548-10 Exodus 18:1 כֹהֵ֤ן khohen HNcmsc priest ritual officiant
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