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כָּחַשׁ

𐤊𐤇𐤔

kâchash

H3584 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To act untruthfully, deceive, deny, or fail; to act in a way that is contrary to the truth, whether by uttering falsehoods, repudiating a relationship, hiding the truth, or failing to fulfill commitments. Depending on context, it can refer to making a false statement (lie), feigning or covering up truth, denying allegiance or relationship (especially in legal or covenantal contexts), disappointing or failing someone (by breaking faith or promise), or practicing deception of any kind.

Semantic Range

to lie, to deny (personal or covenant relationships), to act deceptively, to disappoint or fail (someone or something), to repudiate, to dissemble (hide or feign), to break faith

Root / Etymology

From the root כָּחַשׁ (k-ch-sh), meaning 'to be untrue, to deny, deceive, fail'. The term is a primitive verbal root and the specific verbal forms are derived directly from this root with standard Hebrew stem alternations. Modern scholarship sees it as connected with ideas of suppression, denial, or covering up truth.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כָּחַשׁ is used primarily in personal, legal, and religious contexts. It can indicate the act of outright lying (e.g., Exodus 5:8), but more commonly refers to breaking faith or denying a covenantal relationship. For example, in judicial contexts, it describes perjury or the act of failing to bear truthful witness. In religious texts, the word can refer to denying allegiance to YHWH or failing in covenant obligations (e.g., Hosea 9:2). The spectrum of meaning includes both deliberate deception and the failing of expectations (e.g., crops or deities that 'fail'), although the latter is a figurative extension. English translations often render כָּחַשׁ as 'lie', 'deny', 'deal falsely', or 'disappoint', but these do not always capture the depth of relational or covenantal faithlessness the term can imply in Hebrew. Over time, the word’s use extends from concrete falsehoods to more abstract ideas of unreliability and failure. It is distinct from other Hebrew terms such as שָׁקַר (shaqar, 'to speak falsehood'), by stressing unfaithfulness or denial as much as spoken untruth.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be untrue, in word (to lie, feign, disown) or deed (to disappoint, fail, cringe); deceive, deny, dissemble, fail, deal falsely, be found liars, (be-) lie, lying, submit selves.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כחשׁ (k-ḥ-sh) — to be untrue, to deny, to deceive, to fail, to cover up truth

Root כחשׁ to be untrue, to deny, to deceive, to fail, to cover up truth
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3585 כַּחַשׁ falsehood

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3584-13 יְכַחֲשׁוּ yekhachashu HVpi3mp they-shall-submit they will deal falsely they will act deceitfully 3
H3584-11 וְ/כִחֵ֨שׁ vekhichesh HC/Vpq3ms and denies and he dealt falsely and denies 3
H3584-04 כִּֽחֲשׁ֔וּ kichashu HVpp3cp they have deceived they have acted deceitfully they have deceived 2
H3584-09 וְ/כַחֵשׁ֙ vekhachesh HC/Vpa and denying and utterly denying and denying 2
H3584-05 כִּחֵ֖שׁ kichesh HVpp3ms fail he dealt falsely fail 2
H3584-02 כַּחֵֽשׁ kachesh HVpc to deceive to act deceitfully to deceive 1
H3584-01 כָּחַ֥שׁ kachash HVqp3ms has failed deception has failed 1
H3584-10 וְ/כִחַשְׁתִּי֮ vekhichasheti HC/Vpq1cs and deny and I denied and I deny 1
H3584-12 וְ/יִכָּֽחֲשׁ֤וּ veyikachashu HC/VNi3mp shall cringe they will prove false they will cringe 1
H3584-14 יְכַ֥חֶשׁ yekhachesh HVpi3ms will fail he will deal falsely he will deal falsely 1

Occurrences in Scripture

22 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3584-08 Genesis 18:15 וַ/תְּכַחֵ֨שׁ vatekhachesh HC/Vpw3fs denied she acted deceitfully she denied
H3584-11 Leviticus 5:21 וְ/כִחֵ֨שׁ vekhichesh HC/Vpq3ms and-denies and he dealt falsely and he denies
H3584-11 Leviticus 5:22 וְ/כִ֥חֶשׁ vekhichesh HC/Vpq3ms and denies and he dealt falsely and denies
H3584-06 Leviticus 19:11 תְכַחֲשׁ֥וּ tekhachashu HVpi2mp you-shall-deal-falsely you will act deceitfully you shall act deceitfully
H3584-12 Deuteronomy 33:29 וְ/יִכָּֽחֲשׁ֤וּ veyikachashu HC/VNi3mp shall cringe they will prove false they will cringe
H3584-04 Joshua 7:11 כִּֽחֲשׁ֔וּ kichashu HVpp3cp they have deceived they have acted deceitfully they have deceived
H3584-07 Joshua 24:27 תְּכַחֲשׁ֖וּ/ן tekhachashun HVpi2mp/Sn you deny you will deal falsely you deny
H3584-15 2 Samuel 22:45 יִתְכַּֽחֲשׁוּ yitekachashu HVti3mp submit themselves they will act falsely they will act falsely
H3584-05 1 Kings 13:18 כִּחֵ֖שׁ kichesh HVpp3ms He lied he dealt falsely he lied
H3584-09 Isaiah 59:13 וְ/כַחֵשׁ֙ vekhachesh HC/Vpa and denying and utterly denying and denying
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