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כֵּן

𐤊𐤍

kên

H3652 adverb

SILEX Entry

Root כון to be firm, established, set upright, be valid

Definition

An adverb indicating manner or correspondence, commonly meaning 'so,' 'thus,' 'in this manner,' or 'accordingly.' Used to compare a present event, situation, or action to something previously stated or implied. In Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, it frequently functions as an adverbial affirmation ('just so,' 'so it is,' 'exactly thus'), or to establish correspondence between events, actions, or matters.

Semantic Range

so, thus, in this manner, accordingly, just so, exactly so, in such a way, therefore (rare idiomatic use); affirmation ('so it is')

Root / Etymology

From Aramaic כֵּן, a direct cognate of the Hebrew כֵּן, from the root כ-ו-נ (כון), which in its core sense means 'to be firm, stable, established.' The adverbial כֵּן arises from the adjectival sense 'right, correct, true' (Hebrew 'upright, honest') and functions idiomatically as 'thus, in this way.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Occurs primarily in Aramaic sections of the biblical text (notably Daniel and Ezra). Its function, like the Hebrew כֵּן, is to affirm the validity, truth, or accuracy of a preceding statement or to indicate manner or equivalence. While the Hebrew כֵּן appears often in the early and later biblical books, the Aramaic כֵּן is specific to texts reflecting the Aramaic language zones and periods (typically Persian/Hellenistic). English translations usually render the word as 'so,' 'thus,' or 'in this way,' which generally capture its essential adverbial function, although the idiomatic use in affirmations ('yes, indeed') can be context-dependent. The Aramaic form does not carry any distinctive theological or literary nuance beyond this comparative/adverbial usage. Its function is central to Aramaic sentence structure, paralleling the Hebrew usage, and does not significantly shift in meaning across the relatively narrow period or corpus where it is found.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to כֵּן; so; thus.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כון (k-w-n) — firmness, establishment, setting up, fixing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3078 יְהוֹיָכִין YHWH establishes
H3112 יוֹיָכִין Yahweh establishes
H3199 יָכִין to He-Establishes
H3200 יָכִינִי the Yakinite
H3204 יְכׇנְיָה Yah Establishes

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3652-02 וְ/כֵ֣ן vekhen AC/D and-thus and thus 7
H3652-01 כֵּן֮ ken AAampa Thus thus 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3652-02 Daniel 2:24 וְ/כֵ֣ן vekhen AC/D and-thus and thus
H3652-02 Daniel 2:25 וְ/כֵ֣ן vekhen AC/D and-thus and thus
H3652-02 Daniel 4:11 וְ/כֵ֣ן vekhen AC/D and-thus and thus
H3652-02 Daniel 6:7 וְ/כֵן֙ vekhen AC/D and thus and thus
H3652-02 Daniel 7:5 וְ/כֵן֙ vekhen AC/D and thus and thus
H3652-01 Daniel 7:23 כֵּן֮ ken AAampa Thus thus
H3652-02 Ezra 5:3 וְ/כֵן֙ vekhen AC/D and thus and thus
H3652-02 Ezra 6:2 וְ/כֵן vekhen AC/D and-thus and thus
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