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כְּסַף

𐤊𐤎𐤐

kᵉçaph

H3702 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כסף to desire, to yearn (verb root); silver (as a desirable object, noun)

Definition

A precious metal, silver, particularly as a substance of value for trade, ornamentation, and currency; by extension, used as a term for money or payment in mercantile, legal, or social contexts. In Aramaic biblical passages, primarily denotes silver as metal, but frequently functions metonymically for monetary wealth or payment.

Semantic Range

silver (metal), wealth (in form of silver), money, payment or tribute (in silver), valuables

Root / Etymology

Root: כסף. The root כ-ס-ף in both Hebrew and Aramaic carries the meaning 'silver' as a valuable metal. כְּסַף is the Aramaic cognate of Hebrew כֶּסֶף, sharing both root and basic semantic focus. The noun derives directly from the root, reflecting the base concept of 'silver.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

כְּסַף is the standard term for 'silver' in Biblical Aramaic portions of Ezra and Daniel, directly cognate with the Hebrew כֶּסֶף used throughout the Hebrew Bible. Its primary referents in Aramaic contexts are wealth, currency, or payments, reflecting the use of silver as a unit of economic exchange in ancient West Asia. In social or legal texts, כְּסַף can refer specifically to the payment of a bride-price, fines, or tribute. Unlike its Hebrew counterpart, which is widely used in Israelite law, narrative, and poetry, the Aramaic form primarily occurs in administrative, imperial, or courtly settings reflecting the linguistic environment of the Achaemenid and early Hellenistic periods. Later English translations often translate both כְּסַף and כֶּסֶף simply as 'silver' or 'money'; however, in the original contexts, the material and monetary meanings are tightly linked. The semantic range does not extend to the later English sense of paper currency or coinage not based on silver. In translation traditions, 'money' may be used even though the reference in antiquity would be specifically to silver as bullion or objects of payment.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to כֶּסֶף; {silver (from its pale color); by implication, money}; money, silver.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כסף (k-s-p) — to desire, to yearn; silver (as a desirable metal)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3700 כָּסַף was deeply longed for
H3701 כֶּסֶף in the silver
H3703 כָּסִפְיָא in Silver-place

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3702-06 וְ/כַסְפָּ֔/א vekhasepa AC/Ncmsd/Td and silver and silver 4
H3702-03 כְּסַ֣ף kesaf ANcmsa silver silver 3
H3702-02 כַּסְפָּ֣/א kasepa ANcmsd/Td the silver the silver 3
H3702-04 כַסְפָּֽ/א khasepa ANcmsd/Td of silver the silver 1
H3702-01 בְּ/כַסְפָּ֣/א bekhasepa AR/Ncmsd/Td with-this-money with the silver 1
H3702-05 כְסַ֑ף khesaf ANcmsa silver silver 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3702-05 Daniel 2:32 כְסַ֑ף khesaf ANcmsa silver silver
H3702-02 Daniel 2:35 כַּסְפָּ֣/א kasepa ANcmsd/Td the silver the silver
H3702-02 Daniel 2:45 כַּסְפָּ֣/א kasepa ANcmsd/Td the silver the silver
H3702-06 Daniel 5:2 וְ/כַסְפָּ֔/א vekhasepa AC/Ncmsd/Td and-the-silver and silver
H3702-06 Daniel 5:4 וְ/כַסְפָּ֛/א vekhasepa AC/Ncmsd/Td and of silver and silver
H3702-04 Daniel 5:23 כַסְפָּֽ/א khasepa ANcmsd/Td of silver the silver
H3702-06 Ezra 5:14 וְ/כַסְפָּ/א֒ vekhasepa AC/Ncmsd/Td and silver and silver
H3702-06 Ezra 6:5 וְ/כַסְפָּ/א֒ vekhasepa AC/Ncmsd/Td and silver and silver
H3702-03 Ezra 7:15 כְּסַ֣ף kesaf ANcmsa silver silver
H3702-03 Ezra 7:16 כְּסַ֣ף kesaf ANcmsa silver silver
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