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כְּפִירָה

𐤊𐤐𐤉𐤓𐤄

Kefirah

H3716 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כפר to cover, to make atonement, young lion (as a separate noun from same root consonants)

Definition

Kephirah (always with the definite article in Hebrew), a village located in the southern hill country of Canaan/land of Israel, specifically allotted to Benjamin. Used exclusively as a toponym rather than as a common noun.

Semantic Range

Kephirah (village name), always as a specific toponym; never a common noun or descriptive term.

Root / Etymology

From the root כפר (k-p-r), which generally means 'to cover, to make amends, to expiate.' However, the place name is structurally related to כְּפִיר (kəfîr, 'young lion') but has a distinct feminine ending (ה־). The precise reason for its naming is uncertain; it may derive from the imagery or attributes associated with a 'young lion,' but this remains speculative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Kephirah appears only as a place name in the Hebrew Bible, first in the list of Gibeonite towns that made a treaty with the Israelites (Joshua 9:17; Joshua 18:26; Ezra 2:25; Nehemiah 7:29). It is not used as a common noun and never references lions directly in the toponymic context. The name may reflect local traditions or characteristics lost to history, and while English translations sometimes use variant spellings (Chephirah, Kephirah), these reflect different transliteration styles rather than different meanings. Later Jewish and Judean sources list the descendants or inhabitants of Kephirah in returnee lists but do not ascribe any specific narrative or cultic significance. The phonetic similarity to כְּפִיר ('young lion') is notable but does not equate to a semantic link in the biblical text. In later periods, the village is referenced in post-biblical onomastica, but its precise location remains debated among modern scholars.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of כְּפִיר; the village (always with the art.); Kephirah, a place in Palestine; Chephirah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כפר (k-p-r) — covering, atonement, young lion

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3713 כְּפוֹר covering layer
H3715 כְּפִיר in the young lions
H3722 כָּפַר I will wipe away
H3723 כָּפָר in the enclosed villages
H3724 כֹּפֶר with the covering-payment

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3716-02 וְ/הַ/כְּפִירָ֔ה vehakefirah HC/Td/Np and Chephirah and the Kephirah 2
H3716-01 כְּפִירָ֣ה kefirah HNp Chephirah Kephirah 2

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3716-02 Joshua 9:17 וְ/הַ/כְּפִירָ֔ה vehakefirah HC/Td/Np and Chephirah and the Kephirah
H3716-02 Joshua 18:26 וְ/הַ/כְּפִירָ֖ה vehakefirah HC/Td/Np and Chephirah and the Kephirah
H3716-01 Ezra 2:25 כְּפִירָ֣ה kefirah HNp Chephirah Kephirah
H3716-01 Nehemiah 7:29 כְּפִירָ֣ה kefirah HNp Chephirah Kephirah
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