כָּפָר
𐤊𐤐𐤓
kâphâr
H3723 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A settlement, typically smaller than a city, generally understood as a village—an inhabited place characterized by a rural setting and smaller population, often lacking civic or administrative features associated with a city (עִיר, 'ir). In biblical contexts, כָּפָר refers to rural communities or hamlets, sometimes with defensive features such as walls.
Semantic Range
village, rural settlement, hamlet, enclosed community, protected locality
Root / Etymology
From the root כפר ('to cover, to protect'), indicating a place protected, covered, or enclosed. The word develops from the core meaning of covering or protection, coming to denote a settlement that is covered or enclosed, i.e., a village, distinguishing it from more open or less defended settlements. This is distinct from כְּפִיר (H3715, 'young lion'), despite superficial similarity in form.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, כָּפָר occurs infrequently, most notably in references to specific place names such as כָּפָר חַנָּנִיָּה (Kephar Hananiah in Joshua 19:27) or as a descriptive term for rural settlements (e.g., 1 Chronicles 27:25). These references often indicate habitation outside urban centers, contributing to the understanding of Israelite settlement patterns and social structure—villages serve as a primary form of habitation for the agrarian population. The distinction between כָּפָר (village) and עִיר (city) is significant in administrative texts, land distribution, and descriptions of rural versus urban life. Later periods (Hellenistic, Roman) continue to use related terms (e.g. Kfar/Kefar in Aramaic and post-biblical Hebrew) for villages, leading to toponymic usage in the Land of Israel. English translations often render כָּפָר simply as 'village,' but this may understate the nuance of protection or enclosure that is etymologically significant in the original Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from כָּפַר; a village (as protected by walls); village. Compare כְּפִיר.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כפר (k-p-r) — covering, protection, enclosure
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3713 | כְּפוֹר | covering layer |
| H3715 | כְּפִיר | in the young lions |
| H3716 | כְּפִירָה | Kephirah |
| H3722 | כָּפַר | I will wipe away |
| H3724 | כֹּפֶר | with the covering-payment |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3723-01 |
בַּ/כְּפָרִֽים | bakefarim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in-the-villages | in the enclosed villages | 1 |
H3723-02 |
וּ/בַ/כְּפָרִים֙ | uvakefarim | HC/Rd/Ncmpa |
and-in-villages | and in enclosed villages | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3723-01 |
Song of Songs 7:12 | בַּ/כְּפָרִֽים | bakefarim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in-the-villages | in the enclosed villages |
H3723-02 |
1 Chronicles 27:25 | וּ/בַ/כְּפָרִים֙ | uvakefarim | HC/Rd/Ncmpa |
and-in-villages | and in enclosed villages |