כָּרִי
𐤊𐤓𐤉
Kari
H3746 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A member of a specific foreign mercenary corps serving as elite guards or soldiers, particularly in the court or retinue of King David and subsequent Judahite monarchs. The term often refers to a contingent of professional warriors, distinct from native Israelite military units.
Semantic Range
member of an elite mercenary corps, bodyguard, royal guard, foreigner in service, select troops; possible gentilic designation
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root כר (k-r), possibly originally meaning 'to surround, to go around,' but etymology for כָּרִי is uncertain. The form may be a gentilic or ethnicon, potentially linked to כְּרֵתִי (Kerethite), with both terms denoting military specialists or foreign mercenaries in royal service.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, כָּרִי appears alongside כְּרֵתִי (Kerethite) and פְּלֵתִי (Pelethite), typically indicating foreign mercenary groups loyal to the king, particularly under King David (e.g., 2 Samuel 8:18; 15:18; 20:7,23; 1 Kings 1:38,44; 1 Chronicles 18:17). Some passages use it interchangeably with terms for bodyguards or select troops, possibly as a specialized subgroup or as a transliteration of a gentilic name referring to members of a specific foreign community (potentially of Cretan origin or from the Aegean). English translations often render כָּרִי as 'Cherethite' or 'Carite,' neither of which conveys the mercenary or elite military nuance. The later term 'Jew' is anachronistic for this context—the כָּרִים are foreign to Israel, possibly ethnically distinct from Israelites or Judahites. Greek Septuagint translations sometimes interpret the term loosely (e.g., as 'Cretans' or 'executioners'), reflecting uncertainty in identification.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
perhaps an abridged plural of כַּר in the sense of leader (of the flock); a life-guardsman; captains, Cherethites (from the margin).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כר (k-r) — to surround, to go around
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3746-02 |
ה/כרי | hkhry | HTd/Ngmsa |
the Cherethites | the elite-guard mercenary | 1 |
H3746-03 |
לַ/כָּרִי֙ | lakari | HRd/Ngmsa |
of the Carites | to the Carite guardsman | 1 |
H3746-01 |
הַ/כָּרִ֨י | hakari | HTd/Np |
the Carites | the Carite royal-guard | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3746-02 |
2 Samuel 20:23 | ה/כרי | hkhry | HTd/Ngmsa |
the Cherethites | the elite-guard mercenary |
H3746-03 |
2 Kings 11:4 | לַ/כָּרִי֙ | lakari | HRd/Ngmsa |
of the Carites | to the Carite guardsman |
H3746-01 |
2 Kings 11:19 | הַ/כָּרִ֨י | hakari | HTd/Np |
the Carites | the Carite royal-guard |