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כָּתִית

𐤊𐤕𐤉𐤕

kâthîyth

H3795 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root כָּתַת to crush, to pound, to beat down

Definition

Beaten or pressed (especially of olive oil); refers specifically to oil extracted by crushing or pounding olives, yielding the first, purest, and highest quality oil, typically used for sacred purposes such as lighting lamps in the sanctuary. The term emphasizes the method of production—manual or mechanical crushing rather than later methods such as heating or chemical extraction.

Semantic Range

beaten (oil), pressed (oil), oil of the first/crushed olives, purest form of olive oil, specially prepared oil for ritual or sacred use

Root / Etymology

From the root כָּתַת (katat), meaning 'to pound, crush, beat.' The form כָּתִית is a passive participle indicating a state or result of being crushed or pounded, used particularly for substances processed by this method.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, כָּתִית most commonly describes olive oil of the finest quality, obtained from the first pressing, which was reserved for ritual and sacred uses, notably for the lampstand (menorah) in the tabernacle and temple (e.g., Exodus 27:20, Leviticus 24:2). This contrasted with lesser grades of oil, typically used for food or other purposes. The emphasis on 'beaten' rather than extracted by other means highlights the oil’s purity and suitability for religious functions. Later translation traditions sometimes render the term as 'pure oil,' but this loses the nuance of the specific production method. The lexical distinction from other terms for oil (such as שֶׁמֶן 'shemen') underscores its specialized ritual significance, especially in the priestly literature. The use of כָּתִית does not appear before the priestly and sanctuary regulations, and is thus absent from earlier narrative material. In post-biblical Hebrew, the word retained the sense of premium, carefully processed oil, and by extension, occasionally designated superior forms of other pressed materials. Traditional English translations often obscure the agricultural and technical meaning inherent in the term.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from כָּתַת; beaten, i.e. pure (oil); beaten.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כתת (k-t-t) — to crush, to pound, to beat down

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3807 כָּתַת crushed one
H4386 מְכִתָּה in his shattering

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3795-01 כָּתִ֖ית katit HAamsa beaten crushed-pressed 5

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3795-01 Exodus 27:20 כָּתִ֖ית katit HAamsa beaten crushed-pressed
H3795-01 Exodus 29:40 כָּתִית֙ katit HAamsa beaten crushed-pressed
H3795-01 Leviticus 24:2 כָּתִ֖ית katit HAamsa beaten crushed-pressed
H3795-01 Numbers 28:5 כָּתִ֖ית katit HAamsa beaten crushed-pressed
H3795-01 1 Kings 5:25 כָּתִ֑ית katit HAamsa beaten crushed-pressed
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