Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
BDB3945 H3651 H3653 H3654
BDB3944 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB3946
I. כֵּן adjective right, veritable, honest (properly firm, upright; Syriac recte PS1662) — absolute כֵּן Exod 10:29 + (on possibly construct see 2 near the end); plural כֵּנִים Gen 42:11; Gen 42:19; Gen 42:31; Gen 42:33; Gen 42:34 — 1. right, usually indecl., often as substantive
a right thing, especially with vbb.
dicendi Exod 10:29 (
J)
כֵּן דִּבַּרְתָּ,
Num 27:7 כֵּן דֹּבְרֹת,
Num 36:5 (both
P);
כֵּן יַאֲרִיךְ Prov 28:2 (the)
right (i.e. order and justice)
shall last long (see
De Now VB); = adverb
aright, of pronunciation
Judg 12:6 also with verb
agendi Eccl 8:10 (on
Isa 33:23 see III.
כֵּן below
כנן);
right well Ps 65:10 (
Che; al. =
so); with
לֹא, as adjective,
not right דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹאכֵֿן 2Kgs 17:9 things which were not right (verb
agendi); of heart of a fool
Prov 15:7;
Jer 23:10 as substantive =
what is not right, upright Jer 8:6 with verb
agendi לֹאכֵֿן 2Kgs 7:9 that which is not right we are doing,
Jer 48:30 b.
2. veritable, true,
כֵּןצְֿדָקָה Prov 11:19 the veritable of righteousness =
true righteousness;
Isa 16:6 =
Jer 48:30 a may be either
their boastings are not true or (
Thes Che Di Du Gr Gie and others)
the untruth of their boastings (
לֹאכֵֿן as compound construct); absolute, in assent to something already said,
Right! Correct! True! Josh 2:4.
BDB3996 H3588 H5921 H3651
BDB3995 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB3997
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as, a peculiar phrase found Gen 18:5; Gen 19:8; Gen 33:10; Gen 38:26; Num 10:31; Num 14:43; Judg 6:22; 2Sam 18:20 Qr (rightly), Jer 29:28; Jer 38:4 — literally for therefore, emphasizing the ground pleonastically (Ew§ 353 a ). The original force of the phrase is traceable in some of the passages in which it occurs, as Gen 18:5 let me fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort your heart; כִּיעַֿלכֵּֿן עֲבַרְתֶּם עַל עַבְדְּכֶם for therefore (that is, to partake of such hospitality) are ye come to your servant, Num 14:43 the Amalekite and the Canaanite are there, and ye will fall by the sword, כִּיעַֿלכֵּֿן שַׁבְתֶּם for therefore (to encounter such a fate) have ye turned back from ׳י etc.: but in process of time the distinct sense of its component parts was no doubt gradually obscured, and it thus came to be used conventionally, as a mere particle of causation, even where there was no preceding statement to which עַל כֵּן therefore could be explicitly referred. אֲשֶׁר עַל כֵּן appears to be used similarly (compare אֲשֶׁר 8 c) Job 34:27.
BDB4076 H3651
BDB4075 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB4077
I. כֵּן adverb so (PH. Late Hebrew ᵑ7 id.; Syriac is then, Arabic , , but: probably from the demonstrative √ ka, found in כִּי etc., Köii. 1, 254); (הִיא) כֶּןהֿוּא Gen 44:10 + 4 t.: — so (i.e. usually, as has been described or commanded, with reference to what has preceded), mostly of manner, but sometimes also of quantity, quality, or degree: 1. a. Judg 5:31 כן יאבדו so perish thy enemies,
Job 5:27 הִיאכֶּןֿ,
Job 8:13 כן ארחות כל שׁכחי אל,
Prov 6:29;
Prov 8:13;
2Sam 16:23;
Isa 36:6;
Isa 47:15 כן היו לך,
Num 13:33 וכן היינו בעיניהם;
Num 9:16 כָן יהיה תמיד Exod 10:14 (twice in verse)
לא היה כן ארבה׳כמהו וג (i. e. in such numbers),
1Kgs 10:12 כן עצי אלמגים לא בא, v
1Kgs 10:20;
2Chr 1:12 (twice in verse),
Judg 21:14 להם כןולא מצאו and they did not suffice for them
so (namely in such numbers of them as there were);
1Kgs 6:26 וכן הכרוב השׁני,
Ezek 41:7 ׳וכן ל Exod 27:11;
1Kgs 10:29;
Ezek 40:16;
2Chr 35:12, compare
1Chr 23:30 ׳כן ל Exod 25:33 (compare
Exod 26:24),
Josh 21:40.
b. the force of
כֵּן has sometimes to be elicited from the context :
1Kgs 2:7 כי כן קרבו אלי (that is, with kindness such as that enjoined in v
a),
1Kgs 20:40 כן משׁפטך,
Jer 14:10 לנועכן אהבו (i.e. not less than
׳י has withdrawn from them v
Jer 14:9,
Gf Ke;
Gie proposes
אָכֵן),
Ps 61:9 שִׁמְךָכֵּן אֲזַמְּרָה (
Hi כְּצִדְקְךָ, implied in v
Jer 14:6-8),
Ps 63:3 חֲזִיתִךָכֵּן בַּקֹּדֶשׁ (that is, with the longings of v
Ps 63:2), v
Ps 63:5 אֲבָרֶכְךָ בְחַיָּיכֵּן (that is
כְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ v
Ps 63:4),
Ps 65:10 כִּי כֵן תְּכִינֶהָ (i.e. so generously, v
Ps 65:10),
Ps 90:12 לִמְנוֺת יָמֵינוּ כֵּן הוֺדַע (
Hi ׳כְּיִרְאַת י v
Ps 90:11),
Ps 127:2 כֵּן יִתֵּן לִידִידוֺ שֵׁנָא (that is, as abundantly; but
Che אָכֵן),
Prov 24:14 (see v
Prov 24:13),
Isa 52:14 כֵּן מִשְׁחַת מֵאִישׁ מַרְאֵהוּ (sufficiently to justify
שׁממו עליך רבים).
c. כן occurs frequently in particular phrases, as
(
a) with
הָיָה, especially
ויהי כן and it was
so Gen 1:7;
Gen 1:9;
Gen 1:11 +,
2Kgs 2:10 if thou seest me taken from thee
יהילֿך כן let it be to thee
so (that is, as thou desirest),
2Kgs 7:20, with
עשׂה (especially
וַיַּעַשׂ,
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ)
Gen 29:28;
Gen 42:20;
Gen 45:21 + often,
Judg 7:16 וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּמִמֶּנִּי תִּרְאוּ, +
׳ל Gen 42:25 ויעשׂ להם כן,
Exod 22:29;
Exod 23:11 ׳כן תעשׂה ל,
Deut 22:3;
2Sam 12:31;
1Kgs 11:8 (compare
1Kgs 6:33;
1Kgs 7:18);
Gen 29:26 לא יֵעָשֶׂה כן במקומנו,
Gen 34:7;
2Sam 13:12 rarer usages,
דִּבֶּר כֵּן Exod 6:9,
אמר כן 1Kgs 22:8,
כֵּן אמרתם Ezek 11:5;
Ezek 33:10,
׳אָמֵן כֵּן יאֹמַר י 1Kgs 1:36 (compare
Jer 28:6),
וגם שׁאול אבי יֹדֵעַ כֵּן 1Sam 23:17 אָהֵב כֵּן (idiomatic) to love (it)
so,
Jer 5:31;
Amos 4:5 (
b)
Gen 50:3 ימלאו ימי החנֻטים כי כן (compare
Judg 14:10;
2Sam 13:18;
Esth 2:12);
(
c) alone,
אִם כֵּן if it be
so Gen 25:22;
Gen 43:11 כִּיכֵֿןוַיִּרְאוּ 1Sam 5:7,
יָדַעְתִּי כִּיכֵֿן Job 9:2 (
d)
לא כן not
so (namely as has been described or implied), with a substantive
Num 12:7 לא כן עבדי משׁה,
2Sam 20:21;
2Sam 23:5;
Ps 1:4;
Job 9:35b
כילֿאכֿן אנכי עמדי not
so am I with myself (i.e. I am not conscious of being one who would fear him, v
a), with a verb
Deut 18:14 ואתה ׳לא כן נתן לך י (not
so, — namely as implied in v
a),
2Sam 18:14;
Isa 10:7 לא כן יְדַמֶּה,
לא כן יחשׁב, absolute
Gen 48:18 לא כן אבי,
Exod 10:11.
2. Often, to emphasize the agreement, in answer to
כְּ, and
כַּאֲשֶׁר: namely
a. כְּ ֗֗֗ כֵּן,
(
a)
Gen 44:10 =
Josh 2:21 כדבריכם כֶּןהֿוּא according to your words,
so be it,
1Sam 25:25 כי כשׁמו כֶּןהֿוּא,
Ps 48:11;
Prov 23:7 כֶּןהֿוּא (after conjunction
כְּמוֺ),
Ezek 42:11 כְּאָרְכָּן כֵּן רָחְבָּן;
(
b)
Lev 27:12 כְּעֶרְכְּךָ כֵּן יִהְיֶה,
2Sam 13:35;
Num 8:4;
Num 9:14;
Num 15:20;
Deut 8:20;
Judg 11:10, so after
כְּפִי Num 6:21 (
c)
כְּכֹל ֗֗֗ כֵּן ֗֗֗ 1Sam 8:8;
2Sam 7:17;
Jer 42:5 (
d) in similes,
(
a)
2Sam 14:17 כן ׳אדני המלךכמלאך הא,
Jer 18:6;
Ps 123:2;
Ps 127:4;
Prov 10:26;
Prov 26:8;
Prov 26:19;
Prov 27:8;
Prov 27:19;
Song 2:2;
Song 2:3 (
β)
Joel 2:4 כְּפָרָשִׁים כֵּן יְרוּצוּן,
Isa 31:5;
Isa 38:14;
Ps 103:15;
Prov 26:1;
Prov 26:2 (
γ)
Ps 42:2 כאיל תערג ֗֗֗ כן׳נפשׁי וג like the hind which etc.,
Ps 83:16;
Isa 61:11;
Isa 63:14;
Job 7:3, so after
כמו Isa 26:17 (
δ)
Jer 2:26 גַּנָּב ֗֗֗ כֵּן הוֺבִישׁוּכְּבשֶׁת,
Jer 6:7;
Jer 34:5 (read
כְּמשׂרפות),
Ezek 22:22 (compare v
Ezek 22:20),
Ezek 23:44;
Ezek 34:12 compare (of degree)
Ezek 35:15 (omitted by
ᵐ5 Co),
Hos 4:7 כְּרֻבָּם כֵּן חָָֽטְאוּ לִי. Of
time (un-common)
1Sam 9:13 כְּבֹאֲכֶם הָעִיר כֵּן תִּמְצְאוּן אֹתוֺ.
b. Ezra 10:12 כן כדבריך עלינו לעשׂות.
c. ֗֗֗ כֵּן ֗֗֗ כַּאֲשֶׁר,
(a) Exod 7:6 כן עשׂו ׳כאשׁר צוה י, Exod 12:28; Exod 12:50; Exod 39:43 (compare Exod 27:8), Num 8:22 (compare Num 5:4), Num 17:26; Num 36:10; Josh 14:5 (all P); Gen 41:13 כאשׁר פתר כן היה, Josh 10:1; Josh 10:39; Josh 11:15; Judg 1:7; Judg 15:11b Ps 48:9
(b) (frequently) Num 2:17 כֵּן יִסָּ֑עוּכאשׁר יַחֲנוּ, Exod 1:12 (of degree = the more . . . the more) כַּאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֺ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ;
(c) Gen 6:22 אשׁר צוה אתו אלהים כן עשׂהככל, Exod 39:32; Exod 39:42; Exod 40:16; Num 1:54; Num 2:34; Num 8:20; Num 9:5 (all P), compare Exod 25:9 (וְכֵן), simil. 2Sam 9:11; 2Kgs 16:11, compare Josh 1:17; Jer 42:20
(d) Exod 27:8 הֶרְאָה אתך כן יעשׂוכאשׁר, 2Sam 16:19; 1Kgs 2:38; Isa 20:4; Isa 52:14f.; with the same verb repeated Lev 24:19; Lev 24:20; Deut 28:63 כאשׁר שׂשׂ ֗֗֗ כן ישׂישׂ, Josh 23:15; 1Sam 15:33; 1Sam 26:24; 1Kgs 1:37; Isa 10:11; Jer 5:19; Jer 31:28; Jer 32:42; Jer 42:18; Ezek 12:11; Ezek 20:36; Zech 7:13; Prov 24:29; Num 14:28 אעשׂהאם לא כאשׁר דברתם כן, Isa 14:24, so after הלא Isa 10:11, after asseverative כי 2Sam 3:9; 1Kgs 1:30 so ֗֗֗ כֵּן ׳כָּלעֻֿמַּת שֶׁ Eccl 5:15
(e) Judg 7:17b כאשׁר אעשׂה כן תעשׂון, Lev 27:14; Num 15:14, compare Jer 39:12
(f) in similes, Deut 12:22; Deut 22:26; Amos 3:12; Isa 65:8; Jer 13:11.
d. כן כאשׁר ֗֗֗ ,
(a) Exod 7:10 ׳ויעשׂו כן כאשׁר צוה י, vExod 7:20; Josh 4:8; 2Sam 5:25; Ezek 12:7, compare Gen 50:12; Num 8:3 iron. Amos 5:14 אתּכם כאשׁר ׳אמרתם יהי כן י, Exod 10:10
(b) Gen 18:5 כן תעשׂה כאשׁר דברת, Neh 5:12. — Occasionally in poetry כאשׁר is not expressed : Isa 54:9 (De), Isa 55:9; Jer 3:20; Job 7:9; Hos 11:2 קראו להם כן הלכו מפניהם (of degree: so = in the same proportion), Ps 48:6 המה ראו כן תמהו (i.e. in the same measure that they saw); Jer 33:22 (according to many, but dubious; read probably כאשׁר Gie) it is represented by אשׁר (so Isa 54:9 Hi Ew Di): Judg 5:15 כ is not expressed. — Nah 1:12 is probably corrupt; Zech 11:11 for כן עניי read כְּנַעֲנֵי. — כֹּה, כָּכָה, כָּזֹאת are synonyms, but differ considerably in usage. 3. With prepositions: —
a. אַחַרכֵּֿן,
אַחֲרֵיכֵֿן,
מֵאַחֲרֵיכֵֿן, literally
after so, i.e.
afterwards: see
אַחַר.
b. בְּכֵן (late), literally
in such circumstances, i.e.
thereupon, then,
Eccl 8:10;
Esth 4:16 (
ᵑ7 בְּכֵין often for
אָז; e.g.
Exod 15:1 Syr
Jerusalem =
τότε).
c. כֵּןכְּמוֺֿ Isa 51:6, according to some,
like so, i.e. (
Vrss Rabb)
in like manner, or (
De)
like this (accompanied by a contemptuous gesture) = like a mere nothing: but see IV.
כֵּן.
d. לָכֵן200 according to such conditions, that being so, therefore Num 16:11;
1Sam 27:6;
Ps 16:9;
Ps 73:6;
Ps 73:10 especially in prophets, where it often introduces, after statement of the grounds, a divine declaration or command:
Judg 10:13;
2Kgs 1:6;
Amos 4:12;
Isa 5:13;
Isa 5:14;
Isa 5:24;
Isa 7:14;
Isa 10:16;
Isa 16:7;
Isa 27:9;
Jer 6:15;
Jer 8:10 etc.;
׳לכן כה אמר י 2Kgs 21:12;
Isa 10:24;
Isa 28:16;
Isa 29:22;
Isa 30:12;
Isa 37:33;
Jer 5:14;
Jer 6:21 + often; followed by
נאם האדון Isa 1:24 ׳נאם י 1Sam 2:30;
Jer 2:9 ׳לכן הנה ימים באים נאם י Jer 7:32;
Jer 16:14;
Jer 19:6 +;
׳לכן חי אני נאם י Ezek 5:11;
Ezek 35:6;
Ezek 35:11;
Zeph 2:9 הנני ֗֗֗ לכן 1Kgs 14:10;
Hos 2:8;
Hos 2:16;
Isa 29:14;
Jer 16:21;
Ezek 16:37;
Ezek 22:19 b
Ezek 25:4;
Ezek 25:7;
Ezek 25:9 +;
לכן אֱמֹר Exod 6:6;
Num 25:12 (both
P),
Ezek 11:16;
Ezek 11:17;
Ezek 14:6;
Ezek 20:30;
Ezek 33:25;
Ezek 36:22 לָכֵן דַּבֵּר Ezek 14:4;
Ezek 20:27 לָכֵן הִנָּכֵא Ezek 11:4;
Ezek 36:3;
Ezek 36:6;
Ezek 37:12;
Ezek 38:14 . . . .
לָכֵן שִׁמְעוּ Isa 28:14;
Isa 51:21;
Jer 6:18;
Jer 44:26 +. In answer to
יען,
Num 20:12 (
P),
1Kgs 14:10;
2Kgs 1:16;
2Kgs 21:12;
2Kgs 22:20;
Isa 29:14;
Isa 30:13;
Jer 19:6 +,
Ezek 5:8;
Ezek 13:23 +; so, once,
וְלָכֵן Isa 8:7 to
כי Isa 28:16;
Jer 35:17 על Jer 9:14 אם Jer 23:38;
Jer 42:15. Special usages: —
(
a) idiomatic, in conversation, in reply to an objection, to state the ground upon which the answer is made;
Gen 4:15 therefore — this being so — whoso killeth Cain, etc.,
Gen 30:15;
Judg 8:7;
Judg 11:8;
1Sam 28:2;
1Kgs 22:19;
Job 20:2 (
ᵐ5 in Genesis Kings Job, not perceiving the idiom, renders
οὐχοὕτως (as though
לאכֿן): so also strangely, elsewhere, as
1Sam 3:14;
2Kgs 1:4;
2Kgs 1:6;
2Kgs 21:12).
(
b) inferring the cause from the effect, or developing what is logically involved in a statement,
Isa 26:14b (compare
De)
therefore thou hast visited and destroyed them (not a consequence of v
a 'the dead rise not,' but the development of what is implicit in it),
Isa 61:7;
Jer 2:33;
Jer 5:2 (because namely
אין אמונה v
Jer 5:1),
Job 34:25;
Job 42:3. —
Zech 11:7 read
לִכְנַעֲנֵי הַצּאֹן.
e. עַדכֵּֿן hitherto (of time),
as yet Neh 2:16.
feminine עַלכֵּֿן145 upon ground of such conditions, therefore (introducing, more generally than
לָכֵן, the statement of a
fact, rather than a
declaration: never used in the phrases noted under
לָכֵן),
Gen 20:6;
Gen 42:21;
Exod 5:8;
Exod 5:17;
Exod 16:29;
Exod 20:11;
1Sam 20:29;
1Sam 28:18;
2Sam 7:22;
2Sam 7:27;
1Kgs 20:23;
Isa 5:25;
Isa 9:16;
Isa 13:7;
Isa 13:13;
Isa 15:4;
Isa 15:7;
Isa 16:9;
Isa 16:11;
Isa 17:10;
Isa 21:3;
Isa 10:21;
Isa 12:8;
Isa 20:11;
Isa 31:3;
Isa 31:20;
Isa 22:4;
Isa 31:5 etc.,
Ps 1:5;
Ps 42:7;
Ps 45:3 c (the poet's inference from v
a. b), v
Ps 1:8;
Ps 110:7;
Job 6:3;
Job 9:22;
Job 17:4;
Job 20:21 etc.,
Song 1:3 and regularly where the origin of a name, or custom, or proverb is assigned,
Gen 2:24 ׳עלכֿן יעזב אישׁ וג,
Gen 10:9 יֵאָמַ֔רעלכֿן,
Gen 11:9 עלכֿן קרא שׁמה בבל,
Gen 16:14;
Gen 19:22;
Gen 21:31;
Gen 25:30;
Gen 26:33;
Gen 29:34;
Gen 29:35;
Gen 30:6;
Gen 32:33;
Gen 47:22;
Exod 13:15;
Exod 15:23;
Num 18:24;
Num 21:14;
Num 21:27;
Deut 10:9 (compare
Deut 15:11;
Deut 15:15;
Deut 19:7;
Deut 24:18;
Deut 24:22),
Josh 7:26;
Josh 14:14;
Judg 15:19;
Judg 18:12;
1Sam 5:5;
1Sam 10:12;
1Sam 23:28 (? read so
1Sam 27:6)
2Sam 5:8;
2Sam 5:20 etc.;
הַעַלכֵּֿן Hab 1:17. —
Esth 9:26 the 2nd
על כן (unless dittograph) points unusually onwards to
האגרתעל כל דברי on this account, on account, namely, etc.
BDB4077 H3651 H3653 H3654
BDB4076 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB4078
II. כֵּן see כון; III. כֵּן see I. כנן; IV. כֵּן see II. כנן. p. 467, below
BDB9613 H3651 H3652
BDB9612 | BIBLICAL ARAMAIC | BDB9614
adverb thus, as follows (Biblical Hebrew כֵּן; ᵑ7 כֵּן, Syriac ); — usually with אֲמַר (אָמַ, etc.; compare Egyptian Aramaic CISii. 149 A 1, B-C 3 RÉS492 B 5), Dan 2:24 וְכֵן אֲמַרלֵֿהּ, vDan 2:25; Dan 4:11; Dan 6:7; Dan 7:5; Dan 7:23; Ezra 5:3; Ezra 6:2 וְכֵןכְּֿ תִיב בְּגַוַּהּ.