כֵּן
thus
also: so, therefore fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Particle
- A short function word — article, negation, interrogative, the sign of the direct object, and the like.
- Adverb
- A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb.
- Adjective
- A word that describes or qualifies a noun.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H3651 appears in the Book of Genesis — 56 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis
- Genesis 1:7 כֵֽן adv God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse, and it was so.
- Genesis 1:9 כֵֽן adv God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so.
- Genesis 1:11 כֵֽן adv God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth," and it was so.
- Genesis 1:15 כֵֽן adv and let them be for lights in the expanse of sky to give light on the earth," and it was so.
- Genesis 1:24 כֵֽן adv God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind," and it was so.
- Genesis 1:30 כֵֽן adv To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food." And it was so.
- Genesis 2:24 כֵּן֙ ptcl dem Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.
- Genesis 4:15 לָ/כֵן֙ prep + adv Yahweh said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.
- Genesis 6:4 כֵ֗ן adv The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God's sons came to men's daughters. They bore children to them: the same were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
- Genesis 6:22 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did.
- Genesis 10:9 כֵּן֙ ptcl dem He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh."
- Genesis 11:9 כֵּ֞ן ptcl dem Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because Yahweh confused the language of all the earth, there. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.
- Genesis 15:14 כֵ֥ן adv I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great substance.
- Genesis 16:14 כֵּן֙ ptcl dem Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
- Genesis 18:5 כֵּ֥ן כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem ptcl dem I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."
- Genesis 19:8 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and do you to them as is good in your eyes. Only don't do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof."
- Genesis 19:22 כֵּ֛ן ptcl dem Hurry, escape there, for I can't do anything until you get there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
- Genesis 20:6 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you from sinning against me. Therefore I didn't allow you to touch her.
- Genesis 21:31 כֵּ֗ן ptcl dem Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore there.
- Genesis 23:19 כֵן֩ adv After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan.
- Genesis 25:22 כֵּ֔ן ptcl dem The children struggled together within her. She said, "If it be so, why do I live?" She went to inquire of Yahweh.
- Genesis 25:26 כֵ֞ן adv After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau's heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
- Genesis 25:30 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom.
- Genesis 26:33 כֵּ֤ן ptcl dem He called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
- Genesis 29:26 כֵ֖ן adv Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first born.
- Genesis 29:28 כֵּ֔ן ptcl dem Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.
- Genesis 29:34 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem She conceived again, and bare a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.
- Genesis 29:35 כֵּ֛ן ptcl dem She conceived again, and bare a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
- Genesis 30:6 כֵּ֛ן ptcl dem Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore called she his name Dan.
- Genesis 30:15 לָ/כֵן֙ prep + adv She said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes, also?" Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."
- Genesis 31:48 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem Laban said, "This heap is witness between me and you this day." Therefore it was named Galeed
- Genesis 32:20 כֵן֙ adv You shall say, 'Not only that, but behold, your servant, Jacob, is behind us.'" For, he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me."
- Genesis 32:32 כֵּ֡ן ptcl dem Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip.
- Genesis 33:10 כֵּ֞ן ptcl dem Jacob said, "Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
- Genesis 33:17 כֵּ֛ן ptcl dem Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
- Genesis 34:7 וְ/כֵ֖ן conj + ptcl dem The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
- Genesis 38:26 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem Judah acknowledged them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, because I didn't give her to Shelah, my son." He knew her again no more.
- Genesis 41:13 כֵּ֣ן ptcl dem It happened, as he interpreted to us, so it was: he restored me to my office, and he hanged him."
- Genesis 41:31 כֵ֑ן adv and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.
- Genesis 42:11 כֵּנִ֣ים adj Adjective mp We are all one man's sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies."
- Genesis 42:19 כֵּנִ֣ים adj Adjective mp If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison-house; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.
- Genesis 42:20 כֵֽן adv Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won't die." They did so.
- Genesis 42:21 כֵּן֙ ptcl dem They said one to another, "We are most assuredly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn't listen. Therefore this distress has come on us."
- Genesis 42:25 כֵּֽן ptcl dem Then Joseph commanded to fill their bags with grain, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it done to them.
- Genesis 42:31 כֵּנִ֣ים adj Adjective mp We said to him, 'We are honest men. We are no spies.
- Genesis 42:33 כֵנִ֖ים adj Adjective mp The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'Hereby will I know that you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.
- Genesis 42:34 כֵנִ֖ים adj Adjective mp Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"
- Genesis 43:11 כֵּ֣ן ptcl dem Their father, Israel, said to them, "If it be so now, do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
- Genesis 44:10 כֶּן adv He said, "Now also let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found will be my bondservant; and you will be blameless."
- Genesis 45:15 כֵ֔ן adv He kissed all his brothers, and wept on them. After that his brothers talked with him.
- Genesis 45:21 כֵן֙ adv The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
- Genesis 47:22 כֵּ֕ן ptcl dem Only he didn't buy the land of the priests, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. That is why they didn't sell their land.
- Genesis 48:18 כֵ֣ן adv Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
- Genesis 50:3 כֵּ֥ן ptcl dem Forty days were fulfilled for him, for that is how many the days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians wept for him for seventy days.
- Genesis 50:11 כֵּ֞ן ptcl dem When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians." Therefore, the name of it was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
- Genesis 50:12 כֵּ֖ן ptcl dem His sons did to him just as he commanded them,
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, כן (kên) means “thus.” Scripture first uses it in Genesis 1:7. It appears 737 verses across 35 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its most common vocabulary. Beyond its headline sense, its full sense range takes in “so” and “therefore”. It clusters with כון, אכן and כון under a shared root. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3651 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 737
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 737 distinct verses.
- 35 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 35 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #61
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 61 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 737 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 737 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 427 verses · 58%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 174 verses · 24%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 136 verses · 18%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 5 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Cause 2×, Like manner 2×, Therefore 2×
- American Standard Version†: Therefore 3×, Him 2×, Like manner 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Therefore 159×, So 117×, This 27×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Therefore 274×, Thus 181×, So 117×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3651 across 38† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 22 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 4 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3651 across 39† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 26 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H3651 across 461† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 38 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 298 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3651 across 753† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 33 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
20 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 20 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
כן I right, veritable, honest (proposes firm, upright
- 1. right, usually indecl., often as subst. a right thing, especially c. vbb. dicendi Ex 10:29 (J) כֵּן דִּבַּרְתָּ, Nu 27:7 כֵּן דֹּבְרֹת, 36:5 (both P); כֵּן יַאֲרִיךְ Pr 28:2 (the) right (i.e. order and justice) shall last long (v. De Now VB); = adv. aright, of pronunciation Ju 12:6; also c. vb. agendi Ec 8:10 (on Is 33:23 v. iii. כֵּן sub כנן); right well ψ 65:10; (Che; al. = so); c. לֹא, as adj., not right דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־כֵן 2 K 17:9 things which were not right (vb. agendi); of heart of a fool Pr 15:7; Je 23:10; as subst. = what is not right, upright Je 8:6; c. vb. agendi לֹא־כֵן 2 K 7:9 that which is not right we are doing, Je 48:30b. e.g. Exodus 10:29
- 2. veritable, true, כֵּן־צְדָקָה Pr 11:19 the veritable of righteousness = true righteousness; Is 16:6 = Je 48:30a may be either their boastings are not true or (Thes Che Di Du Gr Gie al.) the untruth of their boastings (לֹא־כֵן as cpd. cstr.); abs., in assent to something already said, Right! Correct! True! Jos 2:4. e.g. Proverbs 11:19
- 3. pl. concr. honest (men) Gn 42:11, 19, 31, 33, 34 (all E).—i. כֵּן thus, so, v. p. 485 infr.; iii. כֵּן place, base, v. sub i. כנן; iv. כֵּן, כִּנִּם, כִּנָּם, v. sub כנן. e.g. Genesis 42:11
כן II so, thus (Ph. NH 𝔗 id.
- 1.
- a. Ju 5:31 כן יאבדו so perish thy enemies, Jb 5:27 כֶּן־הִיא, 8:13 כן ארחות כל שׁכחי אל, Pr 6:29; 8:13; 2 S 16:23 Is 36:6; 47:15 כן היו לך, Nu 13:33 וכן היינו בעיניהם; Nu 9:16 כן יהיה תמיד; Ex 10:14, 14 לא היה כן ארבה כמהו וג׳ (i.e. in such numbers), 1 K 10:12 לא בא כן עצי אלמגים, v 20 2 Ch 1:12, 12, Ju 21:14 ולא מצאו להם כן and they did not suffice for them so (viz. in such numbers of them as there were); 1 K 6:26 וכן הכרוב השׁני, Ez 41:7 (?); וכן ל׳ Ex 27:11 1 K 10:29 Ez 40:16 2 Ch 35:12, cf. 1 Ch 23:30; כן ל׳ Ex 25:33 (cf. 26:24), Jos 21:40. e.g. Judges 5:31
- b. the force of כֵּן has sometimes to be elicited from the context: 1 K 2:7 כי כן קרבו אלי (sc. with kindness such as that enjoined in v a), 20:40 כן משׁפטך, Je 14:10 כן אהבו לנוע (i.e. not less than י׳ has withdrawn from them v 9, Gf Ke; Gie proposes אָכֵן), ψ 61:9 כֵּן אֲוַמְּרָה שִׁמְךָ (Hi כְּצִדְקְךָ, implied in v 6–8), 63:3 כֵּן בַּקֹּדֶשׁ חֲזִיתִךָ (sc. with the longings of v 2), v 5 כֵּן אֲבָרֶכְךָ בְחַיָּי (sc. כִּי־טוֹב חַסְדְּךָ v 4), 65:10 כִּי כֵן תְּכִינֶהָ (i.e. so generously, v 10), 90:12 לִמְנוֹת יָמֵינוּ כֵּן הוֹדַע (Hi כְּיִרְאַת י׳ v 11), 127:2 כֵּן יִּתֵּן לִידִידוֹ שֵׁנָא (sc. as abundantly; but Che אָכֵן), Pr 24:14 (see v 13), Is 52:14 כֵּן מִשְׁחַת מֵאִישׁ מַרְאֵהוּ (sufficiently to justify שׁממו עליך רבים). e.g. 1 Kings 2:7
- c. כן occurs freq. in partic. phrases, as (a) with הָיָה, especially ויהי כן and it was so Gn 1:7, 9, 11 +, 2 K 2:10 if thou seest me taken from thee יהי־לך כן let it be to thee so (sc. as thou desirest), 7:20, with עשׂה (especially וַיַּעַשׂ, וַיַּעֲשׂוּ) Gn 29:28; 42:20; 45:21 + often, Ju 7:16 מִמֶּנִּי תִרְאוּ וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ, + ל׳ Gn 42:25 ויעשׂ להם כן, Ex 22:29; 23:11 כן תעשׂה ל׳, Dt 22:3 2 S 12:31 1 K 11:8 (cf. 6:33; 7:18); Gn 29:26 לא יֵעָשֶׂה כן במקומנו, 34:7 2 S 13:12; rarer usages, דִּבֶּר כֵּן Ex 6:9, אמר כן 1 K 22:8 כֵּן אמרתם Ez 11:5; 33:10, אָמֵן כֵּן יֹאמַר י׳ 1 K 1:36 (cf. Je 28:6), וגם שׁאול אבי יֹדֵעַ כֵּן 1 S 23:17; אָהֵב כֵּן (idiom.) to love (it) so, †Je 5:31 Am 4:5; (b) Gn 50:3 כי כן ימלאו ימי החנֻטים (cf. Ju 14:10 2 S 13:18 Est 2:12); (c) alone, אִם כֵּן if it be so †Gn 25:22; 43:11; †וַיִּרְאוּ כִּי־כֵן 1 S 5:7, יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־כֵן Jb 9:2; (d) לא כן not so (viz. as has been described or implied), with a subst. Nu 12:7 לא כן עבדי משׁה, 2 S 20:21; 23:5 ψ 1:4 Jb 9:35 b כי־לא־כן 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 vb. Dt 18:14 ואתה לא כן נתן לך י׳ (not so,—viz. as implied in v a), 2 S 18:14 Is 10:7 לא כן יְדַמֶּה, לא כן יחשׁב, absol. Gn 48:18 לא כן אבי, Ex 10:11. e.g. Genesis 1:7
- 2. Often, to emphasize the agreement, in answer to כְּ, and כַּאֲשֶׁר: viz.
- a. כְּ … כֵּן, (a) Gn 44:10 = Jos 2:21 כדבריכם כֶּן־הוּא, according to your words, so be it, 1 S 25:25 כי כשׁמו כֶּן־הוּא, ψ 48:11 Pr 23:7 כֶּן־הוּא (after conj. כְּמוֹ), Ez 42:11 כְּאָרְכָּן כֵּן רָחְבָּן; (b) Lv 27:12 כְּעֶרְכְּךָ כֵּן יִהְיֶה, 2 S 13:35 Nu 8:4; 9:14; 15:20 Dt 8:20 Ju 11:10, so after כְּפִי Nu 6:21; (c) כְּכֹל … כֵּן … 1 S 8:8 2 S 7:17 Je 42:5; (d) in similes, (α) 2 S 14:17 כמלאך הא׳ כן אדני המלך, Je 18:6 ψ 123:2; 127:4 Pr 10:26; 26:8, 19; 27:8, 19 Ct 2:2, 3; (β) Jo 2:4 כְּפָרָשִׁים כֵּן יְרוּצוּן, Is 31:5 38:14 ψ 103:15 Pr 26:1, 2; (γ) ψ 42:2 כאיל תערג … כן נפשׁי וג׳ like the hind which etc., 83:16 Is 61:11; 63:14 Jb 7:3, so after כמו Is 26:17; (δ) Je 2:26 כְּבשֶׁת גַּנָּב … כֵּן הוֹבִישׁוּ 6:7; 34:5 (read כְּמשׂרפות), Ez 22:22 (cf. v 20), 23:44; 34:12; cf. (of degree) 35:15 (om. 𝔊 Co), Ho 4:7 כְּרֻכָּם כֵּן חָֽטְאוּ לִי. Of time (rare) Ho 6:3 (?), 1 S 9:13 כְּבֹאֲכֶם הָעִיר כֵּן תִּמְצְאוּן אֹתוֹ. e.g. Genesis 44:10
- b. †Ezr 10:12 כן כדבריך עלינו לעשׂות. e.g. Ezra 10:12
- c. כַּאֲשֶׁר … כֵּן …, (a) Ex 7:6 כאשׁר צוה י׳ כן עשׂו, 12:28, 50; 39:43 (cf. 27:8), Nu 8:22 (cf. 5:4), 17:26; 36:10 Jos 14:5 (all P); Gn 41:13 כאשׁר פתר כן היה, Jos 10:1, 39; 11:15 Ju 1:7; 15:11 b ψ 48:9; (b) (freq.) Nu 2:17 כאשׁר יַחֲנוּ כֵּן יִסָּ֑עוּ, Ex 1:12 (of degree = the more … the more) כַּאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ; (c) Gn 6:22 ככל אשׁר צוה אתו אלהים כן עשׂה, Ex 39:32, 42; 40:16 Nu 1:54; 2:34; 8:20; 9:5 (all P), cf. Ex 25:9 (וְכֵן), simil. 2 S 9:11 2 K 16:11, cf. Jos 1:17 Je 42:20; (d) Ex 27:8 כאשׁר הֶרְאָה אתך כן יעשׂו, 2 S 16:19 1 K 2:38 Is 20:4; 52:14f.; with the same vb. repeated Lv 24:19, 20 Dt 28:63 כאשׁר שׂשׂ … כן ישׂישׂ, Jos 23:15; 1 S 15:33; 26:24 1 K 1:37 Is 10:11 Je 5:19; 31:28; 32:42; 42:18 Ez 12:11; 20:36 Zc 7:13 Pr 24:29; Nu 14:28 אם לא כאשׁר דברתם כן אעשׂה, Is 14:24, so after הלא 10:11, after asseverative כי 2 S 3:9 1 K 1:30; so כָּל־עֻמַּת שֶׁ׳ … כֵּן † Ec 5:15; (e) Ju 7:17 b כאשׁר אעשׂה כן תעשׂון, Lv 27:14 Nu 15:14, cf. Je 39:12; (f) in similes, Dt 12:22; 22:26 Am 3:12 Is 65:8 Je 13:11. e.g. Exodus 7:6
- d. כן כאשׁר …, (a) Ex 7:10 ויעשׂו כן כאשׁר צוה י׳, v 20 Jos 4:8 2 S 5:25 Ez 12:7, cf. Gn 50:12 Nu 8:3; iron. Am 5:14 יהי כן י׳ אתּכם כאשׁר אמרתם, Ex 10:10; (b) Gn 18:5 כן תעשׂה כאשׁר דברת, Ne 5;12.—Occasionally in poetry כאשׁר is not expressed: Is 54:9 (De), 55:9 Je 3;20 Jb 7:9 Ho 11:2 קראו להם כן הלכו מפניהם (of degree: so = in the same proportion), ψ 48:6 המה ראו כן תמהו (i.e. in the same measure that they saw); Je 33:22 (according to many, but dub.; read prob. כאשׁר Gie) it is represented by אשׁר (so Is 54:9 Hi Ew Di): Ju 5:15 Ez 22:20 כ is not expressed. Na 1:12 is prob. corrupt; Zc 11:11 for כן עניי read כְּנַעֲנֵי.—כֹּה, כָּכָה, כָּזֹאת are syn., but differ considerably in usage. e.g. Exodus 7:10
- 3. With prepositions:—
- a. אַחַר־כֵּן, אַחֲרֵי־כֵן, מֵאַחֲרֵי־כֵן, lit. after so, i. e. afterwards: v. אַחַר.
- b. †בְּכֵן (late), lit. in such circumstances, i.e. thereupon, then, Ec 8;10 Est 4:16 (𝔗 בְּכֵין often for אָז; e.g. Ex 15:1; SyriacJerus. ܒܟܢ = τότε). e.g. Esther 4:16
- c. †כְּמוֹ־כֵן Is 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 v. iv. כֵּן. e.g. Isaiah 51:6
- d. לָכֵן200 according to such conditions, that being so, therefore Nu 16:11 1 S 27:6 ψ 16:9; 73:6, 10; especially in proph., where it often introduces, after statement of the grounds, a divine declaration or command: Ju 10:13 2 K 1:6 Am 4:12 Is 5:13, 14, 24; 7:14; 10:16; 16:7; 27:9 Je 6:15; 8:10 etc.; לכן כה אמר י׳ 2 K 21:12 Is 10:24; 28:16; 29:22; 30:12; 37:33 Je 5:14; 6:21 + often; sq. נאם האדון Is 1:24; נאם י׳ 1 S 2:30 Je 2:9; לכן הנה ימים באים נאם י׳ Je 7:32; 16:14; 19:6 +; לכן חי אני נאם י׳ Ez 5:11; 35:6, 11 Zp 2:9; לכן הנני … 1 K 14:10 Ho 2:8, 16 Is 29:14 Je 16:21 Ez 16:37; 22:19 b; 25:4, 7, 9 +; לכן אֱמֹר †Ex 6:6 Nu 25:12 (both P), Ez 11:16, 17; 14:6; 20:30; 33:25; 36:22; לָכֵן דַּבֵּר † Ez 14:4; 20:27; לָכֵן הִנָּבֵא †Ez 11:4; 36:3, 6; 37:12; 38:14; לָכֵן שִׁמְעוּ … Is 28:14; 51:21 Je 6:18; 44:26 +. In answer to יען, Nu 20:12 (P), 1 K 14:10 2 K 1:16; 21:12; 22:20 Is 29:14; 30:13 Je 19:6 +, Ez 5:8 13:23 +; so, once, וְלָכֵן Is 8:7; to כי Is 28:16 Je 35:17; על Je 9:14; אם 23:38; 42:15. Special usages:—(a) idiom., in conversation, in reply to an objection, to state the ground upon which the answer is made; Gn 4:15 therefore—this being so—whoso killeth Cain, etc., 30:15 Ju 8:7; 11:8 1 S 28:2 1 K 22:19 Jb 20:2 (𝔊 in Gn K Jb, not perceiving the idiom, renders οὐχ οὕτως (as though לא־כן): so also strangely, elsewhere, as 1 S 3:14 2 K 1:4, 6; 21:12). (b) inferring the cause from the effect, or developing what is logically involved in a statement, Is 26:14 b (cf. 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), 61:7 Je 2:33; 5:2 (because viz. אין אמונה v 1), Jb 34:25; 42:3.—Zc 11:7 read לִכְנַעֲנֵי הַצֹּאן. e.g. Numbers 16:11
- e. †עַד־כֵּן hitherto (of time), as yet Ne 2:16. e.g. Nehemiah 2:16
- f. עַל־כֵּן145 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), Gn 20:6; 42:21 Ex 5:8, 17; 16:29; 20:11 1 S 20:29; 28:18 2 S 7:22, 27 1 K 20:23 Is 5:25; 9:16; 13:7, 13; 15:4, 7; 16:9, 11; 17:10; 21:3 Je 5:6, 27; 10:21; 12:8; 20:11; 31:3, 20 Ez 7:20; 22:4; 31:5 etc., ψ 1:5; 42:7; 45:3 c (the poet’s inference from v a. b), v 8 110:7 Jb 6:3; 9:22; 17:4; 20:21 etc., Ct 1:3; and regularly where the origin of a name, or custom, or proverb is assigned, Gn 2:24 על־כן יעזב אישׁ וג׳, 10:9 על־כן יֵאָמַ֔ר, 11:9 על־כן קרא שׁמה בבל, 16:14; 19:22; 21:31; 25:30; 26:33; 29:34, 35; 30:6; 32:33; 47:22 Ex 13:15; 15:23 Nu 18:24; 21:14, 27 Dt 10:9 (cf. 15:11, 15; 19:7; 24:18, 22), Jos 7:26; 14:14 Ju 15:19; 18:12 1 S 5:5; 10:12; 23:28 (? read so 27:6) 2 S 5:8, 20 etc.; הַעַל־כֵּן †Hb 1:17.—Est 9:26 the 2nd על כן (unless dittogr.) points unusually onwards to על כל דברי האגרת on this account, on account, viz., etc. e.g. Genesis 20:6
כן III base, pedestal, office (NH כַּנָּה
- 1. lit. base, pedestal, 1 K 7:31 (like) the work of a pedestal (Th VB), according to StaZAW iii, 1883, 161, 162 מַעֲשֵׂה־כֵן is in wrong place, being orig. part of a gloss to v 35;—כ׳ in v 29 = thus, or is textual error;—כֵּן־תָּרְנָם Is 33:23 the base (support or socket) of their mast (so Thes and most); especially of base of laver of tabernacle Ex 30:18, 28; 31:9; 35:16; 38:8; 39:39; 40:11 Lv 8:11 (all P). e.g. 1 Kings 7:31
- 2. office, place Gn 40:13; 41:13 (both E); hence (late) עַל־כַּנּוֹ in his place Dn 11:20, 21, 38 (i.e. in his stead, as his successor, cf. Germ. an seiner Stelle); עַל om. v 7. e.g. Genesis 40:13
כן IV (?), כִּנִּם, כִּנָּם n.[m.], meaning dub.
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. adj. right, veritable, honest (proposes firm, upright; Syriac ܟܻܐܢ recte PS1662)—abs. כֵּן Ex 10:29 + (on poss. cstr. v. 2 ad fin.); pl. כֵּנִים Gn 42:11, 19, 31, 33, 34;—
II. adv. so, thus (Ph. NH 𝔗 id.; Syriac ܟܶܢ is then, Arabic لٰكِنْ, لٰكِنَّ, but: prob. from the demonstr. √ ka, found in כִּי etc., Köii 1, 254); (הִיא) כֶּן־הוּא Gn 44:10 + 4 times: so thus (i.e. usually, as has been described or commanded, with ref. to what has preceded), mostly of manner, but sometimes also of quantity, quality, or degree:
VI. n.m. base, pedestal, office (NH כַּנָּה; Aramaic כַּנְתָּא, ܟܰܢܳܐ )—abs. כ׳ Is 33:23 1 K 7:31 (but v. infr.); sf. כַּנּוֹ Ex 30:18 + 11 times; כַּנֶּ֑ךָ Gn 40:13; כַּנִּי 41:13;—
VII. (?), כִּנִּם, כִּנָּם n.[m.], meaning dub.; either gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm (so 𝔊 𝔙 PhiloVita Mos. i, p. 97, OrigenHom 4, 6 in Ex., and most moderns), or [louse,] lice (so 𝔖 𝔗 JosAnt. ii, 14, 13 BochHieroz. II, ii, 572 f., as NH כִּנָּה, pl. כִּנִּים = maggots, and especially lice)—abs. perh. כֵּן Is 51:6 (v. infr.); pl. כִּנִּים Ex 8:13, 14 ψ 105:31, כִּנִּם Ex 8:12; Ex 8:13, 14 has, also, כִּנָּם prob. a mere Mas. device for כִּנִּם (cf. Di), on account of preceding וַתְּהִי (on which see Ges§ 145. 4 DaSynt. § 116); Sam. has כנים throughout:—of Egyptian plague Ex 8:12, 13(×2), 14(×2) (all P), hence ψ 105:31; כְּמוֹ־כֵן יְמוּתוּן Is 51:6 like a gnat-swarm (?) shall they die (cf. Di Du; Weir Che read כנים, cf. Buhlp. 355; > Brd De like this). Note.—NöM 54 BaNB § 15, ES 53 BuhlGes HWB ed. 12 connect this word etymol. with Aramaic כלמתא vermin, Ba and Buhl also with Assyrian kalmatu, id. [DlHWB 333], and even with Aramaic קלמתא, ܩܰܠܡܬܳܐ, Arabic قَمْلٌ, etc., Ethiopic ቍማl louse; but these connexions, as well as that with NH כְּנִימָה, all involving radical מ, are most improb.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from כון (kûwn) (H3559) — to be established.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
כַּן
- here, v. כַּאַן.
כֵּן I
- v. כִּי, so, thus. Ber. 11ᵇ וכן הוא אומר and so we read; a. v. fr.—אם כן, אלא אם כן, v. אִם.—לָכֵן for such a purpose. Y. Maas. Sh. II, 53ᵇ bot. דרכו ל׳ it is usually employed for such a purpose. Y. Erub. VII, beg. 24ᵇ ייחדו ל׳ he devoted it to such &c.—יתר על כן, יתר מִכֵּן, v. יֶתֶר I.
כֵּן
- , ch. same. Targ. Is. LI, 6. Targ. O. Ex. I, 12; a. fr.—Ber. 11ᵇ וכן אורי ליה וכ׳ and so taught R. El. &c.; a. v. fr.—בתר כן, contr. בְּכֵן, after this; therefore. Targ. II Sam. II, 1; a. fr.—Ib. XXII, 47; a. e.—וּלְהָלָא מִבְּכֵן, וּלְהָלָה מִבְּכֵין from now and further on = h. מכאן ואילך. Targ. I Kings XIV, 14.—Y. Sabb. XIV, 14ᵈ ר"י מטתיה כן such (disease) befell R. J.; Y. Ab. Zar. II, 40ᵈ הוה ליה כן. Ib. bot. ימות ולא כן let him rather die than do this (idolatrous cure); a. fr.—Y. Ber. III, 6ᵇ top לָכֵן דאתינן (v. preced.) it is for this purpose that we came here (to be reminded of death).—דִּל כֵּן, דִּלָכֵן, v. דִּל.—כל דכן, v. כּוֹל.—כֵּינִי = כין הי it is so; (interrog.) is it so, indeed? Y. Peah II, 17ᵃ bot. וכ׳ אלא כ׳ is that so? (No,) but it is thus. Ib. III, 17ᶜ top כ׳ (insert מתניתא); ib. II, beg. 16ᵈ כ׳ מתניתא (not ב׳) so is the Mishnah to be read. Y. B. Mets. III, beg. 9ᵃ וְאִין כ׳ but if this be so; a. fr.
כֵּן II
- , with suff. כַּנּ־, m. (b. h.; כּוּן or כָּנַן)
- 1. base, stand, rest. Cant. R. to I, 1 (ref. to והנה חלום, I Kings III, 15) החלום … על כַּנּוֹ the dream (after he awoke) remained standing on its firm stand (was realized); Yalk. Kings 175. Yoma V, 3, sq. הניחו על כ׳ וכ׳ he set it down on the stand. Tosef. Kel. B. Mets. II, 17 מחוסרין כן vessels that have lost their rest; a. fr.—Pl. כַּנִּים, constr. כַּנֵּי. Kel. XI, 3.— Trnsf. social status. Yeb. 77ᵇ גיורת מכַּנָּהּ a proselyte of her own status, i.e. born after the conversion of her parents both of whom were of the same nation. e.g. 1 Kings 3:15
- 2. (cmp. כּוּן Pi.) ruler. Ib. XII, 8; Tosef. Kel. B. Bath. VII, 12 הכן והכַּנָּה (Var. והכַּנָּא) the ruler and that which is ruled (the writing material); oth. opin.: the ruled material and the ruler; [oth. opin.: (cmp. σταθμός) the base of the scales and the scales; oth. opin. the strike and the measure.]
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 76 distinct written forms H3651 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| לָ/כֵ֗ן | Adverb | Amos 3:11 | 64 |
| כֵּ֥ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Esther 2:12 | 63 |
| כֵּ֣ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Amos 3:12 | 58 |
| כֵּ֖ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 8:20 | 48 |
| לָ/כֵ֞ן | Adverb | Amos 7:17 | 34 |
| כֵּ֤ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 20:15 | 33 |
| כֵּ֗ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 5:15 | 31 |
| כֵּן֙ | Particle, Demonstrative | Amos 3:2 | 27 |
| כֵּֽן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 3:21 | 25 |
| כֵ֔ן | Adverb | Deuteronomy 12:31 | 22 |
| כֵּ֛ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 19:7 | 22 |
| לָ/כֵן֙ | Adverb | Ezekiel 13:8 | 19 |
| כֵ֖ן | Adverb | Esther 3:2 | 18 |
| כֵֽן | Adverb | Exodus 14:4 | 16 |
| כֵּ֚ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Exodus 25:33 | 16 |
| כֵ֗ן | Adverb | Exodus 8:17 | 15 |
| לָ/כֵ֣ן | Adverb | Ezekiel 5:11 | 15 |
| לָ/כֵ֛ן | Adverb | Amos 6:7 | 14 |
| כֵּ֞ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 10:9 | 13 |
| כֵּ֔ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 4:5 | 12 |
| כֵ֣ן | Adverb | Esther 1:8 | 10 |
| כֵּן | Particle, Demonstrative | Ecclesiastes 8:10 | 10 |
| לָ֠/כֵן | Adverb | Amos 5:11 | 10 |
| כֵ֥ן | Adverb | Exodus 8:7 | 9 |
| וְ/כֵ֣ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 22:3 | 9 |
| כֵן֙ | Adverb | Esther 1:13 | 9 |
| כֵּ֡ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Ecclesiastes 8:11 | 9 |
| לָ/כֵן֩ | Adverb | Ezekiel 18:30 | 9 |
| כֵּ֭ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Job 22:10 | 8 |
| וְ/כֵ֖ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Exodus 25:9 | 7 |
| כֵּ֝֗ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Job 6:3 | 7 |
| לָ/כֵ֖ן | Adverb | Ezekiel 11:4 | 7 |
| לָ/כֵ֤ן | Adverb | Isaiah 26:14 | 7 |
| כֵ֑ן | Adverb | Genesis 41:31 | 6 |
| כֵ֞ן | Adverb | Amos 5:14 | 5 |
| לָ/כֵ֕ן | Adverb | Amos 4:12 | 5 |
| וְ/כֵ֥ן | Particle, Demonstrative | 1 Kings 6:33 | 4 |
| כֵּ֑ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Esther 4:16 | 4 |
| כֵּן֩ | Particle, Demonstrative | Exodus 13:15 | 4 |
| וְ/כֵ֤ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Exodus 26:4 | 3 |
| וְ/כֵ֨ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Exodus 27:11 | 3 |
| כֵ֤ן | Adverb | Amos 4:5 | 3 |
| כֵ֨ן | Adverb | Exodus 8:18 | 3 |
| כֵּ֠ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Exodus 16:29 | 3 |
| כֵּנִ֣ים | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Genesis 42:11 | 3 |
| כֶּן | Adverb | Genesis 44:10 | 3 |
| לָ/כֵ֡ן | Adverb | Ezekiel 25:4 | 3 |
| לָ/כֵ֥ן | Adverb | Ezekiel 23:9 | 3 |
| לָ֭/כֵן | Adverb | Job 20:2 | 3 |
| וְ/כֵ֧ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Deuteronomy 22:3 | 2 |
| וְ/כֵן֙ | Particle, Demonstrative | 1 Chronicles 20:3 | 2 |
| וְ/לָ/כֵ֥ן | Adverb | 1 Samuel 3:14 | 2 |
| וְ֠/כֵן | Particle, Demonstrative | 1 Kings 10:29 | 2 |
| כֵ֕ן | Adverb | Exodus 11:1 | 2 |
| כֵ֛ן | Adverb | Exodus 7:22 | 2 |
| כֵ֡ן | Adverb | 2 Chronicles 20:1 | 2 |
| כֵן֩ | Adverb | Exodus 7:20 | 2 |
| כֵנִ֖ים | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Genesis 42:33 | 2 |
| כֵּ֕ן | Particle, Demonstrative | Esther 9:26 | 2 |
| וְ/כֵ֞ן | Particle, Demonstrative | 2 Chronicles 32:31 | 1 |
The 60 most common forms are shown; 16 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H3651, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Derived from this word
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- יכין Yâkîyn H3199 Jachin
- יכניה Yᵉkonyâh H3204 Jeconiah
- כון Kûwn H3560 Chun
- כונניהו Kôwnanyâhûw H3562 Cononiah
- כיון Kîyûwn H3594 Chiun
- נכון Nâkôwn H5225 Nachon
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 14 — not the complete family. 6 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 688 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 737 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:7
- Exodus 1:12
- Leviticus 4:20
- Numbers 1:54
- Deuteronomy 3:21
- Joshua 1:17
- Judges 1:7
- 1 Samuel 1:7
- 2 Samuel 2:1
- 1 Kings 1:30
- 2 Kings 1:4
- 1 Chronicles 11:7
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
