כָּנָף
wing
also: extremity, edge, winged, border fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Dual
- Exactly two — for natural pairs and some measures of time.
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
1 verse where H3671 appears in the Absolute state in the Book of Deuteronomy. Filtered view — show all forms. 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.
Deuteronomy
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.
כנף — transliterated kânâph — is a Hebrew noun carrying the sense “wing.” “skirt” is the historic King James Version rendering; modern versions use “wings.” See the renderings breakdown. The Hebrew Bible uses it across 85 verses — moderately common. More than a quarter of its appearances fall in Ezekiel. Alongside “wing” the lexicon also lists “extremity”, “edge”, and “winged” — part of its full sense range. See the sense tree, 85-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3671 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 →
- 85
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 85 distinct verses.
- 22 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 22 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #390
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 390 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 85 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 85 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 46 verses · 54%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 27 verses · 32%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 12 verses · 14%
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).
- King James Version: Wings 47×, Skirt 11×, Wing 10×
- American Standard Version: Wings 43×, Wing 11×, Skirt 7×
- Berean Standard Bible: Wings 51×, Wing 10×, Corners 4×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Wings 47×, Wing 10×, Wings of 10×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3671 across 107 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 23 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 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3671 across 108 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 29 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 H3671 across 96 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 15 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 13 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3671 across 113 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 19 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
12 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 12 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.
- 1. wing,
- a. of birds Is 10:14 (in fig.), Ex 19:4 (E? R? fig.) Dt 32:11 (in sim.), Zc 5:9 Lv 1:17 (P), Jb 39:13, 26 ψ 68:14; in fig. of invading king Je 48:40; 49:22 Ez 17:3, 7; so appar. Is 8:8 of invader as overflowing river (but Du Che separate וְהָיָה מֻטּוֹת כְּנָפָיו from preceding); of riches, as flying away Pr 23:5; in phr. צִפּוֹר כָּנָף = winged birds Dt 4:17 ψ 148:10, (עֵיט)צִפּוֹר כָּל־כ׳ Ez 39:4, 17, כֹּל צִפּוֹר כָּל־כ׳ Gn 7:14 (P), Ez 17:23, עוֹף כ׳ Gn 1:21 (P), ψ 78:27; also בַּעַל כ׳ Pr 1:17 = winged thing, cf. בַּעַל־ה֯כְּנָפַיִם Ec 10:20. e.g. Isaiah 10:14
- b. of insects (prob.), אֶרֶץ צִלְצַל כְּנָפָ֑יִם Is 18:1 buzzing, or humming of wings, i. e. Ethiopia, so called from its swarms of flies, with especial ref. poss. to the tsetse-fly (so Du, cf. Che; id., in gen., Hi De; > Kn Di of the tropical shadow falling both ways; Thes1167 b of noise of the wings of an army; ref. to sails as wings—cf. v 2—would be suitable, but צִלְצַל does not favour this). e.g. Isaiah 18:1
- c. of cherubim 1 K 6:24(×4) + 8 times K, cf. 2 Ch 3:11(×4) + 6 times Ch, Ez 1:6 + 17 times Ez, Ex 25:20(×2) 39:9(×2) (all P). e.g. 1 Kings 6:24
- d. of seraphim Is 6:2(×2) e.g. Isaiah 6:2
- e. of women in Zec.’s vision Zc 5:9(×2). e.g. Zechariah 5:9
- f. fig. of the wind, Ho 4:19 ψ 18:11 = 2 S 22:11, ψ 104:3. e.g. Hosea 4:19
- g. fig. of the dawn (winged sun-disc?) ψ 139:9, cf. of sun of righteousness Mal 3:20. e.g. Psalms 139:9
- h. fig. of י׳, as protector of his people ψ 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 61:5; 63:5; 91:4 Ru 2:12. e.g. Psalms 17:8
- 2. extremity.—
- a. of garment, =skirt, corner, or loose flowing end, 1 S 15:27; 24:5, 6, 12(×2) Dt 22:12; 23:1; 27:20 Je 2:34 (fig.), Ez 5:3; 16:8 (in fig.), Hg 2:12(×2) Zc 8:23 Nu 15:38(×2) (P; cf. RSSem i. 416, 2nd ed. 437) Ru 3:9. e.g. 1 Samuel 15:27
- b. of the earth, מִכְּנַף הָאָרֶץ Is 24:16 from the end of the earth; elsewhere pl. כַּנְפוֹת הָא׳ Jb 37:3; 38:13, and, def. אַרְבַּע כ׳ הא׳ Is 11:12 the four corners of the earth; so of the holy land Ez 7:2.—עַל־כְּנַף שִׁקּוּצִים מְשׁוֹמֵם Dn 9:27 is obscure; Meinh. reads, after Vrss., כָּנָף, on the corner (of the altar) is a devastating abomination; Onderzoek 2, ii. 472 Bev, who read עַל־כַּנּוֹ in its place, instead of it. e.g. Isaiah 24:16
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
n.f. 1 K 6:27 (m. Ez 7:2 Kt, but cf. Qr and Co; also appar. 2 Ch 3:11, 13, but v. Be), wing, extremity (NH id.; Aramaic כַּנְפָֿא, ܟܶܢܦܳܐ; Zinj. אחז בכנף מראה, fig. for attached himself to the party of his lord, PanammuInser. l. 11, cf. Zc 8:23 (2 a infr.); DHMSendsch. 58; Arabic كَنَفٌ, Assyrian kappu, Ethiopic ክንፍ );—abs. כ׳ Gn 1:21 +; cstr. כְּנַף 1 K 6:24 +; sf. כְּנָפִי Ez 16:8, כְּנָפֶ֑ךָ Ru 3:9, כְּנָפוֹ Hg 2:12; du. כְּנָפַיִם 1 K 8:7 + (even of more than two, Is 6:2(×2) Ez 1:6, 21); cstr. כַּנְפֵי Ex 19:4; sf. כְּנָפֶיךָ Ez 5:3, כְּנָפַיִךְ Je 2:34, כְּנָפָיו Is 8:8 +; כְּנָפֶיהָ Ho 4:19 Mal 3:20; כַּנְפֵיהֶם 1 K 6:27 +; כַּנְפֵיהֶן Ez 1:24, 25; pl. cstr. כַּנְפוֹת Dt 22:12 + 4 times;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from כנף (kânaph) (H3670) — to be cornered.
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.
כָּנַף
- (b. h.) to bend; to cover.
- to be covered, hidden. Pesik. Zachor, p. 29ᵃ, a. e., v. כָּנָף.
כְּנַף I
- , to press, crowd; to gather. Targ. Ps. XLI, 7 (v. כְּנַס).—Taan. 23ᵇ ניתי לִיכְנוֹף גבי הדדי Ms. M. (ed. נִיכְּנִיף הדדי) let us go and crowd together (for prayer). Ab. Zar. 19ᵇ כָּנוּף ואתי וכ׳ all the world crowded about him.—Part. pass. כְּנִיף. Snh. 29ᵇ כְּנִיפֵי ויתבי if they (before whom he made the admission, v. אוֹדִיתָא) were assembled (for some other business), opp. to כּנּפִינְהוּ איהו if he himself called them to a meeting.
- 1. to collect, grab (corresp. to גָּבַב). Sabb. 73ᵇ האי מאן דכ׳ וכ׳ he who grabs (skims with his palm) salt out of the salina. Bets. 33ᵇ מחזי כמאן דמְכַנֵּיף וכ׳ Ms. M. (ed. מכניא, corr. acc.) it looks as though he raked together for the next day.
- 2. to assemble, call a meeting. Targ. Y. I Deut. I, 1.—Snh. l. c., v. supra. B. Kam. 113ᵃ לדידכו כַּנְּפִינְהוּ Ms. M. (ed. v. כְּנוּפְיָא) have we assembled them for your individual benefit?—Part. pass. מְכַנַּף. Ber. 58ᵇ כמאה … דמְכַנְּפֵי like one hundred stars … collected in one spot, opp. מבדרי. Gitt. 20ᵃ, v. infra.
- 3. (corresp. to קָפַל) to fold, crease. Sabb. 147ᵃ אדעתא דלכַנּוּפֵי with the intention of creasing.
- 1. to be assembled, to meet, join. Targ. Cant. VIII, 7.—Taan. 23ᵇ, v. supra.
- 2. to be compressed. Gitt. 20ᵃ כַּנּוּפֵי מִכְּנִיף (ed. Rashi מְכַנַּף), v. חֲרַץ.
כָּנָף
- (mostly) m.(b. h.; [bend,]
- 1. wing, wing-feather. Kel. XVII, 14 כְּנַף העוז things made of feathers of the sea-eagle; a. e.—Du. כְּנָפַיִם, pl. כְּנָפִים, כַּנְפוֹת. Ib. Toh. I, 2. Ḥull. III, 4 נמרטו כנָפֶיהָ if the wing-feathers are plucked out, v. נוֹצָה. Ib. 7 כל שיש לו ארבע כ׳ … וכְנָפָיו וכ׳ … that (locust) which has four feet and four wings …, and whose wings cover the larger portion of its body (is clean); a. fr.
- 2. border, lap. Sifré Num. 115 מן הכ׳, v. גְּדִילָה II. Ib. מצות כ׳ the law concerning the borders of garments (Num. XV, 38).—Pl. as ab. Lev. R. s. 18; Koh. R. to XII, 3 (ref. to הראות ib.) אלו כַּנְפֵי הריאה those are the laps (extreme ends) of the lungs. Ḥull. 45ᵃ עד כנפי ריאה התחתונה to the borders of the lowest lung (of the animal suspended by its feet).—Euphem. for a woman’s lap (pudenda). Yeb. 4ᵃ; 49ᵃ (expl. Deut. XXIII, 1) כ׳ שראה אביו the lap which his father has seen, i.e. any woman with whom his father has had sexual connection. e.g. Numbers 15:38
- 3. cover. Pesik. Zakh., p. 29ᵃ; Pesik. R. s. 12; Tanḥ. Ki Thetsé 11 (ref. to יִכָּנֵף, Is. XXX, 20) … כל זמן כ׳ מכסה וכ׳ as long as the seed of Amalek survives, it is as if a cover hid the face (of Divinity) &c. e.g. Isaiah 30:20
- 4. (pl.) hands, arms; (of animals) shoulders, fore-legs. Pes. VII, 11 (84ᵃ) ראשי כ׳ the cartilaginous tops of the fore-legs. Y. Naz. VI, 55ᶜ bot. (ref. to Num. VI, 19) בין שיש לו כ׳ וכ׳ whether or not he has hands (to receive the offerings; Bab. Naz. 46ᵇ כַּפַּיִם). Tosef. Dem. II, 11 מקבלין לכ׳ we accept a ḥaber (v. חָבֵר), if he promises to observe levitical cleanness of hands; Bekh. 30ᵇ. Y. Dem. II, 23ᵃ top מקריבין לכ׳. Ib. כ׳ מדפות וכ׳ the laws concerning hands, &c., v. מִדָּף.—אלישע בעל כ׳ one Elisha, a ḥaber observing cleanness of hands. Y. Ber. I, 4ᶜ bot.; Sabb. 49ᵃ; 130ᵃ (legendary origin of the surname).—Lev. R. s. 32 בעל כ׳ the winged angel. e.g. Numbers 6:19
- 5. curved attachments, handles &c. Kel. XI, 6; Tosef. ib. B. Mets. I, 7, v. סִימְפּוֹנְיָא. Kel. XIV, 4 הכ׳ המקבלות וכ׳ the curves on the harness for holding the reins; ib. 5 כ׳ העשוים לנוי for ornament.—Trnsf. כנפי השכינה or כ׳ divine protection; תחת כ׳ הש׳ under the wings of divine Majesty, i.e. belief and faith in God, Jewish religion. Lev. R. s. 2 פושטין … להכניסו תחת כ׳ הש׳ we must reach out a hand to him (the proselyte) in order to take him in &c. Mekh. B’shall., Amalek, s. 2 לאבד … מתחת כְּנָפֶיךָ to lead thy people away from the faith in thee.—Ruth R. to II, 12; a. fr.
כְּנַף II
- 1. wing, lap. Targ. I Kings VI, 24; a. fr.—Targ. Zech. VIII, 23; a. fr.—B. Mets. 85ᵃ בכַנְפֵיה דרבו in the lap of Rabbi’s garment. Sabb. 5ᵃ פשיט כנפיה וכ׳ he spread the lap of his garment and received it. B. Bath. 12ᵇ בכנפיה דאבוה on her father’s lap. Ib. 58ᵃ בכַנְפָהּ דשרה in Sarah’s lap; a. fr.—[Euphem. Targ. Deut. XXIII, 1, v. preced.]—Trnsf. protection. Targ. II Esth. IX, 14.—Pl. כַּנְפִין, כַּנְפַיָּא, כַּנְפֵי. Ib. Targ. Ez. XVII, 3. Targ. O. Num. XV, 38; a. fr.—[כַּנְפָתָא, constr. כַּנְפָת. Targ. Y. II ib., emend. by Bxt., ed. צָנְפַת.]
- 2. בַּת כַּנְפָא name of an unclean bird. Targ. O. Deut. XIV, 13 (h. text הראה).
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 70 distinct written forms H3671 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.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 10 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 81 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 85 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 1:21
- Exodus 19:4
- Leviticus 1:17
- Numbers 15:38
- Deuteronomy 4:17
- Ruth 2:12
- 1 Samuel 15:27
- 2 Samuel 22:11
- 1 Kings 6:24
- 2 Chronicles 3:11
- Job 37:3
- Psalms 17:8
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.
