כּוֹכָב
kôwkâb · H3556 · Hebrew · 37 occurrences
Meanings
-
star
One of the many celestial bodies that assist the sun and moon in giving light, and was sometimes worshiped contrary to God's law
ExamplesGenesis 1:16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.
Genesis 15:5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Genesis 22:17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
16 occurrences in 7 groups
- שָׁמַיִםheaven, sky 10
- בֹּקֶרmorning 1
- אוֹרlight 1
- אֵלGod, god 1
- אֱלֹהִיםGod, gods 1
- נֶשֶׁףtwilight 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- אֶחָדone 1
- כּוּןto establish, to prepare 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- צָבָאhost, army 1
What it doesIt is the subject
11 occurrences in 9 groups
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11
What is done to itIt is the object
5 occurrences in 4 groups
- רָאָהto see 2
- סָפַרto count, to tell 1
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 1
- קָדַרto mourn, to grow dark 1
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- נָשָׂאto lift up, to carry, to bear 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- הִנֵּהbehold 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
16 occurrences in 6 groups
- כlike/as 15
- מִןfrom 3
- בְּעַדfor, behind, through 2
- בin/on/with 2
- לto/for 2
- בֵּיןbetween, among 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- חֻקָּהstatute, ordinance 1
- רֹאשׁhead, top, chief 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 2 words
- ἄστρον ástron · G798 · star, planet, constellation
- Greek ἄστρον renders Hebrew כּוֹכָב as the standard cross-linguistic equivalent for 'star' in astronomical contexts, with both terms denoting celestial luminous bodies; the Greek gloss notes technical capacity for 'constellation' usage, but the core denotation aligns directly with the Hebrew sense.
- ἀστήρ astḗr · G792 · star, planet, morning star
- Greek ἀστήρ is the direct translation equivalent of Hebrew כּוֹכָב across both literal astronomical references and figurative/symbolic uses (Daniel's apocalyptic imagery, Balaam's oracle); the two share identical semantic range and register.
Semantic domains 1 entry
- Celestial Bodies001002001
- The word names a star, a celestial body, appearing throughout the creation account and the promises of innumerable descendants likened to the stars.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H3556. kokab כּוֺכָב noun masculineGen 15:5 star (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כּוֺכַבְתָּא…
כּוֺכָב noun masculineGen 15:5 star (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כּוֺכַבְתָּא כּוֺכְבָא, , , feminine form specifically of planet Venus, see also WeSkizzen iii. 36, 38; Arabic Generally of single stars and probably Aramaic loan-word, WeSkizzen iii. 173; Ethiopic ; probably for *כבכב see Mahri kubkob, kobkib, etc., MaltzanZMG 1873, 227 and Assyrian kakkabu DlHWB 336; Punic κακαβουμ (Dioscorides), name of a plant, probably from shape of seed-cup, BlauZMG xxvii, 1873, 529; on formation compare NöM § 109 BaNB § 138. 1) — ׳כ absolute Num 24:17; construct כּוֺכַב Amo 5:26; plural כּוֺכָבִים Gen 1:16 Gen 1:19t.; construct כּוֺכְבֵי (כֹּכְבֵי) Gen 22:17 Gen 22:13t.; כֹּכְבֵיהֶם Eze 32:7; — singular only ׳כ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם Amo 5:26 (where, however, ׳כ is probably a gloss, so GFM Dec. 19, 1890, and now We; see further כִּיּוּן); and ׳כ מִיַּעֲקֹב Num 24:12 (J E; || בישׂראל שֵׁבֶט, metaphor of future ruler); elsewhere plural stars, || sun and moon (compare also below) Gen 1:16 (P) Psa 136:9 (to rule the night, compare Gen 1:16), Jer 31:35; Gen 37:9 (E), Joseph's dream (כ עָשָׂר ׳אַחַד = 11 brethren); Deu 4:19 object of idolatrous worship (compare below); observed in augury בַּכּ ׳הַחֹזִים Isa 47:13 (of Babylon); Ecc 12:2 (|| (also) light; figurative of brightness of youth); || sun Job 9:7; || moon Psa 8:4; sign of evening Neh 4:15 (הַכּ צֵאת עַד הַשַּׁחַר ׳מֵעֲלוֺת) compare נִשְׁכּוֺ כּוֺכְבֵי Job 3:9 (apparently sign of dawn); numbered by God Psa 147:4; simile of abundant posterity, Gen 15:5; Gen 22:17; Gen 26:4; Exo 32:13 (all J E); of Israel Deu 1:10; Deu 10:22; Deu 28:62; 1Ch 27:32; Neh 9:23; of number of merchants of Nineveh Nah 3:16; as lofty, Job 22:12; so in figure of haughty nations Obadiah 4; Isa 14:13; compare symbolic vision of Daniel (|| הַשָּׁמַיִם צְבָא צָבָא,) Dan 8:10; simile of brightness of righteous Dan 12:3; not pure (זַכּוּ) before God Job 25:5 (|| moon); darkened in Yahweh's judgment Joe 2:10; Joel 4:15; Eze 32:7 (|| sun and moon; so) Isa 13:10 (|| also כְּסִילֵיהֶם); personified: as fighting Jdg 5:20; shouting Job 38:7 (בֹקֶר כּוֺכְבֵי בְּרָןיַֿחַד, || אֱלֹחִים בְּנֵי); praising Psa 148:3 (אוֺר כּוֺכְבֵי, || sun and moon). — On stars in Arabic mythology see WeSkizzen iii. 173 f.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 1 entry
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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