כְּלִי
kᵉlîy · H3627 · Hebrew · 325 occurrences
A word for 8 things
- Containers, vesselsHousehold59 verses
- WeaponWarfare57 verses
- Bag, sack, money bag, pursePersonal45 verses
- Cooking pot, kettleHousehold43 verses
- Jewelry, ornamentsPersonal34 verses
Meanings
-
object, vessel, instrument, tool, utensil, weapon, article, bag, furnishing
Human-made object of any kind, usually specified by the context, of various makings and made for various purposes
ExamplesGenesis 24:53 And the servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
Genesis 27:3 “Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me;
Genesis 31:37 “Though you have searched through all my property, what have you found of all your household property? Set it here in front of my relatives and your relatives, so that they may decide between the two of us.
-
device, plan, scheme
Literally: tool; hence: a plan made to achieve a certain goal in the same way as a tool is used to create a certain object
ExamplesIsaiah 32:7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil; He devises wicked schemes To destroy the poor with slander, Even though the needy one speaks what is right.
How it’s used In 10 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
246 occurrences in 58 groups
- הוּhis 57
- זָהָבgold 16
- בַּיִתhouse, household 14
- כֶּסֶףsilver 13
- מִלְחָמָהwar, battle 10
- נְחֹשֶׁתbronze, copper 10
- Other words · 33 groups that occur once or twice (40) 40
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
59 occurrences in 40 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 7
- אֵלֶּהthese 6
- שָׁרַתto minister, to serve, to attend 6
- יָשַׁבto dwell, to live, to sit 5
- יָתַרto remain 3
- Other words · 35 groups that occur once or twice (39) 39
Named alongside itApposition
24 occurrences in 32 groups
- כְּלִיvessel, utensil, weapon 6
- קֹדֶשׁholiness 5
- מַחְתָּהfirepan 3
- Other words · 29 groups that occur once or twice (34) 34
What it doesIt is the subject
22 occurrences in 13 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 6
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (16) 16
What is done to itIt is the object
101 occurrences in 38 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 15
- לָקַחto take, to receive 9
- יָצָאto go out 8
- שָׁאַלto ask, to inquire, to request 7
- נָשָׂאto lift up, to carry, to bear 6
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 6
- Other words · 29 groups that occur once or twice (40) 40
Second object ofSecond object
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 2
- יָצַגto place 1
What it is said to bePredicate
20 occurrences in 12 groups
- יָדhand, power 6
- זָהָבgold 4
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
11 occurrences in 16 groups
- Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (17) 17
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
86 occurrences in 8 groups
- בin/on/with 61
- עַלon, upon, over, against 18
- אֵלto, toward 16
- מִןfrom 14
- כlike/as 14
- לto/for 9
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
33 occurrences in 12 groups
- נָשָׂאto lift up, to carry, to bear 21
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (12) 12
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
- σκεῦος skeûos · G4632 · object, thing, vessel
- Greek σκεῦος (skeûos, G4632) serves as the standard LXX rendering of Hebrew כְּלִי (kᵉlîy, H3627), both denoting vessels, implements, or instruments broadly across domestic, cultic, and military contexts.
- ἀγγεῖον angeîon · G30 · container, vessel
- ἀγγεῖον (angeîon, G30) ἀγγεῖον narrows to the sense of vessel or container found in כְּלִי (kᵉlîy, H3627) כְּלִי, leaving aside its broader senses of tool, instrument, and equipment, and serves as the standard Greek equivalent specifically for receptacles and containers in Septuagint translation practice.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Artifacts001003001001
- This lexeme is a very general word for a manufactured object, article, vessel, weapon, or implement, as in its occurrences for articles of silver and gold, weapons and gear, and household vessels (Genesis 24:53, 27:3, 42:25), so it belongs among general terms for crafted physical objects.
- Think002004002013
- The same word also carries a specialized figurative sense connected with the mind or understanding in some of its uses, an extension beyond the concrete artifacts illustrated among its most common occurrences; this secondary sense is not independently illustrated by the citations sampled for this entry, but is included here because the source data assigns it to this word.
Word family 10 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H3627. keli כְּלִי324 noun masculineHos 8:8 article, utensil, vessel (Late Hebrew id.;…
כְּלִי324 noun masculineHos 8:8 article, utensil, vessel (Late Hebrew id.; according to Thes from כלה = conficere, like German Zeug fromzeugen; properly therefore anything finished, made, produced; according to BaZMG 1887, 605 from meaning enclose, contain; he finds plural of כְּלִי in כלאי M-I:23 (compare כלאים)) — ׳כ absolute Jer 18:4 +; הַכֶּ֑לִי 1Sa 17:49; 1Sa 21:6; construct כְּלִי Hos 13:15 +; suffix כֶּלְיְךָ Deu 23:25; plural כֵּלִים Exo 22:6 +; construct כְּלֵי Gen 24:53 +; suffix כֵּלַי Gen 31:37 Gen 31:2t.; כֵּלֶיךָ Gen 27:3; Eze 12:4; כֵּלֵינוּ 1Sa 9:7; כְּלֵיכֶם Gen 43:11 +; כְּלֵיהֶם Jos 7:11 +; —
1 in General, article, object, made of any material, thing, especially thing of value ׳כ זָהָב 1Sa 6:8, 1Sa 6:15 (images of mice, etc.), personal or household property Gen 31:37 (twice in verse) (E; vb כְּלֵיבֵֿיתֶ֑ךָ כֹּל), Gen 45:20 (E), טוֺבִיָּהוּ בֵיתֿ כְּלֵי Neh 13:18; Jos 7:11 (JE), כֵּלִים אוֺ כֶּסֶף Exo 22:6 (E) money or articles (property), כְּלִימָּֿ֑ז Job 28:17 (apparently collective); things carried, plural = stuff, load, baggage (impedimenta) 1Sa 17:22 (twice in verse), apparently = baggage-train 1Sa 10:22; 1Sa 25:13; 1Sa 30:24; Isa 10:28; (compare Gen 31:37 above); גוֺלָה כְּלֵי things of exile, i.e. the most necessary articles, such as exiles may take, Jer 46:19; Eze 12:3-4,b; Eze 12:7b, compare Eze 12:4a, Eze 12:7a; = ornaments or jewels Gen 24:53 (J; ׳כ וכ ׳כֶסֶף זָהָב, probably = ornaments), ׳כ וכ ׳כסף זהב also Exo 3:22; Exo 11:2; Exo 12:35 (all E); Isa 61:10; Exo 35:22; Num 31:50, מַעֲשֶׂה כְּלֵי Num 31:51 (all P), יְקָר כְּלִי Pro 20:15 (in figurative), ׳כ תִפְאַרְתֵּךְ Eze 16:17, Eze 16:39; Eze 23:26 ( all in figure); נְחשֶׁת כְּלֵי as merchandise Eze 27:13; כֵּלִים as cargo of ship Jon 1:5; וּבַרְזֶל נְחשֶׁת וּכְלֵי וזהב כסף Jos 6:19, Jos 6:24 (J E; spoil of war); of any household article (on which one sits) Lev 15:4, Lev 15:6, Lev 15:22, Lev 15:23, Lev 15:26 (all P); of skin Num 31:20, or wood Num 31:20 (P); חֶמְדָּה כְּלִי Nah 2:10 precious thing, so Hos 13:15 (figurative), Jer 25:34 (simile), 2Ch 32:27; Dan 11:8, חֲמֻדוֺת כלי2Ch 20:25 (apparently = ornaments); also בּוֺ אֵיןחֵֿפֶץ כְּלִי Jer 22:28 (figurative of Coniah, || נָפוּץ נִבְזֶה עֶצֶב), Hos 8:8 (simile; compare Jer 48:38 below); specifically of garments (one's 'things'): כְּלִיגֶֿבֶר Deu 22:5 (|| אִשָּׁה שִׂמְלַת), so עוֺר כְּלִיֿ Lev 13:49 (compare עוֺר מְלֶאכֶת Lev 13:48), Lev 13:52; Lev 13:53; Lev 13:57; Lev 13:58; Lev 13:59 (all P).
2 utensil, implement, apparatus:
a. implement of hunting and (especially) war, = weapon Gen 27:3 (J), 1Sa 20:40; 1Sa 21:9 (כֵּלַי וְגַם חַרְבִּי גַּם), 1Ki 11:8 2Ch 23:7; 1Ki 11:11; Isa 54:16-17, Jer 22:7; probably also Num 35:32, בַּרְזֶל כְּלִי Num 35:16, עֵץיָֿד כְּלִי Num 35:18 (all P); חָמָם כְּלֵי Gen 49:5 (poem); מַשְׁחֵתוֺ כְּלִי Eze 9:1, ׳כ מַמָּצוֺ Eze 9:2; figurative of God's weapons כְּלֵימָֿוֶת Psa 7:14 (|| חִצָּיו); ׳כ זַעְמוֺ Isa 13:5; Jer 50:25; of entire equipment of warrior, armour or armament offensive and defensive 1Sa 17:54 (compare 1Sa 17:5ff.), 1Sa 21:6 (twice in verse) (see DrSm 139. 293), 1Sa 31:9-10, = 1Ch 10:9-10, hence (כֵּלָיוׅ כֵלִים נשֵֹׁא armour+?weapon-bearer Jdg 9:54; 1Sa 14:1, 1Sa 14:6, 1Sa 14:7, 1Sa 14:12 (twice in verse); 1Sa 14:13 (twice in verse); 1Sa 14:14, 1Sa 14:17; 1Sa 16:21; 1Sa 31:4 (twice in verse); 1Sa 31:5-6, = 1Ch 10:4 (twice in verse); 1Ch 10:5, 2Sa 18:15; 2Sa 23:37 = 1Ch 11:39; figurative רָעִים כֵּלָיו וְכֵלַי Isa 32:7 and a knave, his weapons (i.e. devices, Che 'machinations') are evil; more precisely מִלְחָמָה כְּלֵי Jdg 18:11, Jdg 18:16, Jdg 18:17; 1Sa 8:12; 2Sa 1:27; Deu 1:41; Jer 21:4; Jer 50:20 (figurative), Eze 32:27; 1Ch 12:34 (van d. H v.1Ch 12:33); מִלְחָמָה צְבָא כְּלֵי 1Ch 12:38 (van d. H v.1Ch 12:37); קְרָב כְּלֵי Ecc 9:18; כֵּלָיו בֵּית 2Ki 20:13 = Isa 39:2 is perhaps armoury; ׳כ Eze 40:42 is sacrificial knife.
b. instrument of music (הַ)שִּׁיר כְּלֵי Amo 6:5; 1Ch 15:16; 1Ch 16:42; 2Ch 5:13; 2Ch 7:6; 2Ch 23:13; 2Ch 34:12; דָוִיד כְּלֵי2Ch 29:26-27, דָּוִיד׳כ שִֿׁיר Neh 12:36; נֶבֶל כְּלִי Psa 71:22, ׳כ נְבָלִים 1Ch 16:5; כֵּלִים alone 1Ch 23:5, compare Num 31:6 (P; הַקֹּדֶשׁ כְּלֵי); — for (ליהוהׅ עֹז בִּכְלֵי2Ch 30:21 read בְּכָלעֹֿז (KauAT, compare Be).
c. implement of labour, tool ׳כ בַרְזֶל 1Ki 6:7, or of one's calling, pursuit אֱוִלִי רֹעֶה כְּלִי קַחלְֿךָ Zec 11:15 (otherwise 1Sa 17:40, see 3).
d. equipment of oxen (yoke, etc.) 2Sa 24:22; 1Ki 19:21.
e. רִכְכּוֺ כְּלֵי 1Sa 8:22 his chariot-equipments.
f. as General term for utensils and furniture of Solomon's palace 1Ki 10:21 2Ch 9:20; especially (very often) of tabernacle Exo 25:9, Exo 25:39; Exo 27:3 +? 1Ki 7:45, 1Ki 7:47, 1Ki 7:48; 2Ki 12:14 +; of both palace and temple Jer 27:18-19, Jer 27:21; combinations are הַמִּשְׁכָּן כְּלֵי Exo 27:19, ׳כ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ Exo 38:3, ׳כ יהוה Isa 52:11, ׳כ י ׳בֵית Jer 27:16; Jer 28:3, Jer 28:6; Ezr 1:7, י בֵּית חֶמְדַּת ׳כְּלֵי2Ch 36:10, אֱלֹהִים ׳כ בֵית2Ch 28:24 (twice in verse); 2Ch 36:18; Neh 13:9; Dan 1:2, ׳כ הַמִּקְדָּשׁ Nehemiah 10:40; ׳כ הַשָּׁרֵת Num 4:12 utensil of ministry, ׳כ עֲבֹדָתָם Num 4:26; 1Ch 9:28; 1Ch 28:14 (twice in verse), ׳כ י בֵּית ׳עֲבוֺדַת 1Ch 28:13, ׳כ מַשָּׂאָם מִשְׁמֶרֶת Num 4:32; also ׳כ הַקֹּדֶשׁ 1Ki 8:4; 1Ch 9:29; of appliances of idol-workship 2Ki 23:4.
3 vessel, receptacle, of various materials and for various purposes Gen 43:11 (J); 1Sa 9:7; Deu 23:25; = sack Gen 42:25 (E; שַׂק in || clause, compare אַמְתַּחַת Gen 42:27); הָרֹעִים כְּלִי shepherd's bag or wallet 1Sa 17:40, compare 1Sa 17:49; ׳כ חֶרֶשׂ Jer 32:14 is earthen-ware receptacle for deed of sale; for liquids 1Ki 17:10; 2Ki 4:3 (twice in verse); 2Ki 4:4, 2Ki 4:6 (3 t. in verse), ׳כ מַשְׁקֶה 1Ki 10:21 2Ch 9:20, שַׁמְנָהּ כְּלֵי Num 4:9, compare Num 4:10; אֶלכֶּֿ֑לִי מִכְּלִי הוּרַק וְלֹא Jer 48:11 (figurative), compare Jer 48:12 (|| נְבָלִים); for cooking Lev 6:21 (׳כ חֶרֶשׂ), Lev 6:21 (׳כ נְחשֶׁת); see also (הַ)יּוֺצֵר 2Sa 17:28; Jer 19:11 (simile), Psa 2:9 (simile), כֶּ֑לִי לַצֹּרֵף Pro 25:4; פָתוּחַ ׳כ Num 19:15 an open (uncovered) vessel. ׳כ טָהוֺר Isa 66:20 a clean vessel; figurative of Eliakim's relatives הַנְּבָלִים כָּלכְּֿלֵי וְעַד הָאַגָּנוֺת מִכְּלֵי הַקָּטָ֑ן כְּלֵי Isa 22:24 the vessels of smallness (DaSynt. § 32, R. 5), from the basin-vessels to all the pitcher-vessels.
4 specifically כְּלֵיגֹֿמֶא Isa 18:2 vessels (boats) of paper-reed.
II. כלה (√ of following; meaning unknown).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
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
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.