כַּף
kaph · H3709 · Hebrew · 193 occurrences
Thing
Meanings
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palm, hand
The inner part of the human hand, but with special focus on the activities performed with it, such as holding, covering, or lifting objects, leaning on a staff, clapping, etc
ExamplesGenesis 40:11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
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hand > action
Literally: palm of the hand, but used in a figurative sense with the focus on the activities that are performed with one's hands; someone's actions, whether or not performed with one's hands, for which one is personally responsible
ExamplesGenesis 20:5 Did he himself not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.
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Literally: to put life in the palm of one's hand; hence: to willingly do something that one knows to be extremely dangerous to the extent that it could cost one's life (to take (one's) life in (one's) hand > to risk (one's) life)
ExamplesJudges 12:3 When I saw that you were no deliverer, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the LORD handed them over to me. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?
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incense dish
Literally: palm of the hand; hence: a relatively flat and shallow container for incense
ExamplesExodus 25:29 You shall also make its dishes, its pans, its jars, and its libation bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.
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hand > power, hand > control
Literally: palm of the hand, with the focus on one of the activities that are performed with the hands: to hold someone against that person's will; condition of being under the malevolent control of another person or group
ExamplesJudges 6:13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the LORD not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
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Exact meaning unsure, possibly: to strike the palm of one's hand against the other hand as a symbol of anger, frustration, or disgust (to clap (one's) hands (out of anger, frustration, disgust))
ExamplesNumbers 24:10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times!
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Exact meaning unsure; possibly: to strike the palms of one's hands together as a symbol of joy and appreciation (to clap (one's) hands (for joy or glee))
Examples2 Kings 11:12 Then he brought the king’s son out, and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”
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to strike hands in pledge
Exact meaning unsure, possibly: to strike the palm of one's hand against the hand of someone else -- usually a creditor -- to indicate that one has accepted the responsibility for another person's debt
ExamplesProverbs 6:1 My son, if you have become a guarantor for your neighbor, Or have given a handshake for a stranger,
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Literally: to wash one's palms in innocence; hence: to live a life of integrity doing one's utmost to keep from sin (to wash (one's) hands in innocence)
ExamplesPsalm 26:6 I will wash my hands in innocence, And I will go around Your altar, LORD,
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to make a sign of refusal, to refuse
To move one's hands in a way that indicates one's unwillingness to accept something that is offered
ExamplesIsaiah 33:15 One who walks righteously and speaks with integrity, One who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; One who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking at evil;
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handful
Literally: filling of palm; hence: quantity that fills the palm of one's hand; considered relatively small
Examples1 Kings 17:12 But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no food, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”
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hollow, palm, sole, socket, handle
Slightly curved area of the human body or another object
ExamplesGenesis 8:9 but the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot, so it returned to him in the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took it, and brought it into the ark to himself.
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to spread out one's hands > to pray
Literally: to spread out or lift up one's palms; hence: to present one's prayer and supplication before God by showing him one's empty hands
ExamplesExodus 9:29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’S.
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Literally: to lay (one's) palms (on something); hence: to touch an animate object with the intention of catching or harming it (to lay hands (on something))
ExamplesJob 41:8 Lay your hand on him. Remember the battle; you will not do it again!
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
150 occurrences in 38 groups
- הוּhis 30
- יmy 25
- רֶגֶלfoot, leg 18
- ךָyour 9
- אֹיֵבenemy 7
- הּher 7
- Other words · 27 groups that occur once or twice (37) 37
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
21 occurrences in 7 groups
- מָלֵאfull, filled 13
- אֶחָדone 12
- שְׂמָאלִיleft 4
- שְׁנַיִםtwo 3
- זָהָבgold 1
- כֶּסֶףsilver 1
Named alongside itApposition
14 occurrences in 2 groups
- זָהָבgold 12
- כְּלִיvessel, utensil, weapon 2
What it doesIt is the subject
10 occurrences in 9 groups
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
What is done to itIt is the object
52 occurrences in 22 groups
- פָּרַשׂto spread out 13
- לָקַחto take, to receive 4
- נָכָהto strike, to strike down 4
- תָּקַעto blow, to thrust 4
- נָשָׂאto lift up, to carry, to bear 3
- סָפַקto strike (one's) hands (together) 3
- Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (21) 21
What it is said to bePredicate
5 occurrences in 4 groups
- יָדhand, power 2
- כַּףpalm, hand 1
- עֶשֶׂרten 1
- רַעevil, bad 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
6 occurrences in 5 groups
- חָמָסviolence, wrong 2
- כַּףpalm, hand 1
- נֶפֶשׁsoul, life 1
- פֹּעַלdeed 1
- נָּהshe 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
87 occurrences in 7 groups
- בin/on/with 49
- עַלon, upon, over, against 40
- מִןfrom 36
- אֵלto, toward 8
- תַּחַתunder, below, instead of 4
- לto/for 3
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
19 occurrences in 15 groups
- יְגִיעַfruit of labor, labor 4
- Other words · 14 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
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 1 word
- χείρ cheír · G5495 · hand, finger, person
- Greek χείρ renders Hebrew כַּף in its primary body-part sense 'hand/palm' and extended senses of power/agency, representing the standard LXX translation equivalent for this core anatomical and metaphorical domain.
Semantic domains 12 entries
- People001001003
- This word is used in idioms like "by the hand of" to designate a person acting as an agent, standing in for the person themselves through this part of the body.
- Act002002002001
- The hand is the instrument of action throughout its occurrences, as in "the labor of my hands" (Genesis 31:42), so this word belongs among words for acting or doing.
- Confident002001002003
- The word appears in the idiom "the innocence of my hands," paired with "the integrity of my heart" in Genesis 20:5, associating the hand with a confident, clear conscience.
- Containers001003001001003
- One of this word's senses is a hollow, cupped shape (also rendered "spoon"), a small hollow vessel, so it belongs among container terms as well.
- Control002003002007
- This word's gloss "power" reflects its use for the hand as the seat of strength and controlling might over others or over circumstances.
- Impact002001001024
- The hand is also the member by which a blow or striking action is delivered, so this word belongs among words associated with physical impact.
- Innocent002003003015
- As in Genesis 20:5's "the innocence of my hands," this word is directly used to describe hands as innocent, free of guilt.
- Move002002001012
- As "the sole of its foot" in Genesis 8:9's description of the dove finding no resting place, this word is bound up with the motion of walking or finding a place to alight.
- Quantity002001001046
- The word also denotes a handful, a small measured quantity that the cupped hand can hold, so it belongs among quantity terms.
- Shape002001001052
- The hollow, curved shape of the palm or a spoon-like vessel underlies this word's shape-related sense.
- Stance002001001061
- As "the sole of the foot" (Genesis 8:9), the word is bound up with the bodily posture of standing or finding a place to rest.
- Touch002004001001004
- The palm of the hand is the body's primary organ of touch, so this word is also associated with the sense of touch.
Word family 4 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H3709. kaph כַּף192 noun feminine1Ki 8:54 hollow, or flat of the hand, palm, sole of…
כַּף192 noun feminine1Ki 8:54 hollow, or flat of the hand, palm, sole of foot, pan (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic id., Assyrian kappu, hand, pan, kippatu, hollow; Arabic palm, hand) — absolute ׳כ Job 29:9 +, so read probably also Eze 29:7b for כָּתֵף ᵑ0 (ᵑ6 ᵐ5 Sm Co, compare va); כָּ֑ף 2Ki 11:12 +; more often construct כַּף Gen 40:11 +; suffix כַּמִּי Jdg 12:3, כַּמְּךָ Job 13:31, etc.; in Eze 29:7 read כַּף Qr for כפך Kt (so Ew Hi Sm Co Da); dual כַּמַּיִם Isa 49:16 +; construct כַּמֵּי Exo 29:24 (twice in verse) + 3t.; suffix כַּמַּי Gen 20:5 +, כַּמָּיו Num 24:10 +, כַּמֵּיהֶם Isa 59:6 Isa 59:2t., כַּמֵּימוֺ Job 27:23, etc.; plural כַּמּוֺת (especially of soles, and in metaphor senses) absolute Num 4:7 +; construct 2Ki 9:35 +, suffix כַּפֹתָיו Exo 25:29; Exo 37:16; —
1. a. of human beings, hollow or flat of hand, palm, (c. 116 t.) 2Ki 4:34 (twice in verse); פ עַלכּכַּף הַכּוס אֵת ׳נָתַן Gen 40:11, Gen 40:21 (E), set the cup upon the palm of Pharaoh (compare Gen 40:11a בְּיָדִי מַּרְעֹה וְכוֺס), similarly Lev 8:27 (twice in verse) (P) +; עַלכּכַּמּוֺ אֲשֶׁר הַשֶּׁמֶן Lev 14:16-17, Lev 14:18, Lev 14:27, Lev 14:28; as distinguished from wrist and arm, Deu 25:12; rarely with ידים (always כַּכּוֺת), ידיו כַּמּוֺת שְׁתֵּי 1Sa 5:4 (of Dagon), ׳כ הַיָּדַיִם 2Ki 9:35, compare Dan 10:10; הַשְּׂמָאלִית כַּף Lev 14:15, Lev 14:26; note especially כ ׳מְלֹא קֶמַח 1Ki 17:12 a handful of meal (literally palmful), compare Ecc 4:6 (where distinguished from חָפְנַיִם מלא a double fistful; in both these passages of a very small quantity); compare מִן כַּמּוֺ וַיְמַלֵּא Lev 9:17 (reference to קֻמְצוֺ מְלֹא Lev 2:2; Lev 5:12; compare Lev 6:8). In Exo 4:4 (JE), Pro 31:19; Eze 21:16; Psa 129:7, etc., the thought is that of grasping.
b. anthropomorph. of ׳י covering Moses over with his palm, עָלֶיךָ כַמִּי וְשַׂכֹּתִי Exo 33:22 (J), and so figurative (with שׁית) Psa 139:5; withdrawing הֵסִירׅ ( his hand Exo 33:23 (J); removing ׅ הִרְהִּיק ( his afficting hand Job 13:21; אוֺר כִּסָּה עַלכּכַּמַּיִם Job 36:32, i.e. he (God) hath filled his palms with light.
c. once of animals, עַלכּכַּמָּיו הוֺלֵךְ Lev 11:27 going upon their palms, i.e. paws (cats, dogs, etc.).
d. phrases are: — (I) כַּף הִכָּה = clap the hands, in applause 2Ki 11:12 so כ ׳תָּקַע Psa 47:2, כ ׳מָחָא Isa 55:12 (figurative of trees), Psa 98:8 (figurative of rivers); but especially in scorn, contempt, etc., אֶתכַּֿמָּיו סָפַק Num 24:10 (J), כַמֵּ֑ימוֺ עָלֵימוֺ יִשְׂמֹּק Job 27:23; so עלֿ כַּף תָּקַע Nah 3:19, אֶלֿ כַמִּי הִכָּה Eze 22:13 (of ׳י); absolute, בְכַמְּךָהִכָּה Eze 6:11 (as יד מחא Eze 25:6), אֶלכַּֿף כַּף הִכָּה Eze 21:19, אֶלכַּֿמִּי כַמִּי אַכֶּה Eze 21:22 (of ׳י). (2) בַּכַּף תָּפַשׂ grasp, seize with the hand Eze 29:7 compare Eze 29:7 (on text see above) (3) of hand-grasp as pledge כַּמֶּיךָתָּקַעְתָּ לַזָּר Pro 6:1 (if) thou hast smitten thy palms (given a double hand-grasp), for another (so De; || לְרֵעֶ֑ךָ עָרַבְתָּ); so absolute כף תקע Pro 17:18; Pro 22:26 (compare ליד תקע Job 17:3). (4) often of hand spread out in prayer, as sign of longing to receive, with אֶלֿ מָּרַשׂ Exo 9:29, Exo 9:33 (J), 1Ki 8:38 2Ch 6:29, etc. (see יד Psa 143:6; Lam 1:17 and יָד 1d, above; also שׁטח נשׂא, פרשׂ,). (5) לְפֶה כַּף שׂים, in respectful silence, Job 29:9. (6) figurative נַפְשִׁי בְכַמִּיוָאָשִׂימָה Jdg 12:3 = I have taken my life in my hand (i.e. hazarded it), so 1Sa 19:5; 1Sa 28:21; Job 13:14 and (without verb) Psa 119:109. (7) כ ׳נִקְיֹן Gen 20:5 cleanness of palms is figurative for purity of act, compare Psa 26:6, also Job 9:30; Job 22:30; Psa 24:4; Psa 73:13; conversely, בְּכַמָּ֑י חָמָס ) לֹא ( Job 16:17; 1Ch 12:18; Isa 59:6; Jon 3:8, compare Isa 59:3 (so ידים Isa 1:15), Job 31:7; Psa 7:4. — In many cases כַּף is not to be distinguished from יָד; so in phrase כ ׳יְגִיעַ toil of the hands Gen 31:42; Hag 1:11; Job 10:3; Psa 128:2; כ ׳מֹּעַל Psa 9:17, כ ׳חֵפֶץ Pro 31:13; כ ׳תְּבוּנוֺת Psa 78:72, כ ׳מְּרִי Pro 31:16 ; compare Mic 7:3.
2 = power (i.e. grasp) of any one, בכף נתן Jdg 6:13 = deliver into the power of, so Jer 12:7, compare בכף בּוֺא Pro 6:3; usually הִצִּיל מּדָה, הוֺשִׁיעַ, etc., with מִכַּף = out of the power of Jdg 6:14; 1Sa 4:3; 2Sa 14:16; 2Sa 19:10 (twice in verse); 2Sa 22:1 (twice in verse) = Psa 18:1 (title), 2Ki 16:7 (twice in verse); 2Ki 20:6 = Isa 38:6; Mic 4:10; Jer 15:21; 2Ch 30:6; 2Ch 32:11; Ezr 8:31; Psa 71:4 (compare יָד 5g, p. 391 above)
3 רַגְלָהּכַּף, etc., = sole of foot, Gen 8:9 (J), Jos 3:13; Jos 4:18 (both J E), 1Ki 5:17; 2Ki 19:24 = Isa 37:25; Deu 11:24; Deu 28:56, Deu 28:65; Jos 1:3 (D) Eze 43:7; Malachi 3:21; וְעַד רַגְלוֺ קָדְקֳדוֺמִכַּף 2Sa 14:25; Job 2:7, compare Isa 1:6 (figurative); כ ׳מִדְרַךְ ׳ר Deu 2:5 treading-place for the sole of a foot; of the cherubim Eze 1:7, of a calf, (in simile) Eze 1:7., (according to MT; compare however Co).
4 of various hollow, bending or bent objects: —
a. hollow (i.e. socket), of the thigh-joint, ׳כ יָרֵךְ b. pan, vessel (as hollow), used in ritual, Exo 25:29; Exo 37:16; Num 5:7; Num 7:14-15t. Numbers 7; 1Ki 7:50 2Ch 4:22; 2Ki 25:14 = Jer 52:18-19, 2Ch 24:14.
c. hollow of sling, 1Sa 25:29.
d. תְּמָרִים כַּמּוֺת Lev 23:40 +?hand-shaped branches (or fronds) of palm-trees.
e. הַמַּנְעוּל כַּמּוֺת Son 5:5 the (bent) handles of the bolt.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 12 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
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