Word

כָּתֵף

kâthêph · H3802 · Hebrew · 67 occurrences

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Meanings

shoulder

The joint between each arm and the main part of the human body; often used for carrying heavy weights

Examples
Exodus 28:12 “And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall carry their names before the LORD on his two shoulders as a memorial.
Deuteronomy 33:12 Of Benjamin he said, “May the beloved of the LORD live in security beside Him Who shields him all the day long, And he lives between His shoulders.”
Judges 16:3 Now Samson lay asleep until midnight, and at midnight he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two doorposts, and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.
Literally: shoulder (of animal); hence: the place where an animal carries its loads, which is on its back (back (of animal))

Examples
Isaiah 30:6 The pronouncement concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of distress and anguish, From where come lioness and lion, viper and flying serpent, They carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys, And their treasures on camels’ humps, To a people who will not benefit them;
mountain slope

Literally: shoulder; hence: side of a mountain or hill

Examples
Numbers 34:11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach to the slope on the east side of the Sea of Chinnereth.
Joshua 15:8 Then the border went up the Valley of Ben-hinnom to the slope of the Jebusite on the south (that is, Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain which is opposite the Valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the Valley of Rephaim toward the north.
Joshua 15:10 The border turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and continued to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is, Chesalon), and went down to Beth-shemesh and continued through Timnah.
shoulder-piece

Literally: shoulder; hence: part of clothing that covers the shoulder

Examples
Exodus 28:7 “It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, so that it may be joined.
Exodus 28:12 “And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall carry their names before the LORD on his two shoulders as a memorial.
Exodus 28:25 “You shall put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it.
side

Literally: shoulder; hence: the left or right part of a construction

Examples
Exodus 27:14 “The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.
Exodus 27:15 “And for the other side there shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.
Exodus 38:14 The hangings for the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases,
support

Literally: shoulder; hence: part of a construction that helps bear the weight of another object that rests on top

Examples
1 Kings 7:30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side.
1 Kings 7:34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself.
stubborn shoulder

Literally: to give (someone) a stubborn shoulder; hence: action by which humans refuse to listen to authority, often accompanied by the gesture of turning their shoulder away from someone

Examples
Nehemiah 9:29 And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances, Which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them. And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
Zechariah 7:11 “But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder and plugged their ears from hearing.

How it’s used In 7 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

39 occurrences in 18 groups

בַּיִתhouse, household 9
אֵפוֹדlinen apron 6
שַׁעַרgate 5
הוּhis 4
Other words · 14 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15

Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles

20 occurrences in 9 groups

יְמָנִיright 7
שְׁנַיִםtwo 4
Other words · 7 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11

What it doesIt is the subject

4 occurrences in 4 groups

הָיָהto be, to become 1
יָצַקto pour, to cast 1
מָרַטto polish, to pull out hair 1
נָפַלto fall 1

What is done to itIt is the object

5 occurrences in 4 groups

נָתַןto give, to put, to set 2
בָּקַעto split, to break open 1
עָשָׂהto do, to make 1
פָּתַחto open 1

What it is said to bePredicate

4 occurrences in 4 groups

מְכוֹנָהstand, base 1
אַמָּהcubit 1
פִּנָּהcorner 1
הֶםthem 1

What is said to be itIt is the predicate

8 occurrences in 8 groups

שֻׁלְחָןtable 2
חַלּוֹןwindow 1
אֶחָדone 1
כִּידוֹןjavelin 1
פֶּתַחentrance, doorway 1
קֶלַעhangings, curtain, sling 1

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

53 occurrences in 7 groups

עַלon, upon, over, against 32
אֵלto, toward 26
מִןfrom 9
בin/on/with 8
לto/for 4
בֵּיןbetween, among 3

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

νῶτος nōtos · G3577 · back: Greek νῶτος specifically denotes the dorsal back, corresponding to Hebrew כָּתֵף when the latter designates the upper back/shoulder region of the body, but not encompassing כָּתֵף's extended architectural senses (corner, side) or the shoulder-piece garment component.
ὦμος ōmos · G5606 · shoulder: Greek ὦμος specifically denotes the anatomical shoulder as a burden-bearing body part, directly corresponding to one of the core senses of Hebrew כָּתֵף ('shoulder'), though כָּתֵף encompasses additional architectural/spatial extensions ('side,' 'corner') that ὦμος does not carry.

Semantic domains 5 entries

Landforms001002003: This word is used of the "shoulder" or slope of a hill or mountain ridge (as in Joshua 15:8, 10's descriptions of a boundary running along a hillside), so it belongs among landform terms.
Clothing001003001001002: The word denotes the shoulder pieces of the ephod, a component of the high priest's garment (Exodus 28:7, 12, 25), so it also belongs among clothing terms.
Constructions001003002: The word is also used of the side or wing of a building or gate structure (Exodus 27:14-15), so it also belongs among construction terms.
Furnishings001003001001008: The word further denotes an "undersetter" or supporting shoulder-piece of the bronze stands among the temple furnishings (1 Kings 7:30), so it also belongs among furnishing terms.
Unwilling002001002031: The word appears in the idiom of "turning a stubborn shoulder" (Nehemiah 9:29, Zechariah 7:11), a figure for obstinate refusal to listen, so it also belongs among words for unwillingness.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H3802. katheph כָּתֵף noun feminineExo 27:15 shoulder, shoulder-blade, side (Late Hebrew…

H3802. katheph
כָּתֵף noun feminineExo 27:15 shoulder, shoulder-blade, side (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כַּתְמָּא, Arabic ); — absolute ׳כ Zec 7:11 +; construct כֶּתֶף 1Ki 6:8 +, app. כָּתֵף Isa 11:14 (but regard as apposition, or read כֶּתֶף); suffix כְּתֵפִי Job 31:22; כְּתֵפָם 1Ch 15:15; plural absolute כְּתֵפֹת Exo 28:7 +, כְּתֵפוֺת 1Ki 7:30, 1Ki 7:34; construct כִּתְפֹת Exo 28:12 +, כִּתְפוֺת Eze 41:2 +; dual suffix כִּתֵפָיו Deu 33:12 Deu 33:3t., כְּתֵפֶיהָ 1Ki 7:34; —
1. a. of man, shoulder, shoulder-blade (while שְׁכֶם, q. v. = neck and shoulders), כְּתֵפָיו בֵּין נְחשֶׁת כְּידוֺן 1Sa 17:6; compare figurative of ׳י's dwelling between the shoulders of Benjamin Deu 33:12 (see Dr); תִמּוֺל מִשִּׁכְמָה כְּתֵפִי Job 31:22 my shoulder-blade, from the shoulder let it fall; as support for burdens Jdg 16:3; Eze 12:6-7, Eze 12:12; Isa 46:7; Isa 49:22 (in figurative), Exo 28:12; Num 7:9 (both P), 1Ch 15:15; 2Ch 35:3; compare ׳כָּלכֿ מְרוּטָה Eze 29:18 every shoulder was rubbed bare (of Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers chafed by armour and toil); as aim of bird of prey Isa 11:14 (figurative); compare shoulder of Moab Eze 25:9 (figurative, i.e. the side of M. exposed to invasion): Eze 29:7b read probably כַּף (ᵐ5. ᵑ6 Sm Co, compare va).
b. of beasts, Isa 30:6 (carrying), Eze 34:21 (thrusting, in figure), ׳כ סֹרָ֑רֶת Zec 7:11 a refractory shoulder (refusing the yoke, figurative), so Neh 9:29; of choice meat Eze 24:4 (|| יָרֵךְ).
c. = shoulder-pieces (always plural) of ephod Exo 28:7, Exo 28:12, Exo 28:25, Exo 28:27 = Exo 39:4; Exo 39:7; Exo 39:18; Exo 39:20 (P).
2. a. slope side, of mountain, יָםכִּֿנֶּרֶת כֶּתֶף Num 34:11, i.e. the mountain-slopes northeast of the lake, compare Jos 15:8, Jos 15:10, Jos 15:11; Jos 18:12-13, Jos 18:16, Jos 18:18, Jos 18:19 (all P).
b. opposite side (s), that is, of door or entrance, of tabernacle-court Exo 27:14-15, = Exo 38:14-15, (all P), of temple 1Ki 6:8; 1Ki 7:39 (3 t. in verse) = 2Ch 4:10; 2Ki 11:11 (twice in verse) = 2Ch 23:10 (twice in verse); compare Eze 40:18, Eze 40:40 (twice in verse); Eze 40:41, Eze 40:44 (twice in verse); Eze 41:2, Eze 41:26; Eze 46:19; Eze 47:1-2,.
3 supports of the bases for the lavers beside the temple 1Ki 7:30 (twice in verse); 1Ki 7:34 (twice in verse).

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 5 entries

Landforms11 occurrences Clothing8 occurrences Furnishings4 occurrences Constructions24 occurrences Unwilling2 occurrences

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