[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/%D7%9B%D7%9F-4/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [Biblical Hebrew](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/) / [כ](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/kaf/)‎ / כֵּן‎

# כֵּן

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H3654

**gnat** — used 5 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

gnat [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3654/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

כֵּן⁷: gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm louse lice [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3654/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** (?), כִּנִּם, כִּנָּם n.\[m.\], meaning dub.; either gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm (so 𝔊 𝔙 PhiloVita Mos. i, p. 97, OrigenHom 4, 6 in Ex., and most moderns), or \[louse,\] lice (so 𝔖 𝔗 JosAnt. ii, 14, 13 BochHieroz. II, ii, 572 f., as NH כִּנָּה, pl. כִּנִּים = maggots, and especially lice)—abs. perh. כֵּן Is 51:6 (v. infr.); pl. כִּנִּים Ex 8:13, 14 ψ 105:31, כִּנִּם Ex 8:12; Ex 8:13, 14 has, also, כִּנָּם prob. a mere Mas. device for כִּנִּם (cf. Di), on account of preceding וַתְּהִי (on which see Ges§ 145. 4 DaSynt. § 116); Sam. has כנים throughout:—of Egyptian plague Ex 8:12, 13(×2), 14(×2) (all P), hence ψ 105:31; כְּמוֹ־כֵן יְמוּתוּן Is 51:6 like a gnat-swarm (?) shall they die (cf. Di Du; Weir Che read כנים, cf. Buhlp. 355; \> Brd De like this). Note.—NöM 54 BaNB § 15, ES 53 BuhlGes HWB ed. 12 connect this word etymol. with Aramaic כלמתא vermin, Ba and Buhl also with Assyrian kalmatu, id. \[DlHWB 333\], and even with Aramaic קלמתא, ܩܰܠܡܬܳܐ, Arabic قَمْلٌ, etc., Ethiopic ቍማl louse; but these connexions, as well as that with NH כְּנִימָה, all involving radical מ, are most improb.

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 5 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (14 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (10 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: gnats (4); gnat\[s\] (1).

## In the verses

[Psalms 105:31](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.105.31/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.105.31/#tree)

אָ֭מַר וַיָּבֹ֣א עָרֹ֑ב כִּ֝נִּ֗ים בְּכָל־גְּבוּלָֽם׃

*Word for word:* he.spoke and it.came a.swarm.of.flies gnats in all territory their

*JPS 1917:* He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats in all their borders.

[Exodus 8:12](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.8.12/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.8.12/#tree)

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָה֮ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֒ אֱמֹר֙ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן נְטֵ֣ה אֶֽת־מַטְּךָ֔ וְהַ֖ךְ אֶת־עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ וְהָיָ֥ה לְכִנִּ֖ם בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

*Word for word:* and he.said Yahweh to Moses say to Aaron stretch.out (et) staff your and strike (et) the.dust of the.earth and it.will.become (into) gnats in all the.land of.Egypt

*JPS 1917:* And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.'

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3654.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3654/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).