כֹּהֵן

כֹּהֵן
Part of SpeechNoun
Occurrences
Possible Meanings
  1. Priest
  2. Distinguished individual
  3. –
Related Wordsכהן

Possible Meanings

1. Priest

  • Biblical verses – The vast majority of the occurrences of both the noun כֹּהֵן and verb כהן refer to a priest who works in the service of either Hashem or an idolatrous god.
  • Additional data –

2. Distinguished individual

  • Biblical verses – In Shemuel II 8:18,1 כֹּהֵן does not speak of a priest, but rather of a different type of distinguished individual – see below for options. See also Yeshayahu 61:10 where the verb yekhahen does not mean to serve as a priest, but rather to be adorned or clothed (perhaps, like a priest).
  • Additional data – 

Commentators who adopt the position that a kohen does not always mean a priest, must further decide whether in these cases the term signifies a distinguished person or a person who serves:

Disputed Cases

There are a number of cases where commentators disagree as to whether the term kohen is a religious or secular title (in many of these the kohen is in the service of a king):

Bereshit 41:45

Bereshit 47:22

Shemot 2:16

See Yitro's religious identity for a full discussion.

Shemot 19:22

  • Priests – see here for various opinions on who functioned as the priests before the building of the Tabernacle.
  • Officers and judges – An additional opinion in Chizkuni19:22About Chizkuni.

Shemuel II 20:26

Melakhim I 4:5

Melakhim II 10:11

Tehillim 110:4

Iyyov 12:17,19

Idioms

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Relationship to Synonyms

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Semantic Evolution

Intra-Biblical

Rabbinic Hebrew

Modern Hebrew

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