---
title: כָּהַן — act as priest · The Tanakh dictionary
description: כָּהַן (3547), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 23 times: act as priest. BDB 1906: vb. Pi.denom. act as priest. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# כָּהַן

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«כָּהַן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **act as priest** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 23 times · **Key:** 3547 · **BDB:** כָּהַן

### Glosses

serve.as.priests (9); to (3); he.served.as.priest (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

act as priest [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3547/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. Pi.denom. act as priest [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3547/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. only Pi.denom. act as priest;—Pf. כִּהֵן Ex 40:13 1 Ch 5:36; 3 mpl. כִּהֲנוּ Ex 28:41; 40:15; Impf. 3 ms. יְכַהֵן Nu 3:4 + 2 times; pl. יְכַהֲנוּ 1 Ch 24:2; Inf. cstr. כַּהֵן Ex 29:1 + 11 times; sf. כַּהֲנוֹ Ex 28:1, 3, 4.— minister as a priest, abs. Ex 31:10; 35:19; 39:41 Lv 16:32 Nu 3:3, 4 (all P); כ׳ לִי minister to me (י׳) Ex 28:1, 3, 4, 41; 29:1, 44; 30:30; 40:13, 15 (all P), Ez 44:13 Ho 4:6; כ׳ ליהוה Lv 7:35 (P), 1 Ch 5:36; 24:2 2 Ch 11:14 (always of Aaron and his sons, except Ez 44:13 2 Ch 11:14, where Levites are forbidden to minister; and Ho 4:6 of Israel, whose national priesthood is taken away). be or become priest Dt 10:6 (E?). play the priest: כֶּחָתָן יְכַהֵן פְּאֵר Is 61:10 as a bridegroom (that) priests it with his turban, decks himself with a splendid turban such as the priests wore.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 23 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «כָּהַן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3547/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Numbers 3:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/NUM.3.3/)

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אֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֔ן הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים הַמְּשֻׁחִ֑ים אֲשֶׁר־מִלֵּ֥א יָדָ֖ם לְכַהֵֽן׃

*Word for word:* these \[are\].the.names of.the.sons of.Aaron the priests (the) anointed whom he.filled hand their to serve.as.priests

*JPS 1917:* These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests that were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

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[Exodus 30:30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.30.30/)

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וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֥ן וְאֶת־בָּנָ֖יו תִּמְשָׁ֑ח וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ֥ אֹתָ֖ם לְכַהֵ֥ן לִֽי׃

*Word for word:* and (et) Aaron and (et) sons his you.will.anoint and you.will.consecrate them to serve.as.priests (to) me

*JPS 1917:* And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

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