---
title: כֵּן — gnat · The Tanakh dictionary
description: כֵּן (3654), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 5 times: gnat. BDB 1906: gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm louse lice. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# כֵּן

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«כֵּן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **gnat** — 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:** 5 times · **Key:** 3654 · **BDB:** כֵּן⁷

### Glosses

gnats (4); gnat\[s\] (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

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

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

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

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**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.

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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)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «כֵּן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3654/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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

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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.

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

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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.'

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