---
title: כֶּשֶׁף — sorcery · The Tanakh dictionary
description: כֶּשֶׁף (3785), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: sorcery. BDB 1906: n.m. sorcery pl. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# כֶּשֶׁף

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«כֶּשֶׁף» in the Tanakh dictionary: **sorcery** — 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:** 6 times · **Key:** 3785 · **BDB:** כֶּ֫שֶׁף

### Glosses

sorceries (3); your.sorceries (2); of.sorceries (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

sorcery [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3785/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. sorcery pl. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3785/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. 2 K 9:22 sorcery, only pl. (Assyrian kišpu, id.);—כְּשָׁפִים Mi 5:11 Na 3:4; sf. כְּשָׁפַיִךְ Is 47:9, 12; כְּשָׁפֶיהָ Na 3:4 2 K 9:22;—sorceries: lit. וְהִכְרַתִּי כ׳ מִיָּדֶיךָ Mi 5:11, said of Isr.; רֹב כ׳ Is 47:9, 12 (‖ חֲבָרַיִךְ), said of Babylon. fig. of seductive and corrupting influences: of Jezebel 2 K 9:22 (‖ זְנוּנִים); of Nineveh personif. as harlot Na 3:4 (‖ id.), called בַּעֲלַת כ׳ v 4 (following מֵרֹב זְנוּנֵי זוֹנָה).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 5 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «כֶּשֶׁף» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3785/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Micah 5:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/MIC.5.11/)

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וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י כְשָׁפִ֖ים מִיָּדֶ֑ךָ וּֽמְעוֹנְנִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִֽהְיוּ־לָֽךְ׃

*Word for word:* and I.will.cut.off sorceries from hand your and soothsayers not they.will.belong to you

*JPS 1917:* And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers;

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[Nahum 3:4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/NAM.3.4/)

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מֵרֹב֙ זְנוּנֵ֣י זוֹנָ֔ה ט֥וֹבַת חֵ֖ן בַּעֲלַ֣ת כְּשָׁפִ֑ים הַמֹּכֶ֤רֶת גּוֹיִם֙ בִּזְנוּנֶ֔יהָ וּמִשְׁפָּח֖וֹת בִּכְשָׁפֶֽיהָ׃

*Word for word:* from.\[the\] abundance of.\[the\].prostitution(s) of.a.prostitute good of.grace a.mistress of.sorceries \[who\] sells nations by prostitution(s) her and clans by sorceries her

*JPS 1917:* Because of the multitude of the harlotries of the well-favoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her harlotries, and families through her witchcrafts.

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- ← previous: [כָּשַׁף](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3784.md)
- next →: [כַּשָּׁף](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3786.md)
- ↑ back to [כ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1499-3.md)