--- title: כְּ — like · The Tanakh dictionary description: כְּ (lemma:כְּ), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 2902 times: like. BDB 1906: subst. before. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5db_5b0_5bc.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [כ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1499.md)‎ / כְּ‎ # כְּ «כְּ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **like** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 2902 times · **Key:** lemma:כְּ · **BDB:** כְּ ### Glosses like (1122); just (630); according (495) ### Meaning (OSHB) like [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/lemma_3a_5db_5b0_5bc/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) subst. before [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/lemma_3a_5db_5b0_5bc/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** proposes subst. the like of, like, as (Aramaic כ, Ph. כ, Arabic كَ, Sab. in כעד דא as till now DHMZMG xxix. 615, Assyrian kî, kîma, DlHWB325 f.)—before tone-syll. ךָּ, as כָּזֶה, כָּאֵ֫לֶּה, כָּהֵ֫מָּה; c. sf. כָּכֶם Nu 15:15 + 7 times (Jb 16:4 כָּכֵם: Köii. 1. 285), כָּהֶם †2 K 17:15, כָּהֶן †Ez 18:14 \[also with nom. forms, כָּהֵ֫מָּה, כָּהֵם, כָּהֵ֫נָּה; v. הֵמָּה 8; cf. Arabic كَأَنَا, كَأَنْتَ etc.\]. before light sf., in the form כְּמוֹ (q.v.), viz. כָּמֹנִי, כָּמוֹנִי Gn 44:15 + 16 times, כָּמוֹךָ Gn 41:39 + 28 times, כָּמֹכָה †Ex 15:11(×2), כָּמֹהוּ 9:18 + 23 times, כָּמוֹה 11:6 + 2 times, כָּמֹנוּ Gn 34:15 + 3 times; also כְּמוֹכֶם †Jb 12:3, כְּמוֹהֶם †Ju 8:18 ψ 115:8; 135:18. Prop. an undeveloped subst., capable of standing in any case and followed (like كَ) always by a gen., as 1 S 20:3 כי כפשׂע for there is (nomin.) the like of a footstep (Arabic كَخَطْوَةٍ) between me and death, Gn 41:38 הנמצא כזה shall we find (accus) the like of this one? (v. especially FleischerKl.Schrr. i. 376 ff. Mühlau, ap. Böii. 64 f., with many Arabic exx.; also WAG i. § 356 R c.; ii. § 63 Ges§ 118. 6.; compare, for both usage and constr., the Lat. instar: this view criticized by Köii. 1, 279 ff., who treats כְּ as demonstr. adv.); but Heb. having no case-endings, its proper sense was doubtless forgotten, and כְּ became practically equivalent to a prep. like, as:— quantitatively (like the Arabic قَدْر measure, number, size, of …: قَدْرُ مِاىَٔةٍ as many as 100), to express exact or approx. equality, in the latter case the like of is = about: Dt 1:11 Yahweh add to you ככם אלף פעמים the like of you (Saad مِثْلَكُم) 1000 times (cf. 2 S 24:3), Ex 12:37 כשׁשׁ מאות אלף רגלי the like of (i.e. about) 600,000 footmen, 32:28 כשׁלשׁת אלפי אישׁ, Jos 4:13; 7:8 1 S 9:22; 25:38 ויהי כעשׂרת הימים (nomin.) and there was the like of (= about) 10 days, and, etc. Ru 2:17 כאיפה שׂערים, etc., cf. כַּמָּה the like of what? = how many? (v. מָה); as accus. of space or time, Nu 11:31 כדרך יום the like of a day’s journey, Jos 3:4; Jos 10:13 כיום תמים about a whole day (Arabic نَحْوَ يَوْمٍ كَامِلٍ), Ru 1:4 כעשׂר שׁנים. So (as adv. accus.) with words denoting a point of time: often with עֵת, as כָּעֵת הַזֹּאת lit. at the like of this time = about this time, Jos 11:6 al., כָּעֵת מָחָר at the like of the time, (being) to-morrow = about to-morrow, Ex 9:18 +, כָּעֵת חַיָּה (v. חי), Is 8:23 כעת הראשׁון at the former time, כָּעֵת alone = at the (present) time, now Nu 23:23 Ju 13:23, Is 23:5 (unusual) כְּשֵׁמַע צֹר; so כְּהַיּוֹם, כַּיּוֹם (v. יוֹם 7 h), כִּמְעַט, כְּרֶגַע; and especially with inf., v. 3 b. qualitatively (like Arabic مَثَلُ likeness of …), to express resemblance in respect of some attribute, action, character, appearance, etc.: so very often; as subj. of a sentence, Nu 9:15 כמראה אשׁ the like of (= as it were) an appearance of fire was, etc. (cf. Ez 1:4, 26 a, 27 Dn 8:15; 10:18), 23:22 כתועפות ראם לו, Ex 24:10, Dt 4:32 הנהיה כדבר הגדול הזה hath there been the like of this great thing? 9:10 Jos 10:14; Ho 9:1 Is 23:15 ψ 58:5 Pr 16:27 La 1:20 בַּבַּיִת כַּמָּוֶת, Ec 8:14; Lv 14:35 כְּנֶגַע נראה בביתי the like of (i.e. a kind of) mark; מִי כָמוֹכָה who is the like of thee? Ex 15:11 (Saad. مَنْ مَثَلُكَ) +; as gen. אֵין כָּמוֹךָ 1 S 10:24 2 S 7:22 +; as pred., Ju 8:21 כָּאִישׁ גְּבוּרָתוֹ, Hb 2:5 וְהוּא כַמָּוֶת, ψ 17:14; 89:30 וכסאו כימי שׁמים (of time: so v 37), 125:1, etc.; after a verb, היה כְּ to become the like of (like), Gn 3:5 + cft. (v. היה II. 2 c), cf. after שִׂים Gn 13:16 +, נתן 42:30 +, שִׁית ψ 83:12 +, שִׁוָּה 18:34, נֶחְשַׁב 44:23 +, נִמְשַׁל 49:13, הִרְבָּה Gn 22:17 +; add כָּזֹאת, כָּאֵלֶּה the like of this (these), i.e. tale, talia (whether nom. or accus.) Ju 13:23; 15:7; 19:30 Lv 10:19 + (v. זֹאת, אֵלֶּה). Cases such as to give or reward a man כמעשׂהו, כרעתו, etc., the like of his doings, etc., 2 S 3:39 1 K 8:32 ψ 18:25; 28:4, to speak כדבר הזה or כדברים האלה Gn 18:25; 24:28 + often, form the transition to as an accus. of mode or limitation, in or with the like of (= like, as, according to, κατά);—(1) expressing conformity to a standard or rule: Gn 1:26 let us make man כדמותנו according to our likeness, 9:3 Jos 19:47 Ju 20:10 1 S 13:14 hath looked out אישׁ כלבבו a man according to his own heart (Je 3:15); to do a thing כמשׁפט הזה Jos 6:15, cf. Gn 40:13 2 K 11:14, etc., כדבר פ׳ Gn 44:2 + often, כְּצִדְקִי ψ 7:9, כְּחַסְדְּךָ 51:3, כַּכָּתוּב according to what is written Jos 8:31, 34 +, בלא ככתוב (late) †2 Ch 30:18, etc. (2) in comparisons: qualifying an adj., Ex 16:14 דַּק כַּכְּפוֹר, Ct 6:10 יָפָה כַלְּבָנָה, cf. Gn 13:10; a verb ψ 7:3 פֶּן־יִטְרֹף כְּאַרְיֵה, 19:6 יָשִׂישׂ כְּגִבּוֹר, Is 42:13, etc.; with the tertium compar. attached in a relative clause, Dt 32:11 כַּנֶּשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנּוֹ like the great vulture, (that) stirreth up its nest, Jb 9:26; 11:16 Is 61:10 like the bride, who putteth on, etc., 62:1 כְּלַפִּיד יִבְעַר like a torch (that) burns (on the presence or absence of the art. in such cases, v. הַ 1 f), ψ 42:2; 83:15 (infr. 2 d) + often (cf. Dr§ 34: כְּ is not in these cases to be construed as a conj. \[= כַּאֲשֶׁר\] with the verb: v. De ψ 38:14 Ges§ 155, 2 b, 1 R.). sometimes כְּ is used in partic. to compare an object with the class to which it belongs, and express its correspondence with the idea which it ought to realize: Is 13:6 (= Jo 1:15) of the יום י׳, כְּשֹׁד מִשַּׁדַּי יָבוֹא i.e. it comes as a veritable, or ideal, destruction from Shaddai, 29:2 of Ariel (v 1) והיתה לי כאדיאל i.e. shall be to me as a true Ariel (cf. Ges§ 118 x): so also, according to Hi De, 10:13 Ez 26:10 Zc 14:3 2 S 9:8 ψ 122:3 Ct 8:10 (v. De), Ec 10:5 Ne 7:2. The older grammarians called this the Kaph veritatis (a translation of Ki’s כ״ף הָאֲמִתּוּת, כ״ף לאמת הדבר, Michl.45 a (Lyck), Comm. Jos 3:4, 1 S 9:13, Is 1:7, Ho 5:10, or כ׳ף הָאֲמִתִּי, Lex s. v. יוֹם): they extended it unduly (e.g. to Nu 11:1 La 1:20 Ho 11:4). repeated, כְּ … כְּ, to signify the completeness of the correspondency between two objects (peculiar to Heb.): in a principal clause, Gn 18:25 וְהָיָה כַצַּדִּיק כָּרָשָׁע lit. that the like of the righteous be the like of the wicked, i.e. that the righteous be as the wicked, 44:18 כמוך כפרעה the like of thee is the like of Pharaoh, i.e. thou art as Pharaoh, Lv 24:22 כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח יִהְיֶה, 1 K 22:4 כָּמֹנִי כָמוֹךָ כְּעַמִּי כְעַמְּךָ (Van Dyck شَعْبِي كَشَعْبِكَ مَثَلِي مَثَلُكَ), Hg 2:3 הֲלוֹא כָמֹהוּ כְּאַיִן כְּעֵינֵיכֶם is not the like of it the like of nothing in your eyes? i.e. is it not like nothing in your eyes? ψ 139:12 כַּחֲשֵׁיכָה בָּאוֹרָה i.e. the darkness (to thee) is as the light. Usually the first term is the subj. and the second is the standard with which it is compared: but occas. the terms are inverted, as Lv 7:7 Nu 15:15 Ju 8:18 כמוך כמוהם (Van Dyck مَثَلُهُم مَثَلُكَ), Ho 4:9 Is 24:2, cf. 59:18 (Note, infr.) in a subordinate clause (to be regarded as subordinated in the accus. to the principal verb); (α) attached to the subj. of the principal vb., Lv 24:16 כגר כאזרח … יומת he shall be put to death, the like of the stranger (being) the like of the homeborn, Jos 8:33. (β) attached to its object, Dt 1:17 כקטן כגדל תשׁמעון lit. ye shall hear (them), the like of the small (being) the like of the great. occas., for כְּ … כְּ, there occurs כְּ … וכ: Jos 14:11 כְּכֹחִי אָז וּכְכֹחִי עָ֑תָּה the like of my strength then, and the like of my strength now, i.e. they are similar (cf. וְ 1 j) 1 S 30:24 Ez 18:4 Dn 11:29. yet more distinct than כְּ … כְּ, is כְּ … כֵּן; in a nominal sentence (Ges§140–1), ‘כְּ with its genit. forming the predic., and כֵּן resuming it with emph. and connecting it with the subject;’ 1 S 25:25 כִּי כִשְׁמוֹ כֶּן־הוּא for the like of his name, such (or so) is he, Gn 44:10 Jos 2:21 Je 18:6 ψ 48:11; 127:4 Pr 10:26 +; in a verbal sentence, ‘כְּ preceding, as an accusative of state, and giving the secundum comparationis, and כֵּן resuming it,’ Jo 2:4 כפרשׁים כן ירוצון ‘instar (accus.) equitum, sic currunt’ (Fll.c.), Ho 4:7 lit. with (or in) the likeness of their multiplying, so they sinned against me, Gn 6:22 1 S 8:8 Is 38:14 Ez 22;22 ψ 42:2; 83:15 + often before an inf.: like (lit. with or in the likeness of …), Ju 14:6 כְּשַׁסַּע הַגְּדִי like the rending of a kid, i.e. as when a kid is rent (by a lion), 2 S 3:34 Is 5:24 ψ 66:10; 68:3 Jb 2:10, etc.; = as if, Is 10:15 or shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it כהניף שׁבט את־מרימיו with the like of a staff’s shaking (= as if a staff were to shake) him that lifted it! of time, about, at, whether of the past or of the future: Gn 19:17 כהוציאם אותם at their bringing them forth, i.e. as or when they brought them forth 24:30; 29:13; 39:10, 13 + very often; of the future, 44:30, 31 Dt 20:2, 9 2 S 13:28 +; Is 28:20 b (different from v 20 a) and the covering is (too) narrow when one gathers oneself in. Occasionally with the verbal noun, Ho 13:6 כמרעיתם at the time of their feeding, Is 30:19 כְּשָׁמְעָתוֹ; וּכְחֶזְקָתוֹ †2 Ch 12:1; 26:16 Dn 11:2 (Ew§ 238 a, 239 a): cf. Is 23 b כְּשֵׁמַע צֹר. With the ptcp. †Gn 38:29 (si vera l.), perhaps 40:10; cf. Dr§ 135. 6, Obs. 2. —כְּ is rarely prefixed to preps., the only exx. which occur being the idiomatic כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה, †Ju 20:32 1 K 13:6 Is 1:26 Jer 33:7, 11; כְּבַּתְּחִלָּה in the ‖ clause †Is l.c.; כְּבַחֲצִי †1 S 14:14 (apparently corrupt); כְּמִשְׁלשׁ חֳדָשִׁים †Gn 38:24 (and prob. כְמֵחֹדֶשׁ 1 S 10:27 𝔊); כְּמִפְּנֵי †Lv 26:37; †כְּעַל (late): b. pleon. for כְּ (עַל = according to), Is 63:7 כְּעַל כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, 59:18 כְּעַל גְּמֻלוֹת כְּעַל וְשַׁלֵּם the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay (ellipse of rel., as Jb 34:32, etc.); b. = as over ψ 119:14, = as concerning 2 Ch 32:19. Where logically a prep. would seem to be required after כ, it is in Heb. regularly omitted (Ges§ 118. 3 R), the nature of כְּ, as explained above, not in fact admitting it; thus Is 1:25 I will purge away thy dross כַּבֹּר \[not, as in Engl., like as with lye, but\] (with) the like of lye (כ being an accus. defining the mode in which אצרף takes place); 5:17 כְּדָבְרָם in Engl. as in their pasture, Ju 20:39, כְּיוֹם as in the day of, Is 9:3 ψ 95:8 +, כִּימֵי Jb 29:2 who will set me as in the days of old! Is 51:9 +, כְּנֹקֶף זַיִת as at, etc., 17:6: so with לְ ψ 83:10 Jb 29:23, על 30:5. כְּ is used also pregnantly with substs., ψ 18:34 who maketh my feet like hinds (for like the feet of hinds), Is 29:4; 63:2 בגדיך כדורך בגת, Je 50:9 Jb 40:9 al. Cf. Ges§§118. 6; 141. 2 R. n. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 188 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «כְּ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/lemma_3a_5db_5b0_5bc/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Numbers 14:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/NUM.14.20/) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה סָלַ֖חְתִּי כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ׃ *Word for word:* and he.said Yahweh I.have.forgiven.\[them\] according to your.word *JPS 1917:* And the LORD said: 'I have pardoned according to thy word. [Job 30:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.30.14/) כְּפֶ֣רֶץ רָחָ֣ב יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ תַּ֥חַת שֹׁ֝אָ֗ה הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ׃ *Word for word:* like a.breach wide they.come under devastation they.have.rolled.themselves *JPS 1917:* As through a wide breach they come; in the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me. - ← previous: [יְתֵת](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3509.md) - next →: [כָּאַב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3510.md) - ↑ back to [כ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1499.md)