† I. כֵּן adjective right, veritable, honest (properly
firm, upright; Syriac
recte PS
1662) — absolute
כֵּן Exodus 10:29 + (on possibly construct see
2 near the end); plural
כֵּנִים Genesis 42:11,
19,
31,
33,
34; —
1. right, usually indeclinable, often as substantive
a right thing, especially with vbb.
dicendi Exodus 10:29 (J)
כֵּן דִּבַּרְתָּ,
Numbers 27:7 כֵּן דֹּבְרֹת,
Numbers 36:5 (both P);
כֵּן יַאֲרִיךְ Proverbs 28:2 (the)
right (i.e. order and justice)
shall last long (see De Now VB); = adverb
aright, of pronunciation
Judges 12:6; also with verb
agendi Ecclesiastes 8:10 (on
Isaiah 33:23 see III.
כֵּן below
כנן);
right well Psalm 65:10; (Che; al. =
so); with
לֹא, as adjective,
not right דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹאכֵֿן 2 Kings 17:9 things which were not right (verb
agendi); of heart of a fool
Proverbs 15:7;
Jeremiah 23:10; as substantive =
what is not right, upright Jeremiah 8:6; with verb
agendi לֹאכֵֿן 2 Kings 7:9 that which is not right we are doing,
Jeremiah 48:30b.
2. veritable, true,
כֵּןצְֿדָקָה Proverbs 11:19 the veritable of righteousness =
true righteousness;
Isaiah 16:6 =
Jeremiah 48:30a may be either
their boastings are not true or (Thes Che Di Du Gr Gie and others)
the untruth of their boastings (
לֹאכֵֿן as compound construct); absolute, in assent to something already said,
Right! Correct! True! Joshua 2:4.
II. כֵּן adverb so (PH. Late Hebrew
id.; Syriac
is
then, Arabic
,
,
but: probably from the demonstrative √
ka, found in
כִּי etc., Kö
ii. 1, 254); (
הִיא)
כֶּןהֿוּא Genesis 44:10 +
4 times: —
so (i.e. usually, as has been described or commanded, with reference to what has preceded), mostly of manner, but sometimes also of quantity, quality, or degree:
1.
a. Judges 5:31 כן יאבדו so perish thy enemies,
Job 5:27 הִיאכֶּןֿ,
Job 8:13 כן ארחות כל שׁכחי אל,
Proverbs 6:29;
Proverbs 8:13;
2 Samuel 16:23;
Isaiah 36:6;
Isaiah 47:15 כן היו לך,
Numbers 13:33 וכן היינו בעיניהם;
Numbers 9:16 כָן יהיה תמיד Exodus 10:14 (twice in verse)
לא היה כן ארבה כמהו וג׳ (i.e. in such numbers),
1 Kings 10:12 כן עצי אלמגים לא בא,
1 Kings 10:20;
2 Chronicles 1:12 (twice in verse),
Judges 21:14 להם כןולא מצאו and they did not suffice for them
so (namely in such numbers of them as there were);
1 Kings 6:26 וכן הכרוב השׁני,
Ezekiel 41:7;
וכן ל׳ Exodus 27:11;
1 Kings 10:29;
Ezekiel 40:16;
2 Chronicles 35:12, compare
1 Chronicles 23:30;
כן ל׳ Exodus 25:33 (compare
Exodus 26:24),
Joshua 21:40.
b. the force of
כֵּן has sometimes to be elicited from the context :
1 Kings 2:7 כי כן קרבו אלי (that is, with kindness such as that enjoined in
1 Kings 2:7a),
1 Kings 20:40 כן משׁפטך,
Jeremiah 14:10 לנועכן אהבו (i.e. not less than
י׳ has withdrawn from them
Jeremiah 14:9, Gf Ke; Gie proposes
אָכֵן), Psalm 61:9
שִׁמְךָכֵּן אֲזַמְּרָה (Hi
כְּצִדְקְךָ, implied in
Jeremiah 14:6-8),
Psalm 63:3 חֲזִיתִךָכֵּן בַּקֹּדֶשׁ (that is, with the longings of
Psalm 63:2),
Psalm 63:5 אֲבָרֶכְךָ בְחַיָּיכֵּן (that is
כְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ Psalm 63:4),
Psalm 65:10 כִּי כֵן תְּכִינֶהָ (i.e. so Generously,
Psalm 65:10),
Psalm 90:12 לִמְנוֺת יָמֵינוּ כֵּן הוֺדַע (Hi
כְּיִרְאַת י׳ Psalm 90:11),
Psalm 127:2 כֵּן יִתֵּן לִידִידוֺ שֵׁנָא (that is, as abundantly; but Che
אָכֵן),
Proverbs 24:14 (see
Proverbs 24:13),
Isaiah 52:14 כֵּן מִשְׁחַת מֵאִישׁ מַרְאֵהוּ (sufficiently to justify
שׁממו עליך רבים).
c. כן occurs frequently in particular phrases, as
(a) with
הָיָה, especially
ויהי כן and it was
so Genesis 1:7,
9,
11 +,
2 Kings 2:10 if thou seest me taken from thee
יהילֿך כן let it be to thee
so (that is, as thou desirest),
2 Kings 7:20, with
עשׂה (especially
וַיַּעַשׂ,
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ)
Genesis 29:28;
Genesis 42:20;
Genesis 45:21 + often,
Judges 7:16 וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּמִמֶּנִּי תִּרְאוּ, +
ל׳ Genesis 42:25 ויעשׂ להם כן,
Exodus 22:29;
Exodus 23:11 כן תעשׂה ל׳,
Deuteronomy 22:3;
2 Samuel 12:31;
1 Kings 11:8 (compare
1 Kings 6:33;
1 Kings 7:18);
Genesis 29:26 לא יֵעָשֶׂה כן במקומנו,
Genesis 34:7;
2 Samuel 13:12; rarer usages,
דִּבֶּר כֵּן Exodus 6:9,
אמר כן 1 Kings 22:8,
כֵּן אמרתם Ezekiel 11:5;
Ezekiel 33:10,
אָמֵן כֵּן יאֹמַר י׳ 1 Kings 1:36 (compare
Jeremiah 28:6),
וגם שׁאול אבי יֹדֵעַ כֵּן 1 Samuel 23:17;
אָהֵב כֵּן (idiomatic) to love (it)
so,
Jeremiah 5:31;
Amos 4:5;
2. Often, to emphasize the agreement, in answer to כְּ, and כַּאֲשֶׁר : namely
a. כְּ ֗֗֗ כֵּן,
(d) in similes,
c. ֗֗֗ כֵּן ֗֗֗ כַּאֲשֶׁר,
(b) (frequently)
Numbers 2:17 כֵּן יִסָּ֑עוּכאשׁר יַחֲנוּ,
Exodus 1:12 (of degree =
the more... the more)
כַּאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֺ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ;
†d. כן כאשׁר ֗֗֗,
3. With prepositions: —
a. אַחַרכֵּֿן, אַחֲרֵיכֵֿן, מֵאַחֲרֵיכֵֿן, literally after so, i.e. afterwards: see אַחַר.
c. †
כֵּןכְּמוֺֿ Isaiah 51:6, according to some,
like so, i.e. (Vrss Rabb)
in like manner, or (De)
like this (accompanied by a contemptuous gesture) = like a mere nothing: but see IV.
כֵּן.
d. לָכֵן 200 according to such conditions, that being so, therefore Numbers 16:11;
1 Samuel 27:6;
Psalm 16:9;
Psalm 73:6;
Psalm 73:10; especially in prophets, where it often introduces, after statement of the grounds, a divine declaration or command:
Judges 10:13;
2 Kings 1:6;
Amos 4:12;
Isaiah 5:13,
14,
24;
Isaiah 7:14;
Isaiah 10:16;
Isaiah 16:7;
Isaiah 27:9;
Jeremiah 6:15;
Jeremiah 8:10 etc.;
לכן כה אמר י׳ 2 Kings 21:12;
Isaiah 10:24;
Isaiah 28:16;
Isaiah 29:22;
Isaiah 30:12;
Isaiah 37:33;
Jeremiah 5:14;
Jeremiah 6:21 + often; followed by
נאם האדון Isaiah 1:24;
נאם י׳ 1 Samuel 2:30;
Jeremiah 2:9;
לכן הנה ימים באים נאם י׳ Jeremiah 7:32;
Jeremiah 16:14;
Jeremiah 19:6 +;
לכן חי אני נאם י׳ Ezekiel 5:11;
Ezekiel 35:6,
11;
Zephaniah 2:9;
הנני ֗֗֗ לכן 1 Kings 14:10;
Hosea 2:8;
Hosea 2:16;
Isaiah 29:14;
Jeremiah 16:21;
Ezekiel 16:37;
Ezekiel 22:19b;
Ezekiel 25:4,
7,
9 +;
לכן אֱמֹר †
Exodus 6:6;
Numbers 25:12 (both P),
Ezekiel 11:16,
17;
Ezekiel 14:6;
Ezekiel 20:30;
Ezekiel 33:25;
Ezekiel 36:22;
לָכֵן דַּבֵּר †
Ezekiel 14:4;
Ezekiel 20:27;
לָכֵן הִנָּכֵא †
Ezekiel 11:4;
Ezekiel 36:3,
6;
Ezekiel 37:12;
Ezekiel 38:14;
֗֗֗ שִׁמְעוּ לָכֵן Isaiah 28:14;
Isaiah 51:21;
Jeremiah 6:18;
Jeremiah 44:26 +. In answer to
יען,
Numbers 20:12 (P),
1 Kings 14:10;
2 Kings 1:16;
2 Kings 21:12;
2 Kings 22:20;
Isaiah 29:14;
Isaiah 30:13;
Jeremiah 19:6 +,
Ezekiel 5:8;
Ezekiel 13:23 +; so, once,
וְלָכֵן Isaiah 8:7; to
כי Isaiah 28:16;
Jeremiah 35:17;
על Jeremiah 9:14;
אם Jeremiah 23:38;
Jeremiah 42:15. Special usages: —
(a) idiomatic, in conversation, in reply to an objection, to state the ground upon which the answer is made;
Genesis 4:15 therefore — this being so — whoso killeth Cain, etc.,
Genesis 30:15;
Judges 8:7;
Judges 11:8;
1 Samuel 28:2;
1 Kings 22:19;
Job 20:2 (
in Genesis Kings Job, not perceiving the idiom, renders
οὐχοὕτως (as though
לאכֿן): so also strangely, elsewhere, as
1 Samuel 3:14;
2 Kings 1:4,
6;
2 Kings 21:12).
f. עַלכֵּֿן 145 upon ground of such conditions, therefore (introducing, more generally than
לָכֵן, the statement of a
fact, rather than a
declaration: never used in the phrases noted under
לָכֵן),
Genesis 20:6;
Genesis 42:21;
Exodus 5:8,
17;
Exodus 16:29;
Exodus 20:11;
1 Samuel 20:29;
1 Samuel 28:18;
2 Samuel 7:22,
27;
1 Kings 20:23;
Isaiah 5:25;
Isaiah 9:16;
Isaiah 13:7,
13;
Isaiah 15:4,
7;
Isaiah 16:9,
11;
Isaiah 17:10;
Isaiah 21:3;
Jeremiah 5:6,
27;
Jeremiah 10:21;
Jeremiah 12:8;
Jeremiah 20:11;
Jeremiah 31:3,
20;
Ezekiel 7:20;
Ezekiel 22:4;
Ezekiel 31:5 etc.,
Psalm 1:5;
Psalm 42:7;
Psalm 45:3c (the poet's inference from
Psalm 45:3a, Psalm 45:3b),
Psalm 45:8 [
Psalm 45:7];
Psalm 110:7;
Job 6:3;
Job 9:22;
Job 17:4;
Job 20:21 etc.,
Songs 1:3; and regularly where the origin of a name, or custom, or proverb is assigned,
Genesis 2:24 עלכֿן יעזב אישׁ וג׳,
Genesis 10:9 יֵאָמַ֔רעלכֿן,
Genesis 11:9 עלכֿן קרא שׁמה בבל,
Genesis 16:14;
Genesis 19:22;
Genesis 21:31;
Genesis 25:30;
Genesis 26:33;
Genesis 29:34;
Genesis 29:35;
Genesis 30:6; Genesis 32:33;
Genesis 47:22;
Exodus 13:15;
Exodus 15:23;
Numbers 18:24;
Numbers 21:14,
27;
Deuteronomy 10:9 (compare
Deuteronomy 15:11,
15;
Deuteronomy 19:7;
Deuteronomy 24:18,
22),
Joshua 7:26;
Joshua 14:14;
Judges 15:19;
Judges 18:12;
1 Samuel 5:5;
1 Samuel 10:12;
1 Samuel 23:28 (? read
so 1 Samuel 27:6)
2 Samuel 5:8,
20 etc.;
הַעַלכֵּֿן Habakkuk 1:17. —
Esther 9:26 the 2nd
על כן (unless dittograph) points unusually onwards to
האגרתעל כל דברי on this account, on account, namely, etc.
See related Aramaic BDB entry
H3652.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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