† IV. כֵּן (?),
כִּנִּם,
כִּנָּם noun [
masculine], meaning dubious; either
gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm (so
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Philo
Vita Mos. i, p. 97, Origen
Hom. 4, 6 in Ex., and most moderns), or [louse,] lice (so
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Jos
Ant. ii. 14. 13 Boch
Hieroz. II, ii, 572 f., as Late Hebrew
כִּנָּה, plural
כִּנִּים =
maggots, and especially
lice) — absolute perhaps
כֵּן Isaiah 51:6 (see below); plural
כִּנִּים Exodus 8:13;
Exodus 8:14;
Psalm 105:31,
כִּנִּם Exodus 8:12;
Exodus 8:13;
Exodus 8:14 has, also,
כִּנָּם probably a mere Masoretic device for
כִּנִּם (compare Di), on account of preceding
וַתְּהִי (on which see Ges
§ 145. 4 Da
Synt. § 116); Samaritan has
כנים throughout: — of Egyptian plague
Exodus 8:12;
Exodus 8:13 (twice in verse);
Exodus 8:14 (twice in verse) (all P), hence
Psalm 105:31;
כְּמוֺכֵֿן יְמוּתוּן Isaiah 51:6 like a gnatswarm (?)
shall they die (compare Di Du; Weir Che read
כנים, compare Buhl
p. 355; > Brd De
like this).
Note.
— Nö
M 54 Ba
NB § 15, ES 53 Buhl
Ges HWB ed. 12 connect this word etymologically with Aramaic
כלמתא vermin, Ba and Buhl also with Assyrian
kalmatu, id. [Dl
HWB 333], and even with Aramaic
קלמתא,
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, Arabic
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, etc., Ethiopic
louse; but these connections, as well as that with Late Hebrew
כְּנִימָה, all involving radical
מ, are most improbable
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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BLB Scripture Index of Brown-Driver-Briggs