Lexical Definition
/כ k (k) like/as Prefix
- Prefix kaph: like, as
Brown-Driver-Briggs
ככ, כּ eleventh letter; used as numeral 20 in post Biblical Hebrew; כא = 21, כב = 22, etc.
כְּ properly substantive the like of, like, as (Aramaic כ, Phoenician כ, Arabic 
, Sabean in כעד דא as till now DHMZMG xxix. 615, Assyrian Ki, kima, DlHWB 325 f.) — before tone-syllable כָּ, as כָּזֶה, כָּאֵ֫לֶּה, כָּחֵ֫מָּה; with suffix כָּכֶם Num 15:15 + 7 t. (Job 16:4 כָּכֵם: Köii. 1. 285), כָּהֶם 2Kgs 17:15, כָּהֶן Ezek 18:14 [also with nom. forms, כָּהֵ֫מָּה, כָּהֵם, כָּהֵ֫נָּה; see הֵמָּה 8; compare Arabic 
, 
, etc.], before light suffix, in the form כְּמוֺ (q. v.), namely כָּמֹנִי, כָּמוֺנִי Gen 44:15 + 16 t., כָּמוֺךָ Gen 41:39 + 28 t., כָּמֹכָה Exod 15:11 (twice in verse), כָּמֹהוּ Exod 9:18 + 23 t., כָּמוֺהָ Exod 11:6 + 2 t., כָּמֹנוֺ Gen 34:15 + 3 t.; also כְּמוֺכֶם Job 12:3, כְּמוֺהֶם Judg 8:18; Ps 115:8; Ps 135:18. Prop. an undeveloped substantive, capable of standing in any case and followed (like 
) always by a genitive, as 1Sam 20:3 כפשׂע ׳כ for there is (nominative) the like of a footstep (Arabic 
) between me and death, Gen 41:38 הנמצא כזה shall be we find (accusative) the like of this one ? (see especially FlKl. Schrr. i. 376 ff. Mühlau, in Böii. 64 f., with many Arabic examples; also WAG i. § 356 R. c.; ii. § 63 Ges«GKC:118»§ 118. 6; compare, for both usage and construction, the Latin instar: this view criticized by Köii. 1, 279 ff., who treats כְּ as demonstrative adverb); but Hebrew having no case-endings, its proper sense was doubtless forgotten, and כְּ became practically equivalent to a preposition like, as: —
1. a. quantitatively (like the Arabic 
measure, number, size, of . . . : 
as many as 100), to express exact or approximate equality, in the latter case the like of is = about: Deut 1:11 Yahweh add to you ככם אלף פעמים the like of you (Saad 
) 1000 times (compare 2Sam 24:3), Exod 12:37 כשׁשׁ מאוֺת אלף רגלי the like of (i.e. about) 600,000 footmen, Exod 32:28 כשׁלשׁת אלפי אישׁ, Josh 4:13; Josh 7:3; 1Sam 9:22; 1Sam 25:38 ויהי כעשׂרת הימים (nomin.) and there was the like of (= about) 10 days, and, etc. Ruth 2:17 כאיפה שׂערים, etc., compare כַּמָּה the like of what ? = how many ? (see מָה); as accusative of space or time, Num 11:31 כדרך יום the like of a day's journey, Josh 3:4; Josh 10:13 כיום תמים about a whole day (Arabic 
), Ruth 1:4 כעשׂר שׁגים. So (as adverb accusative) with words denoting a point of time: often with עֵת, as כָּעֵת הַזּאֹת literally at the like of this time = about this time, Josh 11:6 and elsewhere, כָּעֵת מָחָר at the like of the time, (being) to-morrow = about to-morrow, Exod 9:18 +, כָּעֵת חַיָּה (see חי), Isa 8:23* כעת הראשׁין at the former time, כָּעֵת alone = at the (present) time, now Num 23:23; Judg 13:23; Isa 23:5 (unusual) כְּשֵׁמַע צֹר; so כְּהַיּוֺם, כַּיּוֺם (see יוֺם 7 h), כִּמְעַט, כְּרֶגַע; and especially with infinitive, see 3 b. b. qualitatively (like Arabic 
likeness of . . .), to express resemblance in respect of some attribute, action, character, appearance, etc.: so very often; as subject of a sentence, Num 9:15 כמראה אשׁ the like of (= as it were) an appearance of fire was, etc. (compare Ezek 1:4; Ezek 1:26 a.; Ezek 1:27; Dan 8:15; Dan 10:18), Dan 23:22 כתועפות ראם לו, Exod 24:10; Deut 4:32 הנהיה כדבר הגדול הזה hath there been the like of this great thing ? Deut 9:10; Josh 10:14; Hos 9:1; Isa 23:15; Ps 58:5*; Prov 16:27; Lam 1:20 בַּבַּיִת כַּמָּוֶת, Eccl 8:14; Lev 14:35 כְּנֶגַע נראה בביתי the like of (i.e. a kind of) mark; מִי כָמוֺכָה who is the like of thee ? Exod 15:11 (Saad 
) +; as genitive אֵין כָּמוֺךָ 1Sam 10:24; 2Sam 7:22 +; as predicate, Judg 8:21 כָּאִישׁ גְּבוּרָתוֺ, Hab 2:5 וְהוּא כַמָּוֶת, Ps 17:14; Ps 89:30* וכסאו כימי שׁמים (of time: so vPs 17:37), Ps 125:1, etc.; after a verb, היה כְּ to become the like of (like), Gen 3:5 + often (see היה II. 2 c), compare after שִׂים Gen 13:16 +, נתן Gen 42:30 +, שִׁית Ps 83:12* +, שִׁוָּה Ps 18:34*, נֶחְשַׁב Ps 44:23* +, נִמְשַׁל Ps 49:13*, הִרְבָּה Gen 22:17 +; add כָּזֹאת, כָּאֵלֶּה the like of this (these), i.e. tale, talia (whether nom. or accusative) Judg 13:23; Judg 15:7; Judg 20:30; Lev 10:19 + (see זֹאת, אֵלֶּה). Cases such as to give or reward a man כמעשׂהו, כרעתו, etc., the like of his doings, etc., 2Sam 3:39; 1Kgs 8:32; Ps 18:25*; Ps 28:4, to speak כדבר הזה or כדברים האלה Gen 18:25; Gen 24:28 + often, form the transition to
c. as an accusative of mode or limitation, in or with the like of (= like, as according to, κατά); — (1) expressing conformity to a standard or rule: Gen 1:26 let us make man כדמותנו according to our likeness, Gen 9:3; Josh 19:47; Judg 20:10; 1Sam 13:14 hath looked out אישׁ כלבבו a man according to his own heart (Jer 3:15); to do a thing כמשׁפט הזה Josh 6:15, compare Gen 40:13; 2Kgs 11:14, etc., ׳כדבר פ Gen 44:2 + often, כְּצִדְקִי Ps 7:9*, כְּחַסְדְּךָ Ps 51:3*, בַּכָּתוּב according to what is written Josh 8:31; Josh 8:34 +, בלא ככתיב (late) 2Chr 30:18, etc. (2) in comparisons: qualifying an adjective, Exod 16:14 דַּק כַּכְּפוֺר, Song 6:10 יָפָה כַלְּבָנָה, compare Gen 13:10 a verb Ps 7:3* פֶּןיִֿטְרֹף כְּאַרְיֵה, Ps 19:6* יָשִׂישׂ כְּגִבּוֺר, Isa 42:13, etc.; with the tertium compare. attached in a relative clause, Deut 32:11 בַּנֶּשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנִּי like the great vulture, (that) stirreth up its nest, Job 9:26; Job 11:16; Isa 61:10 like the bride, who putteth on, etc., Isa 62:1 כְּלַפִּיד יִבְעַר like a touch (that) burns (on the presence or absence of the article in such cases, see הַ 1 f), Ps 42:2*; Ps 83:15* (below 2 d) + often (compare Dr§ 34: כְּ is not in these cases to be construed as a conjunction [ = כַּאֲשֶׁכ] with the verb: see DePs 38:14 Ges«GKC:155»§ 155, 2 b, 1 R.).
d. sometimes כְּ is used in particular to compare an object with the class to which it belongs, and express its correspondence with the idea which it ought to realize: Isa 13:6 ( = Joel 1:15) of the ׳יום י, כְּשֹׁד מִשַּׁדֵּי יָבוֺא i.e. it comes as a veritable, or ideal, destruction from Shaddai, Isa 29:2 of Ariel (Isa 29:1) והיתה לי כאריאל i.e. shall be to me as a true Ariel (compare Ges«GKC:118x»§ 118x): so also, according to Hi De, Isa 10:13; Ezek 26:10; Zech 14:3; 2Sam 9:8; Ps 122:3; Song 8:10 (see De), Eccl 10:5; Neh 7:2. The older grammarians called this the Kaph veritatis (a translations of Ki's כף֞ הָאֲמִתּוּת, כף֞ לאמת הדבר, Michl45 a (Lyck), CommJosh 3:4; 1Sam 9:13; Isa 1:7; Hos 5:10, or כף֞ הָאֲמִתִּי, Lexicon under the word יוֺם): they extended it unduly (e.g. to Num 11:1; Lam 1:20; Hos 11:4).
2. repeated, כְּכְּ֗֗֗, to signify the completeness of the correspondency between two objects (peculiar to Hebrew):
a. in a principal clause, Gen 18:25 וְהָיָה כַצַּדִּיק בָּרָשָׁע literally that the like of the righteous be the like of the wicked, i.e. that the righteous be as the wicked, Gen 44:18 כמיך כפרעה the like of thee is the like of Pharaoh, i.e. thou art as Pharaoh, Lev 24:22 כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח יִהְיֶה, 1Kgs 22:4 כָּמֹנִי כָמוֺךָ כְּעַמִּי כְעַמְּךָ (Van Dyck 
), Hag 2:3 הֲלוֺא כָמֹהוּ כְּאַיִן בְּעֵינֵיכֶם is not the like of it the like of nothing in your eyes ? i.e. is it not like nothing in your eyes ? Ps 139:12 כַּחֲשֵׁיכָה כָּאוֺרָה i.e. the darkness (to thee) is as the light. Usually the first term is the subject and the second is the standard with which it is compared: but occas. the terms are inverted, as Lev 7:7; Num 15:15; Judg 8:18 כמוך כמוהם (Van Dyck 
), Hos 4:9; Isa 24:2, compare Isa 59:18 Note, below)
b. in a subordinate clause (to be regarded as subordinated in the accusative to the principal verb); (α) attached to the subject of the principal verb, Lev 24:16 כגר כאזרחי֗֗֗ומת he shall be put to death, the like of the stranger (being) the like of the homeborn, Josh 8:33. (β) attached to its object, Deut 1:17 כקטן כגדל תשׁמעון literally ye shall hear (them), the like of the small (being) the like of the great.
c. occasionally, for כְּכְּ֗֗֗, there occurs ׃בְּו֗֗֗כ Josh 14:11 כְּכֹחִי אָז וּכְכֹחִי עָ֑תָּה the like of my strength then, and the like of my strength now, i.e. they are similar (compare וְ 1 j) 1Sam 30:24; Ezek 18:4; Dan 11:29.
d. yet more distinct than כְּכְּ֗֗֗, is כְּכֵּ֗֗֗ן; in a nominal sentence (Ges«GKC:140»§ 140-1), 'כְּ with its genitive forming the predicate, and כֵּן resuming it with emphasis and connecting it with the subject;' 1Sam 25:25 כִּי כִשְׁמוֺ כֶּןהֿוּא for the like of his name, such (or so) is he, Gen 44:10; Josh 2:21; Jer 18:6; Ps 48:11*; Ps 127:4; Prov 10:26 +; in a verbal sentence, 'כְּ preceding, as an accusative of state, and giving the secundum comparationis, and כֵּן resuming it,' Joel 2:4 כפרשׁים כן ירוצון 'instar (accusative) equitum, sic currunt' (Fll.c.), Hos 4:7 literally with (or in) the likeness of their multiplying, so they sinned against me, Gen 6:22; 1Sam 8:8; Isa 38:14; Ezek 22:22; Ps 42:2*; Ps 83:15* + often
3. before an infinitive:
a. like (literally with or in the likeness of . . .), Judg 14:6 כְּשַׁסַּע הַגְּדִי like the rending of a kid, i.e. as when a kid is rent (by a lion), 2Sam 3:34; Isa 5:24; Ps 66:10; Ps 68:3*; Job 2:10, etc.; = as if, Isa 10:15 or shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it כהניף שׁבט אתמֿרימיו with the like of a staff's shaking (= as if a staff were to shake) him that lifted it !
b. of time, about, at, whether of the past or of the future: Gen 19:17 כהוציאם אותם at their bringing them forth, i.e. as or when they brought them forth Gen 24:30; Gen 29:13; Gen 39:10; Gen 39:13 + very often; of the future, Gen 44:30; Gen 44:31; Deut 20:2; Deut 20:9; 2Sam 13:28 +; Isa 28:20b (different from vIsa 28:29 a) and the covering is (too) narrow when one gathers oneself in. Occasionally with the verbal noun, Hos 13:6 כמרעיתם at the time of their feeding, Isa 30:19 כְּשָׁמְעָתוֺ; וּכְחֶזְקָתוֺ 2Chr 12:1; 2Chr 26:16; Dan 11:2 (Ew§ 238 a, 239 a): compare Isa 23:5b כְּשֵׁמַע צֹר. With the participle Gen 38:29 (si vera lectio), perhaps Gen 40:10 compare Dr§ 135. 6, Obs. 2.
Note. — כְּ is rarely prefixed to prepositions, the only examples which occur being the idiomatic כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה, Judg 20:32; 1Kgs 13:6; Isa 1:26; Jer 33:7; Jer 33:11 כְּבַתְּחִלָּה in the || clause Isaiah l.c.; כְּבַחֲצִי 1Sam 14:14 (apparently corrupt); כְּמִשְׁלשׁ חֳדָשִׁים Gen 38:24 (and probably כְמֵחֹדֶשׁ 1Sam 10:27 ᵐ5); כְּמִפְּנֵי Lev 26:37 כְּעַל (late):
a. pleon. for כְּ (עַל = according to), Isa 63:7 כְּעַל כָּלאֲֿשֶׁר עָשָׂה, Isa 59:18, כְּעַל גְּמֻלוֺת כְּעַל יְשַׁלֵּם the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay (ellipse of rel., as Job 34:32, etc.);
b. = as over Ps 119:14, = as concerning 2Chr 32:19. Where logically a preposition would seem to be required after כ, it is in Hebrew regularly omitted (Ges«GKC:118»§ 118. 3 R), the nature of כְּ, as explained above, not in fact admitting it; thus Isa 1:25 I will purge away thy dross כַּבֹּר [not, as in English, like as with lye, but] (with) the like of lye (כ being an accusative defining the mode in which אצרף takes place); Isa 5:17 כְּדָבְרָם in English as in their pasture, Judg 20:39 כְּיוֺם as in day of, Isa 9:3*; Ps 95:8 +, כִּימֵי Job 29:3 who will set me as in the days of old ! Isa 51:9 +, כְּנֹקֶף זַיִת as at, etc., Isa 17:6: so with לְ Ps 83:10*; Job 29:23, על Job 30:5. כְּ is used also pregnantly with substantives, Ps 18:34* who meketh my feet like hinds (for like the feet of hinds), Isa 29:4; Isa 63:2 בגדיך כדורך בגת, Jer 50:9; Job 40:9 and elsewhere compare Ges§§ 118. 6; 141. 2 R. n.
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