Hebrew word · H3587
כִּי
ki-
branding
As a noun (H3587): 'burning, branding', from kāwāh 'to burn, scorch' (cf. kĕwîyyāh, 'burn', Exod 21:25). As the far more common particle (H3588): 'for, because, indeed, surely'.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
burning, branding
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
As a noun (H3587): 'burning, branding', from kāwāh 'to burn, scorch' (cf. kĕwîyyāh, 'burn', Exod 21:25). As the far more common particle (H3588): 'for, because, indeed, surely'.
- Against the English
KJV 'burning', ESV/NIV/NASB/WEB 'branding' take it as the noun. BSB and NRSV take it as the particle and add 'shame' from the Qumran scroll.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The noun is otherwise unattested in the Bible, which is why many doubt it. 1QIsaᵃ reads כיא תחת יופי בשת, 'for instead of beauty, shame'. Branding or marking of slaves is known in Mesopotamia; Neo-Babylonian slaves could bear marks on the hand.
Where it appears
Isaiah · 1
-
Isaiah 3:24 כִּי־ branding
Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, shame.
Here: The supplied data reads this as a rare noun 'branding' (from kāwāh, 'to burn'), the mark burned into a slave or captive. Many scholars instead read the very common word 'for/indeed' and follow the Qumran scroll, which adds 'shame' at the end. See textual notes.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.