Hebrew word · H3654

כֵּן

khen

gnat

As a noun, 'gnat, louse, small insect', a singular or collective related to kinnim, the plague insects of Exod 8:16–18. As the very common adverb kēn, 'so, thus, in this way'. The phrase kemo-khen elsewhere usually means 'likewise, in the same way'.

Appears 7 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm

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

From the study of Isaiah 51:6

Range of meaning

As a noun, 'gnat, louse, small insect', a singular or collective related to kinnim, the plague insects of Exod 8:16–18. As the very common adverb kēn, 'so, thus, in this way'. The phrase kemo-khen elsewhere usually means 'likewise, in the same way'.

Against the English

BSB, NIV ('like flies'), NRSV and NLT take the insect reading. KJV, WEB, ESV and NASB 1995 take 'in like manner'.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint (hōsper tauta, 'like these things') and the Vulgate (sicut haec) both read the adverb. Many modern lexicons and commentators prefer 'gnats' because it gives a third concrete picture to match 'smoke' and 'garment'.

Where it appears

Exodus · 5

  1. Exodus 8:16 לְכִנִּ֖ם <into> gnats

    Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’”

  2. Exodus 8:17 הַכִּנָּ֔ם כִנִּ֖ים the gnat[s], gnats

    This they did, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, gnats came upon man and beast. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt.

  3. Exodus 8:18 הַכִּנִּ֖ים הַכִּנָּ֔ם the gnats, the gnat[s]

    The magicians tried to produce gnats using their magic arts, but they could not. And the gnats remained on man and beast.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 105:31 כִּ֝נִּ֗ים gnats

    He spoke, and insects swarmed—gnats throughout their country.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 51:6 כֵ֣ן gnat[s]

    Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its people will die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never fail.

    Here: Either the noun 'gnats' (compare kinnim, the gnats or lice of Exod 8), which gives the picture of people dying off like swarms of tiny insects, or the common adverb 'so', which gives 'they will die in the same way', meaning they will pass away like the heavens and earth. See the debates.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.