Hebrew word · H3775

כֶּ֫שֶׂב

kesev

sheep

A sheep, normally a young one, often understood as a yearling. Keseb is a less common variant of the usual word kebeś, made by swapping the order of two consonants. Both mean the same thing. It is distinguished from 'ēz' (goat) and from 'ayil' (a full-grown ram).

Appears 13 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

lamb, young ram, sheep

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 Leviticus 3:7

Range of meaning

A sheep, normally a young one, often understood as a yearling. Keseb is a less common variant of the usual word kebeś, made by swapping the order of two consonants. Both mean the same thing. It is distinguished from 'ēz' (goat) and from 'ayil' (a full-grown ram).

Against the English

'Lamb' (BSB, KJV, WEB, most modern versions) is a fair rendering. But to modern ears 'lamb' can suggest a newborn or very small animal, and for Christian readers it can suggest Passover or 'the Lamb of God'. YLT's 'sheep' is broader and arguably safer here, since no age is given in Leviticus 3 and the animal may be male or female (v. 6).

Used elsewhere in the period

Keseb occurs about a dozen times (e.g., Gen 30:32; Lev 1:10; 3:7; 4:35; 7:23); kebeś is far more frequent, especially in the daily and festival offerings (Exod 29:38; Num 28). The Septuagint renders it here with arēn/arna, 'lamb'.

Where it appears

Genesis · 4

  1. Genesis 30:32 בַּכְּשָׂבִ֔ים among the lambs

    Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages.

  2. Genesis 30:33 בַּכְּשָׂבִ֔ים among the lambs

    So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.”

  3. Genesis 30:35 בַּכְּשָׂבִ֑ים among the lambs

    That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.

    Here: 'Among the sheep': a variant spelling of the common word kebes (sheep, young ram). It stands here for the whole sheep half of the flock, not only newborn lambs.

  4. Genesis 30:40 וְהַכְּשָׂבִים֮ and the lambs

    Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.

Leviticus · 7

  1. Leviticus 1:10 הַכְּשָׂבִ֛ים the young rams

    If, however, one’s offering is a burnt offering from the flock—from the sheep or goats—he is to present an unblemished male.

  2. Leviticus 3:7 כֶּ֥שֶׂב a young ram

    If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he must present it before the LORD.

    Here: A sheep, usually a young one. It is placed first in the clause for emphasis: 'if it is a SHEEP…', as opposed to a goat. Verse 6 has already said it may be male or female.

  3. Leviticus 4:35 הַכֶּשֶׂב֮ the young ram

    And he shall remove all the fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the peace offerings, and he shall burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

    Here: "The sheep" as an animal kind. It points to the sheep peace offering of 3:7–11, where the whole broad fat tail was also removed. The supplied gloss "young ram" is too narrow, because the animal actually offered here is female (v. 32).

  4. Leviticus 7:23 וְכֶ֛שֶׂב and a young ram

    “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat.

  5. Leviticus 17:3 כֶ֛שֶׂב a young ram

    ‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it

  6. Leviticus 22:19 בַּכְּשָׂבִ֖ים among the young rams

    must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf.

    Here: 'From among the sheep.' The word is a variant spelling of the more common keves (same letters, two swapped). It often means a young sheep or lamb. Here it covers the sheep of the flock.

  7. Leviticus 22:27 כֶ֤שֶׂב a young ram

    “When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the LORD.

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 18:17 כֶּ֜שֶׂב a sheep

    But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 14:4 כְשָׂבִ֖ים sheep<s>

    These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat,

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