Hebrew word · H6955
קְהָת
kehat
Kohath
The name of Levi's second son and of the Levite division descended from him.
Appears 32 times in 29 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Gen.46.11;
son of: Levi (H3878);
brother of: Gershon (H1648), Merari (H4847) and Jochebed (H3115);
father of: Amram (H6019), Izhar (H3324), Hebron (H2275B) and Uzziel (H5816)
Also named: qo.ha.ti (קְהָתִי "Kohathite" H6956)
§ Kohath = "assembly"
the 2nd of the 3 sons of Levi and progenitor of a family in the tribe of Levi
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 Joshua 21:26
- Range of meaning
The name of Levi's second son and of the Levite division descended from him.
- Against the English
Translations differ only in style ('Kohath', 'Kohathite').
- Used elsewhere in the period
Exodus 6:16–20 and Numbers 3:19, 27–31. Numbers 4:1–20 gives the Kohathites the job of carrying the ark, table, lampstand and altars, but only after the priests had covered them, 'lest they die'.
From the study of 1 Chronicles 15:5
- Range of meaning
The proper name of Levi's second son, and through him the name of the Levitical clan descended from him. Aaron and Moses were themselves Kohathites (Exod 6:18–20), so the priests belong to this clan too.
- Against the English
No difference between versions beyond 'sons of Kohath' versus 'Kohathites'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Numbers 4 gives the Kohathites the duty of carrying the holy objects on their shoulders once the priests have covered them, and warns that they must not touch or even look at the uncovered holy things 'lest they die' (Num 4:15, 20). Numbers 7:9 says they received no wagons because their load was carried on the shoulder.
Where it appears
Genesis · 1
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Genesis 46:11 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Exodus · 3
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Exodus 6:16 וּקְהָ֖ת and Kohath
These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
Here: Levi's second son. He is the one the genealogy goes on to follow (vv. 18–20), because Moses and Aaron come from him through Amram. The Kohathites later carried the most holy objects (Numbers 4:4–15).
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Exodus 6:18 קְהָ֔ת קְהָ֔ת Kohath
The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
Numbers · 12
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Numbers 3:17 וּקְהָ֖ת and Kohath
These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
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Numbers 3:19 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
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Numbers 3:27 וְלִקְהָ֗ת and [belonged] to Kohath
From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.
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Numbers 3:29 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,
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Numbers 4:2 קְהָ֔ת Kohath
“Take a census of the Kohathites among the Levites by their clans and families,
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Numbers 4:4 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
This service of the Kohathites at the Tent of Meeting regards the most holy things.
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Numbers 4:15 קְהָת֙ קְהָ֖ת Kohath
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.
Here: Son of Levi and grandfather of Moses and Aaron (Exod 6:16–20). This is the priests' own clan, given the highest-ranking Levite duty.
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Numbers 7:9 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since they were to carry on their shoulders the holy objects for which they were responsible.
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Numbers 16:1 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted
Here: The Levite clan that carried the most holy furnishings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:1–20). Naming Kohath reminds the hearer how close Korah's family already stood to the sacred things.
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Numbers 26:57 לִקְהָ֕ת of Kohath
Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari.
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Numbers 26:58 וּקְהָ֖ת and Kohath
These were the families of the Levites: The Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Now Kohath was the father of Amram,
Here: Kohath, second son of Levi. The 'and' with the name placed first shifts the subject and turns from the clan list to one particular line of descent.
Joshua · 4
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Joshua 21:5 קְהָ֜ת Kohath
The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Here: Kohath was the second son of Levi (Exod 6:16–18). His line included Aaron's priestly house. It also included the other Kohathite clans, who carried the most holy objects of the sanctuary (Num 4:1–15).
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Joshua 21:20 קְהָת֙ קְהָ֑ת Kohath
The remaining Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted these cities: From the tribe of Ephraim
Here: The second son of Levi (Exod 6:16–18). His descendants carried the most holy objects of the tent-sanctuary in the wilderness (Num 4:1–15).
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Joshua 21:26 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
In all, ten cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.
Here: Kohath, the second son of Levi (Exod 6:16–20). Moses and Aaron came from his line, and his descendants carried the most holy objects of the sanctuary (Num 4).
1 Chronicles · 12
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1 Chronicles 6:1 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
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1 Chronicles 6:2 קְהָ֑ת Kohath
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
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1 Chronicles 6:16 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
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1 Chronicles 6:18 קְהָ֑ת Kohath
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
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1 Chronicles 6:22 קְהָ֑ת Kohath
The descendants of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,
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1 Chronicles 6:38 קְהָ֔ת Kohath
the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
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1 Chronicles 6:61 קְהָ֜ת Kohath
To the rest of the Kohathites, ten cities were allotted from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
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1 Chronicles 6:66 קְהָ֑ת Kohath
And some of the clans of the Kohathites were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim for their territory:
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1 Chronicles 6:70 קְהָ֖ת Kohath
And from the half-tribe of Manasseh the rest of the clans of the Kohathites were given Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands.
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1 Chronicles 15:5 קְהָ֑ת Kohath
From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;
Here: The second son of Levi (Gen 46:11; Exod 6:16). His descendants were the Levite clan given charge of carrying the most holy objects, the ark among them (Num 4:4–15). That is why they come first in this list.
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1 Chronicles 23:6 קְהָ֥ת Kohath
Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
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1 Chronicles 23:12 קְהָ֗ת Kohath
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.