Hebrew word · H8448

תּוֹר

ketor

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Strong's gives this verse its own entry, H8448, "manner" or "estate," probably the same word as H8447, which means a "turn" in a sequence or a "row" of something. The idea seems to be an ordered series or sequence. A meaning of "rank" is not independently attested. It is inferred from this verse.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated November 01, 2026

What it means

1) circlet, plait, turn (of hair or gold)

2) (CLBL) custom, manner, mode

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 1 Chronicles 17:17

Range of meaning: Strong's gives this verse its own entry, H8448, "manner" or "estate," probably the same word as H8447, which means a "turn" in a sequence or a "row" of something. The related uses elsewhere are concrete: a girl's turn to go in to the king (Esther 2:12, 15) and rows or plaits of ornaments (Song of Songs 1:10-11). The idea seems to be an ordered series or sequence. A meaning of "rank" is not independently attested. It is inferred from this verse.
Against the English: KJV has "estate," WEB and NASB "standard," YLT "type," and BSB and NIV absorb the word into "a man of great distinction" or "the most exalted of men." ESV and RSV follow a different underlying text altogether ("future generations"). Smooth English here hides how unsure the Hebrew is.
How it drifted: The word "estate" in the KJV meant condition or social standing in 1611. Today it suggests property or an inheritance.
Used elsewhere in the period: Esther 2:12, 15 ("turn"); Song of Songs 1:10-11 (rows or plaits). The parallel at 2 Samuel 7:19 has the similar-looking torat ("instruction, custom of"), which suggests a shared ancestor text. The Septuagint renders the phrase "as a vision (horasis) of a man," so its translators read or understood something different.

Where it appears

1 Chronicles · 1

1 Chronicles 17:17 כְּת֧וֹר according to [the] order of

And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant and have regarded me as a man of great distinction, O LORD God.

Here: "According to the tor of," the most obscure word in the verse. Elsewhere tor means a "turn" or a row or plait of ornaments, so "rank" or "standing" here is an informed inference from context, not a secure meaning.

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