כֹּהֵן
Literally one officiating , a priest ; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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What does כֹּהֵן (kohen) mean in the Bible?
כֹּהֵן (kohen) is a Hebrew word meaning "literally one officiating , a priest ; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)". literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman) BDB: priest Usage: chief ruler, × own, priest, prince, principal officer. Priestly continuity safeguards covenant worship and points forward to Christ’s ultimate priesthood. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant, Messiah, Presence.
Meaning
One who stands before God in intermediary role; functionally defined by cultic action, not merely status.
literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman) BDB: priest Usage: chief ruler, × own, priest, prince, principal officer.
Why This Word Matters
Priestly continuity safeguards covenant worship and points forward to Christ’s ultimate priesthood. Nehemiah 12:1-26
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Old Testament Witnesses
Showing 8 of 750 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.