diviner; the
כהן
acquired fuller sacrif. functions:
v. RS
Ency. Brit.
ed. 9, xix. 727
;
We
Skizzen iii. 130 ff., 167
;
Now
Arch. ii. 89 f.
; Ph
כהן
is
priest
,
כהנת
priestess
.
)
כֹּהֵן S 3548 TWOT 959a GK 3913750 n.m. priest ( NH כֹּהֵן ; Aramaic כָּהֵין , כַּהֲנָא ܟܳܗܶܢ , ܟܳܗܢܳܐ ( kohen, kohno ); Ethiopic ˜˜˜ ( kāhən ) all id.; on Ph. and Arabic v. supr. ) ;— כ׳ Gn 14:18 + 439 times; pl. כֹּהֲנִים Ex 19:6 + 272 times; cstr. כֹּהֲנֵי 1 S 5:5 + 13 times; sf. כֹּהֲנַי La 1:19 + 22 times; sfs. — • 1. priest-king: e.g. Melchizedek Gn 14:18 ( E ?), cf. ψ 110:4 (the Messianic priest- King like Melchizedek); Zc 6:13 (Messianic priest and king); Israel מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים Ex 19:6 ( E ) a kingdom of priests (priests and kings at once in their relation to the nations); cf. Is 61:6 (of Israel ministering as a priest); or a chieftain (exercising priestly functions) כֹּהֵן מִדְיָן Ex 2:1 6; 3:1 ; 18:1 (all JE); so also probably the sons of David 2 S 8:18 , his grandson 1 K 4:5 ; and Ira the Jairite 2 S 20:26 , who as princes performed priestly functions. With these we may class the
כהנים Ex 19:2 2, 24 ( J ). • 2. priests of other religions than י׳ ’s: Potiphera כ׳ אֹן Gn 41:45 , 50 ( E ), 46:20 ( P ); Egyptian כהנים Gn 47:22 (×2), 26 ( J ); כ׳ דָגֹון 1 S 5:5 ; Philistine כהנים וקסמים 1 S 6: 2; כֹּהֲנָיו his priests: e.g. of Baal 2 K 10:19 = of Ahab 2 K 10:11 ; of Chemosh Je 48:7 ; of Malcam Je 49:3 ; Mattan was כ׳ הבעל 2 K 11:18 = 2 Ch 23:1 7; הכהנים הכמרים עם Zp 1: 4; Josiah burned the bones of the priests of the Baalim and Asherim 2 Ch 34:5 . • 3. priests of special orders in Israel: a. Micah in the hill-country of Ephraim consecrated his own son וַיְהִ־לֹו לְכֹהֵן Ju 17: 5; but so soon as he could secure Jonathan ben Gershom, a descendant of Moses (see VB Ju 18:3 0), he consecrated him, היה ל׳ לכהן Ju 17:1 0, 12 , 13 ; 18:4 , 19 ; הַכֹּהֵן v 6, 17 , 18 , 20 , 24 , 27 . He was captured by the Danites, and he and his line became priests at Dan until the Exile, v 19 (×2), 30 . b. Jeroboam עשׂה כהנים 1 K 12:31 of those not מבני לוי , as כ׳
(הַ)בָּמֹות
priests of
(
the
)
high places
1 K 12:3
2;
13:2
,
33
(×2) =
כ׳ לבמות
2 Ch 11:15
; Amaziah (of this class) was
כ׳ בית־אל
Am 7:1
0;
v.
also
2 Ch 13:9
; called by Chr
כ׳ לְלֹא אלהים
v
9; yet Hosea rebukes them as priests of
י׳
Ho 4:
4,
9
;
5:1
;
6:9
; at the Exile they were deported by the Assyrians
2 K 17:27
,
28
.
c.
the people imported into Samaria made some of themselves
כ׳ במות
to worship
י׳
the God of the land
2 K 17:32
.
•
4.
priests in Israel
הכהנים
who bore the ark and the trumpets
Jos 3:13
,
14
,
15
,
17
;
4:3
,
9
,
10
,
17
,
18
(×2);
6:4
(×2),
6
(×2),
8
,
9
,
12
,
13
,
16
RS W. Robertson Smith.
Ency. Brit. Encyclopaedia Britanica, 9 th ed. Now W. Nowack, Hebräische Archäologie . VB Variorum Bible.