English · KJV
H3517

כְּבֵדֻת

kᵉbêduth /keb-ay-dooth'/ Ask about this word
Rootfeminine of כָּבֵד
Meaningdifficulty
Idioms & phrasesidiom heavily.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of kᵉbêduth — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word kᵉbêduth, represented by H3517, denotes difficulty or, idiomatically, heavily. It is a rare term, appearing only 1 time in 1 unique verse in the Bible. Its sole appearance captures a moment of divine intervention causing immense struggle for the enemies of Israel.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The single use of H3517 is found in the dramatic narrative of the Exodus. As the Egyptian army pursued Israel through the parted sea, God "took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily" Exodus 14:25. This divine act created such difficulty and chaos that the Egyptians recognized the LORD was fighting for Israel and sought to flee.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words in the verse provide a vivid picture of the scene:

  • H5493 çûwr (to turn off (literal or figurative)): This primitive root describes the action of God "taking off" or removing the chariot wheels, initiating the difficulty Exodus 14:25.
  • H4818 merkâbâh (a chariot): This word refers to the Egyptian war chariots, which were powerful military assets rendered useless in this context Exodus 14:25.
  • H212 ʼôwphân (a wheel): The target of the divine intervention, the removal of the wheel caused the chariots to become difficult to move Exodus 14:25.
  • H5090 nâhag (to drive forth... lead, carry away): This word, translated as "drave," describes the Egyptians' struggle to impel their now-hindered chariots forward Exodus 14:25.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H3517 is concentrated in its single, powerful appearance.

  • Divine Intervention: The word illustrates the tangible result of God's direct intervention in human conflict. The "heaviness" was not a natural occurrence but a supernatural act to impede Israel's enemies Exodus 14:25.
  • Hindrance of the Enemy: The concept of heavily demonstrates God's power to turn the strengths of an enemy, such as swift chariots, into a crippling weakness.
  • Acknowledgment of God's Power: The difficulty described by kᵉbêduth directly led the Egyptians to exclaim that "the LORD fighteth for them," underscoring how God's actions reveal his power even to those who oppose him Exodus 14:25.

Summary

In summary, while H3517 kᵉbêduth appears only once, its impact is significant. It does not merely mean "slowly" but describes a divinely imposed difficulty that brought the formidable Egyptian army to a halt. The word captures the precise moment when a physical struggle revealed a spiritual reality: that God was fighting for Israel, turning the instruments of war into an impossible burden for their enemies Exodus 14:25.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • כְבֵדֻת

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H5493 סוּר or שׂוּר; (Hosea 9:12), a primitive root; to turn off (literal or figurative); be(-head), bring, call back, decline, dep H4818 מֶרְכָּבָה feminine of מֶרְכָּב; a chariot; chariot. See also בֵּית הַמַּרְכָּבוֹת. H212 אוֹפָן or (shortened) אֹפָן; from an unused root meaning to revolve; a wheel; wheel. H5090 נָהַג a primitive root; to drive forth (a person, an animal or chariot), i.e. lead, carry away; reflexively, to proceed (i.e.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

1 verse, all in Exodus — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.