Word Study for H3654 (כֵּן) | Strong's Concordance

kên /kane/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom כָּנַן in the sense of fastening

Meaning(from infixing its sting; used only in plural (and irregular in Exodus 8:17,18; Hebrews 13:14)); a gnat

KJV usagelice

Idioms & phrasesidiom manner.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of kên — 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 kên, represented by H3654, primarily refers to a gnat or lice. It appears 7 times across 5 unique verses. While its dominant use is to describe the third plague visited upon Egypt, it is also used idiomatically to mean "manner."

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H3654 is central to the account of the plagues. God commands Aaron to strike the dust of the land so that it may become lice throughout Egypt Exodus 8:16. The command is fulfilled, and the dust becomes lice on both man and beast, covering the whole land Exodus 8:17. This event is significant because the Egyptian magicians, who had replicated earlier plagues, were unable to produce lice with their enchantments Exodus 8:18. The Psalmist later recounts this event, stating that God "spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts" Psalms 105:31. A unique usage appears in Isaiah, where the word describes how the inhabitants of the earth "shall die in like manner" Isaiah 51:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the plagues and divine action:

H3909 lâṭ (enchantment, privily, secretly, softly): This word describes the methods used by the Egyptian magicians in their failed attempt to bring forth lice, highlighting the limit of their secret arts against God's power Exodus 8:18.
H6157 ʻârôb (divers sorts of flies, swarm): This term refers to the fourth plague and is mentioned in direct connection with H3654 when recounting the plagues God sent upon Egypt Psalms 105:31.

Theological Significance

The significance of H3654 is primarily seen in the context of divine judgment and power.

Divine Sovereignty: The plague of lice serves as a clear demonstration of God's absolute power over creation. It is a sign that the Egyptian magicians could not replicate, forcing them to acknowledge a greater power at work Exodus 8:18.
Pervasive Judgment: The plague originates from the very dust of the land, signifying a judgment that is inescapable and total, affecting all people and animals throughout Egypt Exodus 8:17.
Prophetic Imagery: The word's use in Isaiah 51:6 to mean "in like manner" connects the idea of small, perishing creatures to the mortality of humanity in the face of God's eternal salvation.

Summary

In summary, H3654 is a word with a focused but powerful meaning. It is anchored in the historical narrative of the plagues as the lice that overwhelmed Egypt, serving as a key sign of God's authority. Its secondary idiomatic use broadens its scope, using the concept of a lowly gnat to describe the way in which all earthly things will ultimately pass away.

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 and an adverb across 8 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — 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.

כִּנִּים
כִּנָּם
כֵן

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

Appears in 5 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Exodus (3 verses); never once in the other 36.

Exodus

Psalms

Isaiah

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.