H3544 H3544
Dim, faded, faint — describing diminished brightness in eyes, skin blemishes, flames, or figurative spirit.
The adjective kehah (כֵּהָה) describes something that has lost its intensity or vividness — whether light, color, or vitality. Its most frequent use is in the Levitical skin-disease laws, where a priest examines whether a suspicious mark has 'faded' or grown dim (Lev 13:6, 21, 26, 28, 39, 56), indicating the condition is healing rather than spreading. Beyond Leviticus, it describes Eli's failing eyesight (1 Sam 3:2), a dimly burning wick that the Servant will not snuff out (Isa 42:3), and a faint spirit exchanged for a garment of praise (Isa 61:3). Spanish abatido and German schwach capture the figurative extension well.
Senses
1. dim, faded, faint — A feminine adjective (from the root כ-ה-ה) indicating diminished brightness, color, or vitality. In the priestly diagnostic system of Leviticus 13, it appears six times as the key indicator that a skin condition is benign — if the mark has grown kehah ('dim, faded'), the person is pronounced clean (Lev 13:6). Applied to Eli's eyes growing dim with age (1 Sam 3:2), to the 'dimly burning wick' the Isaianic Servant tenderly preserves (Isa 42:3), and metaphorically to a 'faint spirit' replaced by praise (Isa 61:3). The multilingual evidence — Spanish humeante for the wick, faded for the skin — shows translators adjust the rendering to each physical domain while preserving the core notion of diminished intensity. 9×
AR["-الْكَآبَةِ", "تَضْعُفَانِ", "كَمَدَتِ", "كَمِدَاتٌ", "كَمِدَةٌ", "مُدَخِّنَةً"]·ben["অন্ধকার-হতে", "ক্ষীণের", "মলিন", "ম্লান", "ম্লান-হয়েছে"]·DE["[כהה]", "hat-verblasst", "schwach", "verblasst", "zu-grow-dim"]·EN["dimly-burning", "faded", "faint", "has-faded", "heaviness", "to-grow-dim"]·FR["[כהה]", "a-pâli", "faint", "pâli", "à-grandis-dim"]·heb["כהה", "כהות"]·HI["और-अलग करेगा", "और-मंदी", "धार्मिकता-के", "धुंधली", "धुंधली-होने", "मंदा हुआ", "मंदे", "वह"]·ID["kabur", "pudar", "yang-lesu", "yang-redup"]·IT["[כהה]", "a-cresci-dim", "debole", "ha-sbiadito", "sbiadito"]·jav["ingkang-mak-makan", "lesu", "peteng", "pucet"]·KO["꺼져가는", "쇠한", "흐려졌으면", "흐린", "희미해지다"]·PT["a-escurecer", "escureceu", "fraqueza", "fumegante", "pálidas"]·RU["курящийся", "потускневшее", "потускнело", "тусклые", "тускнеть", "уныния"]·ES["a-debilitarse", "abatido", "humeante", "opacas", "oscurecida", "se-oscureció"]·SW["iliyofifia", "imefifia", "kufifia", "limefifia", "unaozimika", "yamefifia"]·TR["kararmaya", "soldu", "solmuş", "soluk", "tutusmus"]·urd["افسردہ", "دھندلی-ہونا", "دھندلی-ہے", "دھندلے", "دھندھلاتی"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [כֵּהֶה] adj.dim, dull, faint; only f. כֵּהָה Lv 13:6 + 6 times; pl. כֵּהוֹת Lv 13:39 1 S 3:2;—dim, of eyes 1 S 3:2; of burning wick (פִּשְׁתָּה כ׳) Is 42:3; dull (in colour, of plague-spots) Lv 13:6, 21, 26, 28, 39, 56; fig. = faint רוּחַ כ׳ Is 61:3 (opp. מַעֲטֵה תְהִלָּה).