כֹּהֵן750 H3548
priest — one appointed to perform sacrifices, rituals, and sacred mediation between God and the people
The kohen served as the bridge between the divine and the human, officiating at the altar, handling sacred objects, pronouncing blessings, and adjudicating matters of purity. With 750 occurrences, the term overwhelmingly designates the Levitical priesthood established at Sinai, though it also applies to Melchizedek (Gen 14:18), foreign priests like those of Dagon (1 Sam 5:5), and the messianic priest-king of Psalm 110:4. The multilingual glosses — Spanish 'el sacerdote,' French 'le sacrificateur,' German 'der Priester' — consistently render the cultic-officiant sense, confirming a unified semantic profile across all contexts.
Senses
1. priest, cultic officiant — A person consecrated to cultic service, responsible for offering sacrifices, maintaining the sanctuary, and mediating between the deity and the community. Encompasses Aaronic and Levitical priests (Exod 29:30), the priest-king Melchizedek (Gen 14:18), pagan cult officials (2 Kgs 10:19), and the eschatological priest of Zechariah 6:13. Aramaic kahana and Ethiopic kahen attest to the deep Semitic roots of this office. 750×
AR["-الكاهِنُ", "-الكاهِنِ", "الكاهِنُ", "الكاهِنِ", "الْكَاهِنِ"]·ben["যাজক", "যাজকের", "সেই-যাজক"]·DE["der-Priester"]·EN["the-priest"]·FR["le-prêtre", "le-sacrificateur"]·heb["ה-כוהן"]·HI["याजक", "याजक-के"]·ID["imam", "imam-itu"]·IT["il-sacerdote"]·jav["imam", "imam,", "imam-punika"]·KO["그-제사장", "그-제사장-이", "그-제사장의", "그-제사장이"]·PT["o-kohen", "o-sacerdote"]·RU["священник", "священника", "священнику"]·ES["el-sacerdote"]·SW["kuhani"]·TR["-kâhin", "-kâhinin", "kahin"]·urd["-کاہن", "کاہن", "کاہن-کے"]
Exod 29:30, Exod 31:10, Exod 35:19, Exod 38:21, Exod 39:41, Lev 1:7, Lev 1:9, Lev 1:12, Lev 1:13, Lev 1:15, Lev 1:17, Lev 2:2 (+38 more)
Related Senses
G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)G0040 2. holy, sacred, consecrated (65×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
כֹּהֵן750 n.m. priest (NH כֹּהֵן; Aramaic כָּהֵין, כַּהֲנָא ܟܳܗܶܢ, ܟܳܗܢܳܐ; Ethiopic ካህን, 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…