H3584 H3584
To deny, lie, deal falsely; to cringe or feign submission; to fail or disappoint; to grow lean or waste away.
A versatile verb whose senses revolve around unreliability and deception. In its Piel stem, kachash most frequently means to deny or lie—Sarah denied laughing before God (Gen 18:15), and the Levitical laws warn against dealing falsely with a neighbor (Lev 6:2-3). A vivid secondary use describes conquered enemies cringing in feigned submission (Ps 18:44; 66:3), where the deception is bodily rather than verbal. The root can also describe things that 'prove false'—a harvest that fails (Hab 3:17) or a body that wastes away (Ps 109:24), extending the theme of disappointing expectations into the physical world.
1. deny, lie, deal falsely — To deny the truth, lie, or deal falsely with someone. This is the primary Piel sense, covering fourteen of the twenty-two occurrences. It ranges from Sarah's fearful denial before the LORD (Gen 18:15) to the legal prohibitions against swearing falsely over a deposit or found property (Lev 6:2-3; 19:11). Spanish 'negar' (to deny) and 'engañar' (to deceive) map neatly onto the two poles of this sense—withholding truth versus actively distorting it. Joshua 7:11 extends it to covenant violation: Israel 'dealt falsely' with the devoted things. 14×
AR["أَنكَرتُ","أَنكَروا","تَكْذِبُونَ","تِكَاحِشُونَ","فَيَنْكِرُهُ","كَذَبَ","كَذَّبُوا","وَ-أَنْكَرَ","وَ-أَنْكَرَتْ","وَ-أُنْكِرَ","وَ-تُنْكِرُ","وَ-جُحُودٌ","وَكَذِبٌ","يَكْذِبُوا"]·ben["-এবং-অস্বীকার-করা","অস্বীকার-করেছি","অস্বীকার-করেছে","এবং-অস্বীকার-করল","এবং-অস্বীকার-করে","এবং-আমি-অস্বীকার-করি","এবং-মিথ্যা","তারা-মিথ্যা-বলেছে","তাহলে-অস্বীকার-করবে","প্রতারণা-করতে","মিথ্যা-বলবে","মিথ্যা-বলেছে"]·DE["[וכחש]","[וכחשתי]","[כחש]","[כחשו]","[כחשתי]","du-verfahren-falsely","er-lied","sie-haben-lied","und-deceives","und-denies","und-leugnete","verfahren-falsely"]·EN["I-would-have-denied","and-deceives","and-denied","and-denies","and-deny","and-denying","and-it-denies","and-lying","deal-falsely","deceive","he-lied","they-have-lied","you-deal-falsely"]·FR["[וכחש]","[כחשו]","et-deceives","et-denies","et-nia","et-nier","et-וכחש","et-וכחשתי","il-lied","ils-avoir-lied","nier","traiter-faussement","tu-traiter-falsely","כחשתי"]·heb["ו-כחש","ו-כיחש","ו-כיחשתי","ו-תכחש","כחש","כיחש","כיחשו","כיחשתי","תכחשון"]·HI["उन्होंने-झुठलाया","और-इनकअर-किय","और-इनकार-करना","और-इनकार-करूँ","और-झूठ","और-झूठ-बोला","और-झूठ-बोले","झुठलाया-मैंने","झूठ-बोलने","झूठ-बोला","झूठ-बोलो","झूठ-बोलोगे","तो-वह-इंकार-करेगा"]·ID["Mereka-menyangkal","aku menyangkal","dan-berbohong","dan-ia-menyangkal","dan-menyangkal","dia-berbohong","kamu-menipu","kamu-menyangkal","menipu"]·IT["Io-would-have-denied","[וכחש]","[כחש]","e-deceives","e-denies","e-e-deny","e-e-it-denies","e-mentire","e-negò","egli-lied","essi-avere-lied","mentire","trattare-falsely","tu-deal-falsely"]·jav["Lan-selak","Piyambakipun-goroh","goroh","kula-nyangkal","lan-goroh","lan-nyangkal","lan-nyelèngi","lan-selak","ngapusi","piyambakipun-goroh"]·KO["거짓말했다","그리고-거짓말하고","그리고-거짓말하면","그리고-부인하고","그리고-부인하리라","그리고-부인했다","그리하면-내가-부인하리라","내가-부인하였으리니","부인할까봐","부인했다","속였다","속이기","속일-것이다-너희는"]·PT["E-negou","Negaram","e-mentir","e-mentiu","e-negar","e-te-negue","enganar","mentiram","mentiu","negareis","negueis","teria-negado"]·RU["И-отрицала","и-ложь","и-отвергнет","и-отречётся","и-отрицать","и-отрёкся","обманул","обманывайте","обманывать","отреклись","отрицали","отрёкся-бы-я","солгали"]·ES["Negaron","Y-negó","engañar","mentí","mintieron","mintió","negaréis","neguéis","y-lo-niega","y-mentir","y-negar","y-negare","y-niegue"]·SW["Na-akakana","alimdanganya","kudanganya","kumkana","mtadanganya","na-amedanganya","na-kukana","na-kusema-uongo","na-nikakukana","na-pakakana","ningemkana","wamedanganya","wamemkana"]·TR["Ve-inkâr-etti","aldatacaksınız","aldatmak","inkar-ederseniz","inkar-ettiler","inkar-ettim","ve-inkar-edecek","ve-inkar-edersem","ve-inkar-etme","ve-yalan","ve-yalan-söylerse","yalan-söyledi","yalan-söylediler"]·urd["انکار-کرو","اور-انکار-کرتی-ہے","اور-انکار-کرنا","اور-انکار-کروں","اور-انکار-کیا","اور-جھوٹ","اور-جھوٹ-بولا","اور-جھوٹ-بولے","جھوٹ-بولا","جھوٹ-بولو","جھٹلایا","دھوکہ-دے","میں نے جھٹلایا ہوتا"]
Gen 18:15, Lev 6:2, Lev 6:3, Lev 19:11, Josh 7:11, Josh 24:27, 1 Kgs 13:18, Job 8:18, Job 31:28, Prov 30:9, Isa 59:13, Jer 5:12 (+2 more)
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
2. cringe, feign submission — To cringe before a conqueror or feign obedience and submission. Defeated enemies 'come cringing' to the victor (Deut 33:29; 2 Sam 22:45), their outward compliance masking inner resistance. The deception is performative—bodies bowing while hearts rebel. Spanish 'fingir obediencia' (to feign obedience) and the English 'cringe' together capture the dual aspect of fear and insincerity. Psalm 81:15 uses this of Israel's enemies, and Psalm 66:3 universalizes it to all the earth before God's awesome deeds. 5×
AR["وَيَتَذَلَّلُ","يَتَذَلَّلُونَ-","يَتَمَلَّقُونَ","يُتَمَلَّقُونَ-","يُنافِقونَ"]·ben["এবং-মিথ্যা-বলবে","তারা-তোষামোদ-করত-","তোমার-কাছে-অবনত-হবে","মিথ্যা-বলবে-"]·DE["cringe","kam-cringing-","und-wird-cower","wird-cringe","würde-cringe"]·EN["and-will-cower","came-cringing-","cringe","will-cringe","would-cringe"]·FR["cringe","et-fera-cower","mentir"]·heb["ו-ייכחשו","יכחשו","יכחשו-","יתכחשו"]·HI["और-दबेंगे","गिड़गिड़ाते-","झुकेंगे","झूठ-बोलेंगे-","दबकर-हिं"]·ID["akan-tunduk","berpura-pura-tunduk-","dan-tunduk","tunduk"]·IT["cringe","e-fara-cower","nego'"]·jav["badhé-nyembah-nyembah","badhé-tunduk","lan-ina","ngajèni-","nyerah-"]·KO["거짓으로-다가오나이다-","괴로워-하리라-","굴복하리이다","그리고-굴복하리라","비굴거려-리라-"]·PT["e-se-submeterão","fingirão-obediência","lhe-fingiriam-obediência","me-adulavam"]·RU["будут-льстить-","и-потеряют-силу","лицемерят-","покорились-бы","покорятся"]·ES["fingen-obediencia","se-someterán-","se-someterán-fingidamente","se-someterían-","y-serán-sometidos"]·SW["wangejisalimisha","watajinyenyekeza","watajisalimisha","watajitiisha","wataniambia-uongo"]·TR["boyun-eğecek","boyun-eğecekler-","ve-boyun-eğecekler","yalaka-olurlar","yaltaklanırlar-"]·urd["اور-جھوٹ-بولیں-گے","جھوٹے-بولیں-گے","خوشامد-کرتے-ہیں","خوشامد-کریں-گے"]
3. fail, prove false — To fail, prove deceptive, or disappoint expectations, said of impersonal things. The olive crop 'fails' (Hab 3:17), and the threshing floor 'lies' to the people (Hos 9:2)—harvest promises that go unfulfilled. This metaphorical extension personifies nature as an unreliable witness, using the same vocabulary of deception applied to human speech. Spanish 'mentir' applied to a crop field vividly preserves this personification. 2×
AR["خَذَلَ","يَخيبُ"]·ben["প্রতারণা-করবে","ব্যর্থ-হয়েছে"]·DE["[יכחש]","[כחש]"]·EN["fails","shall-fail"]·FR["nier"]·heb["יכחש","כיחש"]·HI["झूठ-बोलेगा","धोखा-देगी"]·ID["akan-mengecewakan","mengecewakan"]·IT["[יכחש]","[כחש]"]·jav["gagal","ngapusi-piyambakipun"]·KO["속이리라","실패하며"]·PT["falhará","falhou"]·RU["обманет","обмануло"]·ES["falle","les-mentirá"]·SW["imeshindwa","itamkosea"]·TR["aldatacak","yalancı-çıktı"]·urd["دھوکا-دے-گا","دھوکا-دے-گی"]
4. grow lean, waste away — To grow lean, become emaciated, or waste away physically. This sole Qal occurrence in Psalm 109:24—'my flesh has grown lean, away from fatness'—describes bodily deterioration under affliction. The Aramaic cognate likewise means 'to grow lean,' confirming this as the root's most concrete, physical sense. Spanish 'enflaquecer' (to grow thin) renders it precisely. That bodily wasting shares a root with deception suggests an ancient intuition that the emaciated body 'disappoints' the expectations of health. 1×
AR["هَزَلَ"]·ben["ক্ষীণ-হয়েছে"]·DE["hat-grown-lean"]·EN["has-grown-lean"]·FR["comme-mentir"]·heb["כחש"]·HI["सूख-गया-है"]·ID["kurus"]·IT["nego'"]·jav["nandhang-kuru"]·KO["마르도다"]·PT["está-magra"]·RU["исхудала"]·ES["enflaqueció"]·SW["umedhoofu"]·TR["zayıfladı"]·urd["کمزور-ہو-گیا-ہے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כָּחַשׁ vb. be disappointing, deceive, fail, grow lean (NH כָּחַשׁ grow lean; Hiph. convict of falsehood, refute; Aramaic כְּחַשׁ grow lean; כַּחְשָׁא leanness, כְּחִישׁוּתָא leanness, weakness; Aph. as NH Hiph.)— Qal Pf. 3 ms. וּבְשָׂרִי כָּחַשׁ מִשָּׁ֑מֶן ψ 109:24 my flesh hath grown lean (away) from fatness (‖ בִּרְכַּי כָּֽשְׁלוּ מִצּוֹם). Niph. Impf. וְיִכָּֽחֲשׁוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ לָךְ Dt 33:29…