כְּמוֹ H3644
Like, as; a poetic and emphatic comparative preposition synonymous with the simpler ke-, used chiefly in verse.
Kemo is the fuller, more emphatic sibling of the common Hebrew preposition ke- ('like, as'). Built from ke- plus the interrogative mo ('what?'), it literally means something like 'the likeness of what (is) ...' and appears almost exclusively in poetry — 56 of its 142 occurrences stand as an independent word in poetic lines, while the remainder serve as a poetic equivalent of ke- before pronominal suffixes. Spanish como, French comme, and German wie all translate it identically to plain ke-, which is precisely the point: the semantic content is the same, but the register is elevated. The cognates are illuminating — Aramaic kema, Arabic kama, and Ethiopic kama all preserve this compound comparative, confirming its deep Semitic pedigree.
Senses
1. like, as (comparison) — The dominant comparative sense: 'like, as,' drawing a simile or analogy between two things. Found 139 times with pronominal suffixes and in poetic lines, this is the standard function of kemo throughout its range. In Exodus 15:5 the Egyptians sink 'like a stone' (kemoh 'aven); in Job 6:15 Job's brothers are faithless 'like a wadi' that dries up. The multilingual evidence — Spanish como, French comme, German wie — treats this identically to simple ke-, confirming that kemo adds poetic register rather than new meaning. Arabic kama and Ethiopic kama preserve the same compound formation across the Semitic family. 139×
AR["كَ", "كَ-", "كَ-مِثلِ", "كَأَرْزَةٍ-", "كَال-", "كَمِثلِ", "كَمِثْلِ", "مِثْلَ"]·ben["-মতো", "-মতো-", "ঈশ্বরের-মতো", "মতো", "মতো-", "যেমন", "যেমন-"]·DE["wie", "wie-"]·EN["as-", "like", "like-", "like-a"]·FR["comme", "comme-"]·heb["כ-מו-", "כמו", "כמו-"]·HI["जैसी", "जैसे", "जैसे-"]·ID["seperti", "seperti-"]·IT["come", "come-"]·jav["ingkang-ngandika", "kados", "kados-", "kadosdene", "kadosdéné-", "remukna", "wong-wadon"]·KO["-같이", "-처럼", "~처럼", "같이", "같이-", "처럼-"]·PT["como", "como-"]·RU["как", "как-"]·ES["como", "como-", "cosas-como"]·SW["kama", "kama-"]·TR["gibi", "gibi-"]·urd["-کی-طرح", "آگ-کی-", "ایسی", "جیسے", "جیسے-", "طرح-جیسے", "نئے-پودے-کی-طرح", "پتھر-کی-طرح", "کَ-مانِند-"]
2. and as, and like (conjoined comparison) — Conjoined comparison with the conjunction waw prefixed: 'and as, and like.' Only 2 occurrences (Gen 19:15 and Isa 41:25), both linking a comparison clause to what precedes. In Genesis 19:15 the phrase marks the moment 'when the dawn arose'; in Isaiah 41:25 the conqueror comes upon rulers 'and as a potter treads clay.' Spanish y-como and German und-wie both render the conjunction-plus-comparison transparently. This is syntactically distinct — the waw prefix before a preposition is unusual and signals a deliberate poetic coordination. 2×
AR["وَ-كَمَا", "وَكَمَا"]·ben["এবং-মতো", "ও-যেন"]·DE["und-als", "und-wie"]·EN["and-as", "treading"]·FR["et-comme"]·heb["ו-כמו"]·HI["और-जब", "और-जैसे"]·ID["dan-ketika", "dan-seperti"]·IT["e-come"]·jav["Lan-nalika", "lan-kados"]·KO["그리고-같이", "그리고-때같이"]·PT["E-quando", "e-como"]·RU["И-когда", "и-как"]·ES["Y-cuando", "y-como"]·SW["na-jua", "na-kama"]·TR["Ve-gibi", "ve-gibi"]·urd["اور-جب", "اور-جیسے"]
3. thus, in this manner — An adverbial use meaning 'thus, in this manner,' without a direct object of comparison. Attested once in Psalm 73:15, where the psalmist says 'if I had spoken thus (kemo), I would have betrayed the generation of your children.' Here kemo points backward to the preceding thought rather than forward to a compared object. French comme retains some of this deictic flexibility, but Spanish asi and the idiomatic English 'thus' show that translators recognize this as a manner adverb, not a simile marker. 1×
AR["هكَذا"]·ben["এইভাবে"]·DE["wie"]·EN["thus"]·FR["comme"]·heb["כמו"]·HI["इस-प्रकार"]·ID["seperti-mereka"]·IT["come"]·jav["kadosdéné"]·KO["이같이"]·PT["assim"]·RU["так"]·ES["así"]·SW["hivyo"]·TR["böyle"]·urd["ایسے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
כְּמוֹ adv. and conj. like, as, when (lit. the like of what (viz.) …, a pleon. form of כְּ (v. מוֹ), and, like it, proposes a subst.: cf. Aramaic כְּמָא like ψ 78:68 Levy, usually כְּמָא דְּ like as; ܐܰܟ݂ܡܳܐ (i.e. ܐܰܝܟ݂ ܡܳܐ) like what, like, usually sq. ܕ ? like as; Sam. ࠊࠌࠄ; Arabic كَمَا; Ethiopic ከመ kama, like as, DiGr § 63 a Sab. כמו ZMG 1883, 394)—used 1. (56 times) as an indep. word (except…