H3651a H3651a
Right, correct, fitting; as an adverb, so or thus; of persons, honest and upright in character.
Ken is a small word with a wide reach. In Exodus 10:29 Moses tells Pharaoh 'you have spoken rightly,' and Numbers 27:7 and 36:5 use it to ratify legal claims as correct. The Syriac cognate ke'n ('rightly') confirms this core of verified correctness. In wisdom literature it shifts toward manner and degree: Psalm 65:9 and Proverbs passages use it adverbially as 'so, thus.' Its most memorable cluster comes in Genesis 42, where Joseph's brothers insist five times that they are 'honest men' (kennim), a moral claim tested across the entire Joseph cycle.
Senses
1. right, correct — Right, correct, proper, or fitting, used of speech, actions, or states of affairs that are accurate or appropriate. Moses affirms Pharaoh's statement as 'right' in Exodus 10:29, and God validates the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27:7. Judges 12:6 uses it of correct pronunciation. The Syriac cognate ke'n supports this core meaning of verified correctness. 11×
AR["بِ-صَوابٍ", "حَسَنًا", "حَقًّا", "صَوَابًا", "كَذٰلِكَ", "نَعَم", "هٰكذا", "هٰكَذَا"]·ben["ঠিক", "সঠিক", "সঠিক।", "সেরকম", "হ্যাঁ"]·DE["rechte", "rechts", "rightly", "so", "yes"]·EN["right", "rightly", "so", "yes"]·FR["ainsi", "droit", "droite", "justement", "yes"]·heb["כן"]·HI["ऐसे", "खेन", "ठीक", "सच", "सही", "सही-से", "हाँ"]·ID["-benar", "Benar", "benar", "demikian", "dengan-benar"]·IT["cosi", "così", "destra", "rightly", "yes"]·jav["Leres", "Lèrès", "bener", "leres", "makaten"]·KO["그렇게", "그렇게-", "그렇다", "바르게", "올바르게", "올바른", "옮다", "옳은"]·PT["Certo", "Sim", "assim", "certo", "correto", "reta"]·RU["верно", "верны", "да", "правильно", "так", "такова"]·ES["Bien", "Correcto", "así", "recta", "rectamente", "rectas", "recto", "sí"]·SW["Kweli", "hivyo", "kweli", "ndiyo", "sawa"]·TR["böyle", "dogru", "doğru", "evet"]·urd["ایسا", "ایسے", "درست", "سچ", "صحیح", "ٹھیک", "ہاں"]
2. so, thus — A demonstrative adverb indicating manner or degree: 'so, thus, in this way.' Found primarily in wisdom and poetic texts such as Psalm 65:9, Proverbs 11:19, 15:7, and 28:2, and Ecclesiastes 8:10. Here the word functions as a comparative or consequential particle rather than an adjective, pointing to how things stand or follow. Spanish 'asi' and German 'so' reflect this adverbial function. 6×
AR["المَدِينَةِ", "كَذلِكَ", "هكذا", "هكذا-", "هكَذا", "هَكَذَا"]·ben["-সঠিক", "এইভাবে", "তেমন", "তেমনই-", "তেমনি"]·DE["darum", "so"]·EN["so", "so-", "thus", "true"]·FR["ainsi"]·heb["כן", "כן-", "כן־"]·HI["ऐसा", "ऐसे", "वैसा-", "वैसे"]·ID["Demikianlah-", "benar", "demikian", "demikianlah"]·IT["cosi", "cosi'", "così"]·jav["makaten", "mekaten", "mekaten-"]·KO["그러하지", "그러한", "그렇게", "그렇게-", "이와-같다"]·PT["Assim", "assim"]·RU["так", "так-"]·ES["así"]·SW["hivyo", "kwa-hakika", "kweli"]·TR["boyle", "böyle", "böylece", "böylece-", "oyle", "öyle"]·urd["ایسا", "ایسے", "ایسے-ہی", "سچ"]
3. honest, upright — Honest, upright, trustworthy in character, applied exclusively to persons. This sense appears concentrated in the Joseph narrative of Genesis 42:11, 19, 31, 33, 34, where the brothers insist they are 'kennim' -- honest men, not spies. The moral weight here goes beyond mere factual correctness to personal integrity. French 'honnete' and German 'aufrichtig' both preserve the ethical connotation. 5×
AR["صَادِقُونَ", "صَادِقِينَ"]·ben["সৎ"]·DE["aufrichtig", "aufrichtige"]·EN["honest"]·FR["honest"]·heb["כן"]·HI["सच्चे"]·ID["jujur"]·IT["honest"]·jav["jujur"]·KO["정직하다", "정직하다고", "정직한", "정직한-자들이면"]·PT["honestos"]·RU["честные"]·ES["honrados"]·SW["kaka", "kweli"]·TR["dürüst"]·urd["سچے"]
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
† II. כֵּן adj. right, veritable, honest (proposes firm, upright; Syriac ܟܻܐܢ recte PS1662)—abs. כֵּן Ex 10:29 + (on poss. cstr. v. 2 ad fin.); pl. כֵּנִים Gn 42:11, 19, 31, 33, 34;— 1. right, usually indecl., often as subst. a right thing, especially c. vbb. dicendi Ex 10:29 (J) כֵּן דִּבַּרְתָּ, Nu 27:7 כֵּן דֹּבְרֹת, 36:5 (both P); כֵּן יַאֲרִיךְ Pr 28:2 (the) right (i.e. order and justice)…