H3654 H3654
Gnats or lice (the insect plague of Egypt); also a separate adverbial particle 'so, thus' in Isa 51:6.
Two entirely distinct words share this lemma entry. The primary form kinnim refers to the tiny biting insects of the third Egyptian plague (Exod 8:16-18), variously identified as gnats (Septuagint, Vulgate, most moderns) or lice (Targum, Josephus, later Hebrew). The Spanish glosses 'piojos' (lice) follow the rabbinic tradition, while French 'moustiques' (mosquitoes) leans toward the gnat identification — a longstanding entomological debate. The single occurrence in Isa 51:6 is a different word entirely: the adverb ken meaning 'so, thus,' describing how earth's inhabitants will perish 'in like manner.'
Senses
1. the gnats — Gnats or lice — the swarming insects of the third Egyptian plague. In Exod 8:16-18, Aaron strikes the dust and it becomes kinnim throughout Egypt; Ps 105:31 recalls the plague in poetry. Ancient translations disagree on the species: the Septuagint and Vulgate render 'gnats' (sknipes/sciniphes), while the Targum and Josephus say 'lice.' Spanish 'piojos/los piojos' follows the lice tradition; French 'moustiques' opts for gnats. The identification remains debated, but all agree on a tiny, tormenting insect. 6×
AR["الْبَعُوضَ","الْبَعُوضُ","بَعُوضًا","قَمل"]·ben["উকুন","উকুন-"]·DE["Muecken","der-Muecken","gnats"]·EN["gnats","the-gnats"]·FR["comme-moustique","le-moustiques","moustiques"]·heb["ה-כינים","ה-כינם","כינים","ל-כינים"]·HI["जूएं","जूओं"]·ID["nyamuk","nyamuk-nyamuk"]·IT["[כנים]","il-zanzare","zanzare"]·jav["dados-tumah","tuma","tumah"]·KO["그-이들을","그-이들이","이-가","이들이"]·PT["o-piolho","os-piolhos","piolhos"]·RU["вши","мошек","мошка","мошками"]·ES["el-piojo","los-piojos","piojos"]·SW["chawa"]·TR["bitler","sivrisinek","sivrisinekler","sivrisinekleri"]·urd["جوؤں","جوؤں-میں","جوئیں"]
2. so — The adverb ken meaning 'so, thus, in like manner,' appearing in Isa 51:6 where the inhabitants of the earth will die 'so' (ken) — that is, in the same way as the heavens vanish like smoke and the earth wears out like a garment. This is lexically unrelated to the insect noun and belongs to the common Hebrew adverbial particle ken (thus, so), here listed under the same lemma number due to consonantal overlap. 1×
AR["ذَلِكَ"]·ben["তেমনি"]·DE["so"]·EN["so"]·FR["ainsi"]·heb["כן"]·HI["ही"]·ID["demikian"]·IT["cosi"]·jav["mekaten"]·KO["같이"]·PT["assim"]·RU["так"]·ES["así"]·SW["hivyo"]·TR["sekilde"]·urd["ایسے"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† IV. כֵּן (?), כִּנִּם, כִּנָּם n.[m.], meaning dub.; either gnat, gnats, gnat-swarm (so 𝔊 𝔙 PhiloVita Mos. i, p. 97, OrigenHom 4, 6 in Ex., and most moderns), or [louse,] lice (so 𝔖 𝔗 JosAnt. ii, 14, 13 BochHieroz. II, ii, 572 f., as NH כִּנָּה, pl. כִּנִּים = maggots, and especially lice)—abs. perh. כֵּן Is 51:6 (v. infr.); pl. כִּנִּים Ex 8:13, 14 ψ 105:31, כִּנִּם Ex 8:12; Ex 8:13, 14…