כֶּ֫סֶף402 H3701
Silver as a precious metal; by extension, money or currency weighed out for payment, purchase, or redemption.
One of the most economically significant words in the Hebrew Bible, keseph denotes both the physical metal silver and the money derived from it. In the ancient Near East silver served as the primary medium of exchange long before coined currency, so the same word covers both the gleaming metal used for temple vessels and the weighed-out payment Abraham counted for the cave of Machpelah (Gen 23:15-16). German translations revealingly alternate between Silber (the substance) and Geld (money), while French uses argent for both — a parallel semantic merger. Spanish plata likewise carries both senses, mirroring the Hebrew polysemy almost exactly.
1. silver (the metal) — The precious metal silver in its physical sense — as raw ore, refined material, or crafted substance used for temple furnishings, idols, jewelry, and ornamentation. This covers the vast majority of occurrences (391x). German Silber and Spanish plata capture the material referent directly. Key contexts include the tabernacle construction (Exodus 25-38) and prophetic imagery of refining silver (Zech 13:9, Mal 3:3, Ps 12:7). 391×
AR["الْ-فِضَّةُ","الْفِضَّةُ","بِ-فِضَّةٍ","فِضَّةً","فِضَّةٍ"]·ben["রুপায়","রূপা","রূপা।","রূপার","রৌপ্যমুদ্রায়"]·DE["Geld","Silber","Silberlinge","aus-Silber","das-Silber","mit-Silber"]·EN["silver"]·FR["argent"]·heb["כסף"]·HI["चन्दि","चन्दि-से","चा̃दी-के","चाँदी","चाँदी-की","चाँदी-के","चाँदी-में","चाँदी-से","चांदी","चांदी-के","धन"]·ID["dengan-perak","perak","uang"]·IT["argento"]·jav["arta","arta.","perak","pérak","salaka","selaka"]·KO["돈을","은","은과","은에","은으로","은을","은의","은이"]·PT["prata"]·RU["серебра","серебро","серебром","серебряные","серебряных"]·ES["de-plata","plata"]·SW["akampa","chitaka","fedha","kucheza","kwa-fedha","tutaibia","vya-fedha","ya-fedha"]·TR["gümüş","gümüşe","gümüşle","gümüşün","para"]·urd["رقم","روپیہ","چاندی","چاندی-سے","چاندی-کے"]
Gen 17:12, Gen 17:27, Gen 20:16, Gen 23:15, Gen 23:16, Gen 24:53, Gen 37:28, Gen 43:15, Gen 44:8, Gen 44:8, Gen 45:22, Gen 47:15 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. money, purchase price — Silver functioning as money, currency, or purchase price (12x) — weighed out in commercial transactions, wages, fines, or redemption payments. Possessive suffixes ('his money,' 'our money') mark this sense distinctly, as seen in Joseph's brothers discovering their returned silver (Gen 42:25-35). German Geld versus Silber neatly flags the shift from substance to currency. Laban's complaint that he treated his daughters as foreigners and 'consumed our money' (Gen 31:15) illustrates the economic sense. 12×
AR["ثَمَنَهُ","فِضَّاتِهِمْ","فِضَّتَ-نا","فِضَّتَنَا","فِضَّتَهُ","فِضَّتَهُمْ","فِضَّتُكُمْ","فِضَّتُنَا","فِضَّتِهِ","فِضَّتِي","مالَهُ"]·ben["আমাদের-দাম","আমাদের-রূপা","আমার-রূপা","তাদের-রূপা","তার-রূপা","তোমাদের-রূপা","রূপা"]·DE["euer-Geld","ihr-Geld","ihres-Geldes","mein-Geld","sein-Geld","sein-Silber","seines-Geldes","unser-Geld"]·EN["his-money","his-silver","its-silver","my-silver","our-money","our-silver","their-silver","your-silver"]·FR["comme-argent","leur-argent","mon-argent","notre-argent","notre-money","son-argent","ton-argent"]·heb["כסף-ו","כסף-י","כסף-כם","כסף-ם","כסף-נו","כספו"]·HI["अपना-चाँदी","अपना-धन","अपने-धन-की","उनके-धन","चांदी-उसकी","तुम्हारा-धन","धन-उसका","मेरा-धन","हमारा-धन","हमारे-धन"]·ID["Uangnya","uang-kami","uang-mereka","uangku","uangmu","uangnya"]·IT["argento","loro-argento","mio-argento","nostro-argento","nostro-money","suo-argento","tuo-argento"]·jav["Artanipun","arta-artanipun","arta-kita","arta-kula","arta-sampéyan-sami","artanipun","pérakipun,","yatra-kawula"]·KO["그-은을","그들의-돈들을","그들의-돈들의","그의-돈을","그의-돈의","그의-재산이니라","나의-돈이","너희의-돈이","돈-을","우리의-돈을","우리의-돈이"]·PT["Seu-dinheiro","prata-dele","prata-minha","prata-nossa","prata-vossa","pratas-deles","sua-prata"]·RU["серебра-его","серебра-их","серебро-ваше","серебро-его","серебро-их","серебро-моё","серебро-наше","серебро-свое","серебро-своё"]·ES["Su-plata","plata-mía","plata-nuestra","plata-suya","plata-vuestra","platas-de-ellos","su-plata"]·SW["Fedha-yake","fedha-yake","fedha-yangu","fedha-yetu","katika","kwake","mtu","na-tazama","wao"]·TR["gümüşünü","gümüşünüz","paralarını","paralarının","param","paramız","paramızı","parasıdır","parasını","parasının"]·urd["اُس-کا-روپیہ","اُس-کی-رقم","اپنی-چاندی","روپیوں-اپنی-کی","روپیوں-ہمارے","روپیہ-تمہارا","روپیہ-میرا","روپیہ-ہمارا","روپیے-ان-کے","روپیے-اپنے","روپیے-اپنے-کی"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H0216 1. light (general / metaphorical) (116×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)H1270 1. iron (metal, tools, weapons; fig. strength/hardness) (76×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)G3037 1. stone / rock (59×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6697 1. rock, cliff, crag (49×)H3001 1. be dry, wither (intransitive) (45×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
כֶּ֫סֶף402 n.m. Gn 23:9 silver, money (NH id.; Ph. Zinj. כסף; Aramaic כַּסְפָּא, ܟܶܣܦܳܐ; Palm. כספא VogNo. 23; Assyrian kaspu; prob. the pale metal Thes al., cf. RSJPh. xiv, 125)—כ׳ abs. Gn 20:16 +, כָּ֑סֶף Ex 21:11 +; cstr. 43:21 +; sf. כַּסְפִּי Gn 42:28 + 3 times, כַּסְפְּךָ 1 K 20:3 + 2 times, כַּסְפֶּ֑ךָ Gn 17:13 Is 30:22, כַּסְפֵּךְ Is 1:22, כַּסְפֵּנוּ Gn 31:15 + 2 times, כַּסְפָּם Ho 8:4…