H3733c H3733c
A he-lamb or young ram (animal); a battering ram (siege weapon)
The noun כַּר carries two strikingly different meanings united by the image of a ram. In its primary sense it denotes a he-lamb or young male sheep, prized for its fat (Deut 32:14) and offered as tribute (Isa 16:1, 2 Kgs 3:4). Amos pictures the luxury of Samaria's elite feasting on lambs from the flock (Amos 6:4), and Ezekiel's merchants trade in them (Ezek 27:21). The secondary sense is a battering ram — the siege engine named, as in English, after the animal that butts — appearing only in Ezekiel's vivid siege prophecies (Ezek 4:2; 21:22).
Senses
1. he-lamb, ram (animal) — A he-lamb or young ram, a male sheep valued for its rich fat and tender meat. The multilingual evidence is clear: English consistently renders 'lamb/lambs,' Spanish 'corderos,' confirming a pastoral-sacrificial animal. Deuteronomy 32:14 celebrates 'the fat of lambs' alongside the finest wheat, while 2 Kings 3:4 records Mesha of Moab delivering 100,000 lambs as tribute. Isaiah 34:6 pairs the blood of lambs with goats in a grim sacrifice metaphor, and Ezekiel 39:18 lists them among feast animals. The word likely derives from the lamb's characteristic skipping and gamboling in the field. 9×
AR["الحُمْلاَنِ", "الْحُمْلَانِ", "بِحُمْلَانٍ", "حَمَلًا", "حُمْلانًا", "حُمْلَانًا", "حُمْلَانٍ", "كَبْشٍ", "كَحُمْلَانٍ"]·ben["-মেষদের", "ভেড়ার", "মেষ", "মেষ-শাবকে", "মেষদের", "মেষশাবক", "মেষশাবকদের-মতো", "মেষের"]·DE["Laemmer", "Widder", "[ככרים]", "[כר]", "[כרים]", "der-Laemmer", "mit-Widdern"]·EN["lamb", "lambs", "like-lambs", "of-lambs", "the-lambs", "with-lambs"]·FR["[ככרים]", "[כר]", "[כרים]", "agneaux", "le-agneaux", "pâturage"]·heb["ב-כרים", "ה-כרים", "כ-כרים", "כר", "כרים"]·HI["-मेमनों-से", "मेंढ़े-बच्चे", "मेमने", "मेमनों-की", "मेमनों-की-तरह", "मेमनों-के", "मेम्ना"]·ID["anak-anak-domba", "dengan-domba,", "domba-domba", "domba-domba-jantan", "domba-jantan", "seperti-domba-domba-jantan"]·IT["agnelli", "arieti", "con-arieti", "il-agnelli", "sella"]·jav["cempe", "cèmphi-cèmphi", "ing-cempe", "kados-cempé", "kaliyan-cèmphe-cèmphe", "lan-pedhèt", "mènda", "saking", "wedhus-gèmbèl"]·KO["그-어린양들", "어린-양들", "어린-양들로-", "어린-양들의", "어린-양을", "어린양들", "어린양들처럼", "어린양을"]·PT["com-cordeiros", "como-cordeiros", "cordeiro", "cordeiros", "os-cordeiros"]·RU["агнцев", "как-агнцев", "ягнят", "ягнятами", "ягнёнка"]·ES["como-corderos", "con-corderos", "cordero", "corderos", "de-corderos", "los-corderos"]·SW["kama-wana-kondoo", "kondoo", "kwa-kondoo-dume", "mwana-kondoo", "wana-kondoo", "ya-wana-kondoo"]·TR["-kuzuların", "kuzu", "kuzular", "kuzular-gibi", "kuzularin", "kuzularla", "kuzuları", "kuzuların"]·urd["بروں-کے", "برّہ", "بَ-برے", "بھیڑ-کے-بچے", "بھیڑوں", "بھیڑوں-کی", "بھیڑوں-کی-طرح", "بھیڑوں-کے", "بھیڑیں"]
2. battering ram (siege weapon) — A battering ram, the heavy siege engine used to breach city walls and fortifications. All three occurrences cluster in Ezekiel's siege oracles: Ezek 4:2 describes setting battering rams against a model of Jerusalem, and Ezek 21:22 mentions them twice as the Babylonian king sets rams against the gates. Spanish 'arietes' (from Latin aries, also meaning 'ram') perfectly mirrors the Hebrew semantic transfer from the butting animal to the weapon. German 'Widder' likewise means both 'ram' and 'battering ram,' showing this metaphorical leap is cross-linguistically natural. 3×
AR["مَجانيقَ", "مِدَقَّاتٍ"]·ben["অবরোধ-যন্ত্রগুলি", "মেষ"]·DE["Widder"]·EN["battering-rams"]·FR["pâturage"]·heb["כרים"]·HI["मेंढे", "मोरचे"]·ID["alat-pendobrak"]·IT["arieti"]·jav["alat-pangepungan", "mesin-pengepungan"]·KO["공성-무기들을", "공성퇴들을"]·PT["aríetes"]·RU["тараны"]·ES["arietes"]·SW["kondoo-dume", "nguzo-za-vita"]·TR["koçbaşları", "koçbaşlarını"]·urd["مینڈھے"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† III. כַּר n.[m.] he-lamb, battering-ram (Assyrian kirru, Zim in Schwally ZAW x. (1890), 186; perhaps lamb from dancing, skipping, gallopping in field; (battering-)ram as in Eng., from butting; cf. Arabic كَبْشٌ ram and buttress, Lane; also battering-ram cf. Dozy ii. 440);—sg. only Is 16:1 the lamb of the ruler (as tribute); elsewhere pl. כָּרִים Am 6:4 1 S 15:9; 2 K 3:4; Je 51:40 (in sim.), Ez…