H3800 H3800
Fine gold, pure gold — a poetic term for gold of the highest quality, often paired with Ophir or paz.
This poetic noun denotes gold of exceptional purity and value, distinguished from ordinary zahav (gold) by its rarity and literary register. It appears in wisdom literature and prophetic poetry, often in construct with place names like Ophir (Isa 13:12; Job 28:16; Ps 45:9) or paired with paz, 'refined gold' (Song 5:11). Lamentations 4:1 opens with the haunting question 'How the fine gold has grown dim!' — using kethem to symbolize Zion's former glory now tarnished. The word may be a loanword, attested in Egyptian as kathama, suggesting an ancient international trade term for premium gold.
Senses
1. fine gold, pure gold — A poetic and elevated term for fine or pure gold, used to denote gold of the highest quality. Spanish 'oro' and French 'or fin' render the basic sense, but the Hebrew carries a literary weight absent from common zahav. It frequently appears in construct with Ophir (Isa 13:12; Job 28:16; Ps 45:9) or alongside paz 'refined gold' (Song 5:11), establishing it as a superlative. Proverbs 25:12 pairs it with a gold ring as an image of wise reproof. The term may be a loanword attested in Egyptian (kathama) and South Arabian (ktm), pointing to ancient international gold trade networks. 9×
AR["الِإبْرِيزُ","بِ-ذَهَبٍ","بِ-ذَهَبِ","بِـ-ذَهَبِ","ذَهَبٍ-خالِصٍ","كِتِم","مِنْ-ذَهَبِ","وَ-لِ-الإبريزِ"]·ben["-খাঁটি-সোনাতে","-শুদ্ধ-সোনার-মতো","-সোনায়","-সোনার-চেয়েও","আর-খাঁটি-সোনা","মধ্যে-সোনা","শুদ্ধ-সোনার","সেই-খাঁটি-সোনা"]·DE["[בכתם]","[הכתם]","[ולכתם]","[כתם]","[מכתם]","in-Gold-von"]·EN["and-to-fine-gold","fine-gold","finest","in-gold","in-gold-of","more-than-gold-of","the-pure-gold","with-gold-of"]·FR["[הכתם]","[מכתם]","dans-or-fin","dans-or-pur","et-or-pur","or","or-pur"]·heb["ב-כתם","ה-כתם","ו-ל-כתם","כתם","מ-כתם"]·HI["और-शुद्ध-सोने-को","खरे-सोने-को","में-सोना","में-सोने","शुद्ध-सोने-का","शुद्ध-सोने-से","से-खालिस-सोने-","सोने-के-समान"]·ID["-emas-murni","dan-kepada-emas murni","dengan-emas","emas","emas-murni","lebih-dari-emas"]·IT["[בכתם]","[הכתם]","[מכתם]","e-al-oro-fino","in-oro-fino","oro-fino"]·jav["emas","emas-murni","kalayan-emas","kaliyan-emas","kanthi-èmas-murni","katimbang-emas","lan-dhatèng-emas-murni"]·KO["-금-으로","그-순금-이","그리고-순금-에게","금-이라","순금-의","순금의-","에-순금으로","오빌의-순금으로","정금-보다"]·PT["com-ouro","com-ouro-de","do-que-ouro-de","e-para-ouro-fino","em-ouro-de","o-ouro","ouro","ouro-fino"]·RU["больше-чем-золото","в-золоте","золото","золотом","и-чистому-золоту","из-чистого-золота"]·ES["con-oro","con-oro-de","de-oro","el-oro","oro","oro-fino","que-el-oro-de","y-al-oro-fino"]·SW["dhahabu","dhahabu-safi","kuliko-dhahabu-safi","kwa-dhahabu","kwa-dhahabu-safi","kwa-dhahabu-ya","na-kwa-dhahabu-safi"]·TR["-den-altinindan","altın-ile","altınla","altınıyla","saf-altin","saf-altın","saf-altınla","saf-altının","ve-saf-altına"]·urd["-کندن","اور-خالص سونے کو","خالص-سونے-کی-طرح","سونے-سے","سونے-میں","کندن-سے","کندن-سے-زیادہ","کندن-کا"]
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
† כֶּ֫תֶם n.m. La 4:1 gold, poet. and late (perhaps loan-word in Heb.; Ph. has n.pr.m. כתם; Sab. כתם HalEt.Sab. 190; kaθȧmā as loan-wd. in Egyptian, Bondi 80 f.);—כ׳ abs. Jb 28:19 + 3 times, כָּ֑תֶם Pr 25:12; cstr. כֶּתֶם Is 13:12 + 3 times;—כ׳ אוֹפִיר Is 13:12 gold of Ophir (‖ פָּ֑ז), so Jb 28:16 ψ 45:10; כ׳ אוּפָ֑ז Dn 10:5 (read perhaps אוֹפִיר for אוּפָז q.v.); כ׳ alone Jb 31:24 (‖ זָהָב),…