קֵן H7064
Nest of a bird (literal and metaphorical, of secure habitations on high); room or compartment within a structure.
Qen names the nest that a bird builds — but in Hebrew poetry and prophecy, it became a powerful metaphor for any dwelling perched in a seemingly unassailable place. The literal sense grounds the word in Deuteronomy's tender law about not taking a mother bird from her nest (Deut 22:6) and in God stirring up the eagle's nest to teach its young to fly (Deut 32:11). From there, the metaphor soars: Balaam sees the Kenite settlement 'set in the rock' and puns on the clan name — 'enduring is your nest (qinnekha)' (Num 24:21). Obadiah and Jeremiah mock Edom for setting its nest among the stars (Obad 4; Jer 49:16), and Habakkuk condemns the Chaldeans for the same arrogance (Hab 2:9). A single, distinct use in Genesis 6:14 applies the word to the rooms or compartments within Noah's ark — cells like nests within the great vessel.
Senses
1. nest of a bird — A bird's nest, used both literally of the structure built by birds and metaphorically of human dwellings set in high, secure, or seemingly impregnable locations. The literal use appears in Deuteronomy's bird-nest law (Deut 22:6), the eagle stirring its nest (Deut 32:11), and Job's eagle nesting on the cliff (Job 39:27). The metaphorical extension is rich: Balaam puns on the Kenites' name ('your nest is set in the rock,' Num 24:21), Obadiah and Jeremiah taunt Edom for nesting among the stars (Obad 4; Jer 49:16), and Habakkuk condemns setting one's nest on high through unjust gain (Hab 2:9). Spanish nido, French nid-like renderings, and German Nest all preserve the bird metaphor naturally. Job 29:18's 'I shall die in my nest' voices the universal longing for a secure, familiar home. 12×
amh["ጎጆህን"]·AR["-عشك", "عُشًّا", "عُشٌ", "عُشَّكَ", "عُشَّهُ", "عُشَّهُ؟", "عُشُّ-", "عُشُّكَ", "عُشِّهِ", "عُشِّي", "كَـ-عُشٍّ"]·ben["আমার-বাসা", "তার-বাসা", "তোমার-বাসা", "তোমার-বাসাকে", "বাসা", "বাসা-", "বাসার-মতো"]·ces["tvé-hnízdo"]·dan["din-rede,"]·DE["[כקן]", "[קן]", "[קנו]", "[קני]", "[קנך]", "dein-Nest", "dein-nest", "ein-nest", "erwarb", "nest-von-", "sein-nest"]·ell["φωλιά-σου,"]·EN["a-nest", "as-the-nest", "his-nest", "its-nest", "my-nest", "nest", "nest-of-", "your-nest"]·FR["[כקן]", "[קן]", "[קנך]", "mon-קני-moi", "nest-de-", "nid", "sa-קנה-elle", "son-nest", "son-קנו-lui", "ton-nest", "ton-nid,"]·guj["તારો-માળો"]·hat["nich-ou"]·hau["sheƙarka"]·heb["כ-קן", "קינה", "קינו", "קיני", "קן", "קן-", "קנו", "קנך"]·HI["अपना-घोंसला", "अपने-घोंसले", "उसका-घोंसला", "घोंसला", "घोंसला-", "घोंसला-अपना", "जैसे-घोंसला", "तेरा-घोंसला", "मरूँगा-मैं"]·hun["fészkedet"]·ID["sarang", "sarang-", "sarangku", "sarangmu", "sarangnya", "sarangnya,", "seperti-sarang"]·IT["[כקן]", "[קן]", "[קנו]", "[קנך]", "il-tuo-nido", "its-nest-sua", "its-nest-suo", "my-nest-mio", "nest-di-", "suo-nest", "tuo-nest"]·jav["kados-susuh", "susuh", "susuh-", "susuh-ipun", "susuh-kula", "susuh-panjenengan", "susuhipun"]·JA["あなたの巣-を"]·KO["그-의-보금자리-를", "그것-의-둥지를", "그의-둥지", "그의-둥지를", "나의-둥지", "네-둥지-를", "네-둥지를", "둥지-같이", "둥지-를", "둥지가-", "둥지를-너의", "둥지에서"]·mar["घरटे-तुझे,"]·mya["သင်၏-အိုက်ကို"]·nld["uw-nest"]·nor["redet-ditt"]·pnb["آلھنا-تیرا"]·pol["gniazdo-twoje"]·PT["como-ninho", "meu-ninho", "ninho", "ninho-de-", "ninho-seu", "seu-ninho", "seu-ninho?", "teu-ninho"]·ron["cuibul-tău,"]·RU["гнезда-своего", "гнездо", "гнездо-", "гнездо-своё", "гнездо-твоё", "гнездом-моим", "как-гнездо"]·ES["como-nido", "mi-nido", "nido", "nido-de-", "nido-de-ti", "su-nido", "tu-nido"]·SW["kama-kiota", "kiota", "kiota-", "kiota-chake", "kiota-chako", "kiota-changu"]·swe["ditt-bo"]·tam["உன்-கூட்டை"]·tel["నీ-గూటిని"]·tgl["pugad-mo"]·TH["รัง-ของเจ้า"]·TR["yuva", "yuva-gibi", "yuvamda", "yuvan-senin", "yuvanı", "yuvası-", "yuvasından", "yuvasını", "yuvasını-onun"]·ukr["гніздо-твоє"]·urd["اپنا-گھونسلا", "تیرا-آشیانہ", "تیرا-گھونسلا", "جیسے-گھونسلے", "غونسلے-اپنے-کے", "گھونسلا", "گھونسلا-", "گھونسلا-اپنا", "گھونسلے-اپنے"]·VI["ổ-của-ngươi"]·yor["ìtẹ́-rẹ;"]·yue["你-嘅窝"]·ZH["你巢的"]
2. room or compartment — A room, cell, or compartment within a larger structure — specifically the partitioned spaces inside Noah's ark (Gen 6:14). God instructs Noah to make qinnim ('nests/rooms') in the ark, a vivid architectural metaphor: each compartment is a nest sheltering its occupants through the flood. Spanish compartimentos, French chambres, and German Kammern all abandon bird vocabulary for architectural terms, confirming that translators recognize a genuinely distinct sense. Some scholars read qinnim qinnim (reduplicated) to emphasize 'room after room,' underscoring the ark's many internal divisions. 1×
AR["غُرَفًا"]·ben["কুঠুরি"]·DE["Kammern"]·EN["rooms"]·FR["chambres"]·heb["קנים"]·HI["कम्रे"]·ID["bilik-bilik"]·IT["rooms"]·jav["kamar-kamar"]·KO["방들"]·PT["compartimentos"]·RU["отделения"]·ES["compartimentos"]·SW["vyumba"]·TR["odalar"]·urd["کمرے"]
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×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)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×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
קֵן n.m. Dt 22:6 nest;—abs. ק׳ Is 10:14; +; cstr. קַן־ Dt 22:6; sf. קִנּוֹ 32:11; +, etc.; pl. קִנִּים Gn 6:14;— 1. nest, of bird Dt 22:6 Jb 39:27; in sim. Is 10:14 Pr 27:8, of nestlings Dt 32:11 Is 16:2 (קֵן מְשֻׁלָּח֑), perhaps also עִם־נִּי Jb 29:18, but difficult, CheJQ July, 1897, 578 proposes זָקֵן or בִּזִקֻנַי (cf. 𝔊); nest on high, of rock-dwellings Nu 24:21 (JE) Je 49:16; Ob 4; fig. of…