כֶּ֣סֶף
𐤊𐤎𐤐
keçeph
choice silver
Silver, a precious metal characterized by its pale or shiny appearance, used in the ancient Near East as a means of exchange, a commodity of value, and material for ornamental and cultic objects. By extension, 'keçeph' frequently denotes money or payment, given that silver was the standard medium for transactions in the biblical period.
Proverbs 10:20 · Word #1
Lexicon H3701
| Lemma | כֶּסֶף |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤊𐤎𐤐 |
| Transliteration | keçeph |
| Strong's | H3701 |
| Definition | Silver, a precious metal characterized by its pale or shiny appearance, used in the ancient Near East as a means of exchange, a commodity of value, and material for ornamental and cultic objects. By extension, 'keçeph' frequently denotes money or payment, given that silver was the standard medium for transactions in the biblical period. |
Morphology HNcmsa
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
| State | a — Absolute — The noun stands independently |
Common Translation
| Phrase | choice silver |
SIBI-P1 Translation H3701-15
silver
| Morphological Notes | Masculine singular common noun, absolute state. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun כֶּסֶף primarily denotes the pale, precious metal silver, reflecting the root idea of paleness/whiteness. As a masculine singular absolute noun, it is rendered simply as the substance itself without contextual extension to money or payment. |
View full lexicon entry for H3701 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
choice silver
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | In context, 'kesef' is described as 'nivechar', which means 'choice' or 'selected'—the combination 'choice silver' fits the poetic parallelism and is the conventional rendering. 'Silver' alone misses the sense of selection which is clear in context. Matches the 'common.' |