הַ/כֹּהֲנִ֖ים
𐤄/𐤊𐤄𐤍𐤉𐤌
kôhên
the priests
An individual officially serving in a religious capacity, especially as an officiant in ritual or sacrificial contexts; most often, a member of a hereditary group responsible for overseeing offerings, maintaining sanctity, and mediating between the divine and the community. The term may also refer more broadly to religious functionaries or, in rare cases, non-Israelite priests or high-ranking religious officials in other cultures. Semantic range includes: religious officiant, sacrificial priest, temple functionary, cultic authority, religious leader, priest-like figure (in metaphorical or foreign contexts).
Zechariah 7:5 · Word #7
Lexicon H3548
| Lemma | כֹּהֵן |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤊𐤄𐤍 |
| Transliteration | kôhên |
| Strong's | H3548 |
| Definition | An individual officially serving in a religious capacity, especially as an officiant in ritual or sacrificial contexts; most often, a member of a hereditary group responsible for overseeing offerings, maintaining sanctity, and mediating between the divine and the community. The term may also refer more broadly to religious functionaries or, in rare cases, non-Israelite priests or high-ranking religious officials in other cultures. Semantic range includes: religious officiant, sacrificial priest, temple functionary, cultic authority, religious leader, priest-like figure (in metaphorical or foreign contexts). |
Morphology HTd/Ncmpa
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
| State | a — Absolute — The noun stands independently |
Common Translation
| Phrase | the priests |
SIBI-P1 Translation H3548-04
the officiating-priests
| Morphological Notes | noun, common; masculine plural absolute with definite article; from active participle of כהן |
| Rendering Rationale | כֹּהֲנִים is the masculine plural active participle functioning as a noun, denoting those who perform priestly service. The definite article הַ marks it as definite, hence "the," and "officiating-priests" preserves the participial sense rooted in ritual service. |
View full lexicon entry for H3548 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
the officiating-priests
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Standardized from "the priests". The scene describes the cultic act of bringing the ark into the temple—the priests are functioning in their ministerial/officiating role. The standard rendering “the officiating-priests” accurately reflects the Hebrew and the context and maintains consistency; there is no contextual need to keep the shorter “the priests.” |