כִּיר
𐤊𐤉𐤓
kîyr
H3600 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A cooking installation composed of two parallel stones or stone supports designed to hold cooking pots or vessels over a fire; specifically, a type of earthen or stone cooking range used in domestic settings. The term in biblical contexts denotes a practical kitchen apparatus for boiling or preparing food.
Semantic Range
cooking range, pair of cooking stones, simple hearth, structure for supporting pots over fire; not used for stone or metalworking furnaces
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root כּוּר meaning 'to dig,' 'to excavate,' or 'furnace.' כִּיר (kîyr) is a variant form, likely adapted for the specific domestic context as opposed to the broader or industrial meaning of כּוּר (kûr, furnace/refining oven). Its usage is unique compared to the more general כּוּר, reflecting a domestic rather than metallurgical function.
Historical & Contextual Notes
כִּיר (kîyr) appears only in the dual form in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Lev. 11:35), referencing a household cooking structure. Archaeological evidence from ancient Israelite settlements supports the presence of double-stone cooking ranges in domestic rooms, typically used for boiling, baking, or heating. Not to be confused with כּוּר (kûr), a term for smelting furnaces or industrial kilns. The English translation 'ranges for pots' is serviceable but may obscure the precise domestic and technological context, which involved two parallel stones as pot supports. The distinction from other words for hearth or oven (e.g., תַּנּוּר tannūr, oven/bake-oven) also illustrates specialized domestic vocabulary in ancient Israel. In post-biblical and later Rabbinic Hebrew, the term's semantic range narrowed or shifted further in light of evolving culinary technology. English and other modern translations may use terms like 'cooking stove' or 'cooking range,' but readers must be aware that the biblical 'kîyr' referred to a simple, primitive kitchen apparatus, not modern stoves or ranges.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a form for כּוּר (only in the dual); a cooking range (consisting of two parallel stones, across which the boiler is set); ranges for pots.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כור (k-w-r) — to dig, excavate, heat, smelt
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1615 | גִּר | burned lime |
| H3564 | כּוּר | in smelting-furnace of |
| H3565 | כּוֹר עָשָׁן | in Furnace-of-Smoke |
| H3595 | כִּיּוֹר | the hollowed basin |
| H3734 | כֹּר | the large dry-measure vessel |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3600-01 |
וְ/כִירַ֛יִם | vekhirayim | HC/Ncmda |
or ranges for pots | pair of cooking-stones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3600-01 |
Leviticus 11:35 | וְ/כִירַ֛יִם | vekhirayim | HC/Ncmda |
or ranges for pots | pair of cooking-stones |