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כִּתִּי

𐤊𐤕𐤉

Kiti

H3794 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כִּתִּ to denote origin from Kittim (Kition/Cyprus), to indicate western islander

Definition

Denotes a person from Kittim, a geographic designation originally referring to the inhabitants of Kition (an ancient city on the southeast coast of Cyprus), and by extension, the people of Cyprus or western maritime regions in the Hebrew Bible. In broader contexts, it can refer generically to western islanders or maritime peoples across the Mediterranean.

Semantic Range

inhabitants of Kition (Cyprus), people of Cyprus, western islander, maritime people, distant western foreigners, Greeks (in later contexts), Romans (in Hellenistic context)

Root / Etymology

From the root כִּתִּ (Kitt-) likely referencing the city of Kition on Cyprus; the term is patrial in form, designating someone from that place. While the root is not attested independently in Biblical Hebrew, its correspondence to known Cypriot toponyms and ancient Near Eastern usage (Akkadian 'Kaptaru', Egyptian 'Keftiu') supports the identification.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כִּתִּי primarily refers to people associated with the island of Cyprus, specifically the city of Kition—a noted Phoenician settlement. Over time, the term Kittim came to denote a broader range of western maritime peoples, including, in later texts, various inhabitants of the Aegean islands or even distant parts of the Mediterranean (e.g., Greeks, Roman-era invaders). This expansion reflects Israelite perceptions of the westernmost known lands. English translations often render the term as 'Chittim' or 'Kittim,' but older translations sometimes generalize this to 'islanders' or even 'Greeks/Romans,' which risks anachronism when used for pre-exilic contexts. The term is plural in most biblical occurrences (כִּתִּים), representing the inhabitants collectively. In prophecy and apocalyptic literature, especially in Daniel, the term can symbolize powerful maritime peoples originating from the far west. There is no evidence that Kittim referred specifically to Israelites; it was always used for foreign peoples. Its scope and referent shift over time and context, increasingly signifying 'the West' in Israelite imagination.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or כִּתִּיִּי; patrial from an unused name denoting Cyprus (only in the plural); a Kittite or Cypriote; hence, an islander in general, i.e. the Greeks or Romans on the shores opposite Palestine; Chittim, Kittim.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כתי (k-t-y) — origin from Kittim (Kition/Cyprus), western islander, maritime foreigner

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3794-04 כִּתִּ֖ים kitim HNp Kittim Kittimites 6
H3794-02 כתים khtym HNgmpa Kittim Kittim islanders 1
H3794-05 כִּתִּיִּֽים kitiyim HNgmpa Kittim Kittim islanders 1
H3794-01 כִתִּיִּים֙ khitiyim HNp Kittim Kittim islanders 1
H3794-03 כתיים khtyym HNp Kittim Kittim islanders 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3794-04 Genesis 10:4 כִּתִּ֖ים kitim HNp Kittim Kittimites
H3794-04 Numbers 24:24 כִּתִּ֔ים kitim HNp Kittim Kittimites
H3794-04 Isaiah 23:1 כִּתִּ֖ים kitim HNp of Kittim Kittimites
H3794-03 Isaiah 23:12 כתיים khtyym HNp Kittim Kittim islanders
H3794-04 Isaiah 23:12 כִּתִּים֙ kitim HNp Kittim Kittimites
H3794-01 Jeremiah 2:10 כִתִּיִּים֙ khitiyim HNp Kittim Kittim islanders
H3794-02 Ezekiel 27:6 כתים khtym HNgmpa Kittim Kittim islanders
H3794-05 Ezekiel 27:6 כִּתִּיִּֽים kitiyim HNgmpa Kittim Kittim islanders
H3794-04 Daniel 11:30 כִּתִּים֙ kitim HNp of Kittim Kittimites
H3794-04 1 Chronicles 1:7 כִּתִּ֖ים kitim HNp Kittim Kittimites
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