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כָּחַשׁ kâchash — to be untrue, in word (to lie, feign, disown) or deed (to disappoint, fail, cringe)

pronounced kaw-khash' · Strong's H3584 · 22 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible · 4 stems: Pi'el, Niph'al, Hitpa'el, Qal (Pa'al)

Translated in the KJV as deceive, deny, dissemble, fail, deal falsely, be found liars, lie, lying, submit selves.

a primitive root; to be untrue, in word (to lie, feign, disown) or deed (to disappoint, fail, cringe).

kâchash in each stem

Pi'el 19×

Intensive · active — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it

Imperfect (yiqtol) 6Perfect (qatal) 5Sequential perfect (weqatal) 4Infinitive absolute 2Wayyiqtol 1Infinitive construct 1

וַתְּכַחֵ֨שׁ Gen 18:15 Wayyiqtol, 3rd person feminine singular

Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. (KJV)

וְכִחֵ֨שׁ Lev 5:21 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 3rd person masculine singular
וְכִ֥חֶשׁ Lev 5:22 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 3rd person masculine singular

Niph'al

Simple · passive — the plain action; the subject has it done to them

Imperfect (yiqtol) 1

וְיִכָּֽחֲשׁ֤וּ Deut 33:29 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person masculine plural

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places. (KJV)

Hitpa'el

Intensive · reflexive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it to or for themselves

Imperfect (yiqtol) 1

יִתְכַּֽחֲשׁוּ 2Sam 22:45 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person masculine plural

Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me. (KJV)

Qal (Pa'al)

Simple · active — the plain action; the subject does it

Perfect (qatal) 1

כָּחַ֥שׁ Ps 109:24 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person masculine singular

My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness. (KJV)

What the stems mean

A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›

Open in Hebrew Explorer with Verb Anatomy on →

In the app, tap any Hebrew verb while reading: its root, stem and form are named, the letters of the word itself are coloured to show which is which, and the stem's meaning is put in plain English. kâchash in the lexicon ›

Morphology from OpenScriptures MorphHB (CC BY 4.0); definitions from Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (public domain); text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex.

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