What does כָּבַד · אָב · אֵם mean in the Bible?
כָּבַד · אָב · אֵם is a Hebrew phrase meaning "Honor your father and your mother — the hinge commandment between the two tables".
Hebrew · H3513, H1, H517
כַּבֵּד אֶת-אָבִיךָ וְאֶת-אִמֶּךָ
To be heavy , i.e. in a bad sense ( burdensome , severe , dull ) or in a good sense ( numerous , rich , honorable ); causatively, to make weighty (in the same two senses) · father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application · a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively [like father])
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
כָּבַדH3513to be heavy , i.e. in a bad sense ( burdensome , severe , dull ) or in a good sense ( numerous , rich , honorable ); causatively, to make weighty (in the same two senses)
Pronunciationkābad
Weight as moral-existential force: dishonor/burden in negative sense, glory/dignity in positive sense.
Open lexicon entry →אָבH1father , in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
Pronunciationʾāb
Father as both literal parent and figurative source/founder; extends to ancestor, chief, and originating authority
Open lexicon entry →אֵםH517a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively [like father])
Pronunciationʾēm
Mother as the relational bond holding family together; extends figuratively to cities, nations, and source-origins.
Open lexicon entry →What does כַּבֵּד אֶת-אָבִיךָ וְאֶת-אִמֶּךָ (kaved et-avikha ve-et-imekha) mean in the Bible?
כָּבַד · אָב · אֵם is a Hebrew phrase meaning "Honor your father and your mother — the hinge commandment between the two tables".
Full entry for כַּבֵּד אֶת-אָבִיךָ וְאֶת-אִמֶּךָ (H3513, H1, H517) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H3513, H1, H517?
H3513, H1, H517 is connected to 1,549 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. Honor your father and your mother — the hinge commandment between the two tables
Source Gloss
Honor your father and your mother — the hinge commandment between the two tables
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups6Aligned forms65
Niphalpassive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action17×
Participle active1Chr 4:9 · 1Chr 11:21 · 1Chr 11:25 · 1Sam 9:6 · 2Sam 23:19 · 2Sam 23:23 · Gen 34:19 · Isa 23:8 · Isa 23:9 · Prov 8:24 · Ps 87:311×
PerfectIsa 26:15 · Isa 43:4 · 2Sam 6:203×
Sequential imperfect2Kgs 14:101×
Cohortative2Sam 6:221×
ImperfectLev 10:31×
Qalbasic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense15×
ImperfectIsa 66:5 · Job 6:3 · Job 33:7 · Exod 5:9 · Ps 32:4 · Job 14:21 · Ps 38:5 · 2Sam 13:258×
Perfect1Sam 5:11 · Gen 18:20 · Isa 59:1 · Job 23:2 · Judg 20:34 · Neh 5:18 · Gen 48:107×
Hiphilcausative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action11×
Perfect1Kgs 12:10 · 1Kgs 12:14 · 2Chr 10:10 · Isa 8:23 · Lam 3:7 · Neh 5:15 · Zech 7:11 · Exod 10:1 · Isa 47:69×
Imperfect2Chr 10:141×
Sequential imperfectIsa 6:101×
Pielintensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action15×
ImperfectDan 11:38 · Mal 1:6 · Ps 15:4 · 1Sam 2:30 · Isa 60:13 · 1Sam 6:6 · Judg 9:98×
Infinitive absoluteDeut 5:16 · Exod 20:12 · Num 22:17 · Num 24:114×
Sequential imperfectIsa 24:15 · Prov 3:92×
Perfect1Sam 6:61×
Pualintensive passive — intensive action received by the subject3×
ImperfectProv 13:18 · Prov 27:182×
Participle passiveIsa 58:131×
Hithpaelreflexive or reciprocal — the subject acts on itself or mutually with others2×
Sequential imperfectNah 3:152×
Word Origins
כַּבֵּד אֶת-אָבִיךָ וְאֶת-אִמֶּךָ is a primitive root - no further derivation.