What does כּוֹכָב (kwōkāb) mean in the Bible?
כּוֹכָב (kwōkāb): Star's roundness and brilliance enable its figurative extension to princely power and authority
Hebrew · H3556
כּוֹכָב
A star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince
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כּוֹכָב H3556
Pronunciation kwōkāb
What does כּוֹכָב (kwōkāb) mean in the Bible?
כּוֹכָב (kwōkāb): Star's roundness and brilliance enable its figurative extension to princely power and authority
Full entry for כּוֹכָב (H3556) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3556?
The BSB source-word alignment has 37 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the stars (8), as the stars (6), stars (5), and stars (4), and the stars (4).
Where does כּוֹכָב (kwōkāb) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 1:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (5), Job (5), Deuteronomy (4), Psalms (4).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It the stars 8× Genesis 15:5, Judges 5:20, Nehemiah 4:21, Job 9:7
as the stars 6× Genesis 26:4, Exodus 32:13, Deuteronomy 1:10, Deuteronomy 10:22
stars 5× Genesis 37:9, Job 3:9, Job 22:12, Job 38:7
and stars 4× Deuteronomy 4:19, Psalms 136:9, Ecclesiastes 12:2, Jeremiah 31:35
and the stars 4× Job 25:5, Psalms 8:3, Joel 2:10, Joel 3:15
like the stars 2× Genesis 22:17, Nehemiah 9:23
of the stars 2× Psalms 147:4, Daniel 8:10
[will shine] like the stars 1× Daniel 12:3
A star 1× Numbers 24:17
more than the stars 1× Nahum 3:16
the stars {as well} 1× Genesis 1:16
their stars 1× Ezekiel 32:7
your star 1× Amos 5:26
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 1:16 הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃ to the stars {as well} Article | Noun - masculine plural Genesis 15:5 הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים to the stars Article | Noun - masculine plural Genesis 22:17 כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י to like the stars Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct Genesis 26:4 כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י to as the stars Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct Genesis 37:9 כּֽוֹכָבִ֔ים to stars Noun - masculine plural Exodus 32:13 כְּכוֹכְבֵ֖י to as the stars Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct Numbers 24:17 כּוֹכָ֜ב to A star Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 1:10 כְּכוֹכְבֵ֥י to as the stars Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct Deuteronomy 4:19 הַכּֽוֹכָבִ֗ים to and stars Article | Noun - masculine plural Deuteronomy 10:22 כְּכוֹכְבֵ֥י to as the stars Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 1:16
Aligned rows 37
Books represented 18
Genesis 5 Exodus 1 Numbers 1 Deuteronomy 4 Judges 1 1 Chronicles 1 Nehemiah 2 Job 5 Psalms 4 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 3 Jeremiah 1 Ezekiel 1 Daniel 2 Joel 2 Amos 1 Obadiah 1 Nahum 1
Source forms
כְּכוֹכְבֵ֥י 4x kə·ḵō·wḵ·ḇê Deuteronomy 1:10, Deuteronomy 10:22, Deuteronomy 28:62, 1 Chronicles 27:23
וְכוֹכָבִ֖ים 3x wə·ḵō·w·ḵā·ḇîm Jeremiah 31:35, Joel 2:10, Joel 3:15
הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃ 2x hak·kō·w·ḵā·ḇîm Genesis 1:16, Nehemiah 4:21
וְ֝כוֹכָבִ֗ים 2x wə·ḵō·w·ḵā·ḇîm Job 25:5, Psalms 8:3
כּוֹכָבִ֣ים 2x kō·w·ḵā·ḇîm Job 9:7, Job 22:12
כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י 2x kə·ḵō·wḵ·ḇê Genesis 22:17, Genesis 26:4
בַּכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים 1x bak·kō·w·ḵā·ḇîm Isaiah 47:13
הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים 1x hak·kō·w·ḵā·ḇîm Genesis 15:5
Parsing patterns
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct 8x Genesis 22:17, Genesis 26:4, Exodus 32:13, Deuteronomy 1:10
Article | Noun - masculine plural 6x Genesis 1:16, Genesis 15:5, Deuteronomy 4:19, Judges 5:20
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural 6x Job 25:5, Psalms 8:3, Psalms 136:9, Jeremiah 31:35
Noun - masculine plural 4x Genesis 37:9, Job 9:7, Job 22:12, Obadiah 1:4
Noun - masculine plural construct 4x Job 3:9, Job 38:7, Psalms 148:3, Isaiah 13:10
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural 1x Ecclesiastes 12:2
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural 1x Ezekiel 32:7
Noun - masculine singular 1x Numbers 24:17
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Star's roundness and brilliance enable its figurative extension to princely power and authority
Source Gloss
a star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Star's roundness and brilliance enable its figurative extension to princely power and authority
a star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince BDB: star Usage: star(-gazer).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Literal celestial bodies used in comparison for innumerable multitude
Celestial objects that idolaters loved and served, objects of false worship
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 37 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
כּוֹכָב is built from these roots:
כַּבּוֹן H3522
כָּוָה H3554
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain