What does כִּלְיָה (kelayot) mean in the Bible?
כִּלְיָה (kelayot): Kidneys as seat of inner emotions and moral consciousness, especially in covenantal loyalty and divine testing.
Hebrew · H3629
כִּלְיָה
A kidney (as an essential organ ); figuratively, the mind (as the interior self)
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כִּלְיָהH3629
Pronunciationkelayot
What does כִּלְיָה (kelayot) mean in the Bible?
כִּלְיָה (kelayot): Kidneys as seat of inner emotions and moral consciousness, especially in covenantal loyalty and divine testing.
Full entry for כִּלְיָה (H3629) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3629?
The BSB source-word alignment has 31 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include kidneys (9), the kidneys (6), my inmost being (2), my kidneys (2), the heart (2).
Where does כִּלְיָה (kelayot) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 29:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Leviticus (14), Psalms (5), Jeremiah (4), Exodus (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itkidneys9×Exodus 29:13, Exodus 29:22, Leviticus 3:4, Leviticus 3:10
the kidneys6×Leviticus 3:4, Leviticus 3:10, Leviticus 3:15, Leviticus 4:9
my inmost being2×Psalms 139:13, Proverbs 23:16
my kidneys2×Job 16:13, Lamentations 3:13
the heart2×Jeremiah 11:20, Jeremiah 20:12
and minds1×Psalms 7:9
from their hearts1×Jeremiah 12:2
grains1×Deuteronomy 32:14
How my heart1×Job 19:27
my conscience1×Psalms 16:7
my heart1×Psalms 26:2
of the kidneys1×Isaiah 34:6
the entrails, the kidneys1×Leviticus 9:19
the mind1×Jeremiah 17:10
within1×Psalms 73:21
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 29:13הַכְּלָיֹ֔תtokidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralExodus 29:22הַכְּלָיֹ֗תtokidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 3:4הַכְּלָיֹ֔תtokidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 3:4הַכְּלָי֖וֹתtothe kidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 3:10הַכְּלָיֹ֔תtokidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 3:10הַכְּלָיֹ֖תtothe kidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 3:15הַכְּלָיֹ֔תtokidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 3:15הַכְּלָיֹ֖תtothe kidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 4:9הַכְּלָיֹ֔תtokidneysArticle | Noun - feminine pluralLeviticus 4:9הַכְּלָי֖וֹתtothe kidneysArticle | Noun - feminine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowExodus 29:13
Aligned rows31
Books represented9
Exodus2Leviticus14Deuteronomy1Job2Psalms5Proverbs1Isaiah1Jeremiah4Lamentations1
Source forms
הַכְּלָיֹ֔ת6xhak·kə·lā·yōṯExodus 29:13, Leviticus 3:4, Leviticus 3:10, Leviticus 3:15
הַכְּלָיֹ֖ת5xhak·kə·lā·yōṯLeviticus 3:10, Leviticus 3:15, Leviticus 7:4, Leviticus 8:16
הַכְּלָי֖וֹת2xhak·kə·lā·yō·wṯLeviticus 3:4, Leviticus 4:9
כִּלְי֣וֹת2xkil·yō·wṯDeuteronomy 32:14, Isaiah 34:6
בְּכִלְיוֹתָ֔י1xbə·ḵil·yō·w·ṯāyLamentations 3:13
הַכְּלָיֹ֗ת1xhak·kə·lā·yōṯExodus 29:22
הַכְּלָיֹ֜ת1xhak·kə·lā·yōṯLeviticus 9:10
וְהַכְּלָיֹ֔ת1xwə·hak·kə·lā·yōṯLeviticus 9:19
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - feminine plural15xExodus 29:13, Exodus 29:22, Leviticus 3:4, Leviticus 3:10
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular6xJob 16:13, Job 19:27, Psalms 16:7, Psalms 26:2
Noun - feminine plural3xJeremiah 11:20, Jeremiah 17:10, Jeremiah 20:12
Noun - feminine plural construct2xDeuteronomy 32:14, Isaiah 34:6
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural1xPsalms 7:9
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular1xPsalms 73:21
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine plural1xLeviticus 9:19
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular1xLamentations 3:13
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Kidneys as seat of inner emotions and moral consciousness, especially in covenantal loyalty and divine testing.
Source Gloss
a kidney (as an essential organ ); figuratively, the mind (as the interior self)
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Kidneys as seat of inner emotions and moral consciousness, especially in covenantal loyalty and divine testing.
a kidney (as an essential organ); figuratively, the mind (as the interior self) BDB: kidneys Usage: kidneys, reins.
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.
Old Testament Witnesses
My kidneys; the seat of emotions, conscience, and the inmost being
Reins, kidneys; the seat of deep emotions and hidden thoughts
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 31 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
כִּלְיָה is built from this root:
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.