What does כָּנַע (kānaʿ) mean in the Bible?
כָּנַע (kānaʿ): Physical submission (bending knee) becomes metaphor for total defeat, subjugation, and humiliation in warfare and covenant contexts.
Hebrew · H3665
כָּנַע
Properly, to bend the knee; hence, to humiliate , vanquish
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כָּנַע H3665
Pronunciation kānaʿ
What does כָּנַע (kānaʿ) mean in the Bible?
כָּנַע (kānaʿ): Physical submission (bending knee) becomes metaphor for total defeat, subjugation, and humiliation in warfare and covenant contexts.
Full entry for כָּנַע (H3665) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3665?
The BSB source-word alignment has 36 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include humbled (3), were subdued (3), and you humbled yourself (2), humble himself (2), subdued them (2).
Where does כָּנַע (kānaʿ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Leviticus 26:41. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Chronicles (16), Judges (4), 1 Chronicles (3), Psalms (3).
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 humbled 3× 2 Chronicles 28:19, 2 Chronicles 30:11, 2 Chronicles 32:26
were subdued 3× Judges 11:33, 1 Samuel 7:13, 2 Chronicles 13:18
and you humbled yourself 2× 2 Kings 22:19, 2 Chronicles 34:27
humble himself 2× 2 Chronicles 33:23, 2 Chronicles 36:12
subdued them 2× 2 Samuel 8:1, 1 Chronicles 18:1
was subdued 2× Judges 3:30, Judges 8:28
[had done] 1× 2 Chronicles 33:23
and because you have humbled yourself 1× 2 Chronicles 34:27
and humble him 1× Job 40:12
And I will subdue 1× 1 Chronicles 17:10
and subdue them 1× Deuteronomy 9:3
and subdued them 1× Psalms 106:42
and the Philistines were subdued 1× 1 Chronicles 20:4
Because Rehoboam humbled himself 1× 2 Chronicles 12:12
has humbled himself 1× 1 Kings 21:29
he has humbled himself 1× 1 Kings 21:29
He humbled 1× Psalms 107:12
he humbled himself 1× 2 Chronicles 33:19
humble themselves 1× 2 Chronicles 7:14
humbled himself 1× 2 Chronicles 33:12
humbled themselves 1× 2 Chronicles 12:6
I would subdue 1× Psalms 81:14
subdued 1× Judges 4:23
they had humbled themselves 1× 2 Chronicles 12:7
They have humbled themselves 1× 2 Chronicles 12:7
will be humbled 1× Leviticus 26:41
You subdue 1× Isaiah 25:5
You subdued 1× Nehemiah 9:24
Show sample aligned rows
Leviticus 26:41 יִכָּנַ֗ע to will be humbled Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 9:3 יַכְנִיעֵ֖ם to and subdue them Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural Judges 3:30 וַתִּכָּנַ֤ע to was subdued Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Judges 4:23 וַיַּכְנַ֤ע to subdued Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Judges 8:28 וַיִּכָּנַ֣ע to was subdued Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Judges 11:33 וַיִּכָּֽנְעוּ֙ to were subdued Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1 Samuel 7:13 וַיִּכָּֽנְעוּ֙ to were subdued Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 2 Samuel 8:1 וַיַּכְנִיעֵ֑ם to subdued them Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural 1 Kings 21:29 נִכְנַ֥ע to has humbled himself Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 1 Kings 21:29 נִכְנַ֣ע to he has humbled himself Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Leviticus 26:41
Aligned rows 36
Books represented 13
Leviticus 1 Deuteronomy 1 Judges 4 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 1 1 Kings 2 2 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 3 2 Chronicles 16 Nehemiah 1 Job 1 Psalms 3 Isaiah 1
Source forms
וַיַּכְנִיעֵ֑ם 2x way·yaḵ·nî·‘êm 2 Samuel 8:1, 1 Chronicles 18:1
וַיִּכָּנַ֣ע 2x way·yik·kā·na‘ Judges 8:28, 2 Chronicles 33:12
וַיִּכָּֽנְעוּ֙ 2x way·yik·kā·nə·‘ū Judges 11:33, 1 Samuel 7:13
וַיִּכָּנְע֥וּ 2x way·yik·kā·nə·‘ū 2 Chronicles 12:6, 2 Chronicles 13:18
וַתִּכָּנַ֣ע׀ 2x wat·tik·kā·na‘ 2 Kings 22:19, 2 Chronicles 34:27
אַכְנִ֑יעַ 1x ’aḵ·nî·a‘ Psalms 81:14
הִכְנִ֤יעַ 1x hiḵ·nî·a‘ 2 Chronicles 28:19
הַכְנִיעֵ֑הוּ 1x haḵ·nî·‘ê·hū Job 40:12
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 6x Judges 11:33, 1 Samuel 7:13, 1 Chronicles 20:4, 2 Chronicles 12:6
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 4x 1 Kings 21:29, 2 Chronicles 33:23, 2 Chronicles 36:12
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular 3x 2 Kings 22:19, 2 Chronicles 34:27
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 3x Judges 8:28, 2 Chronicles 32:26, 2 Chronicles 33:12
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural 3x 2 Chronicles 12:7, 2 Chronicles 30:11
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x Judges 4:23, Psalms 107:12
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural 2x 2 Samuel 8:1, 1 Chronicles 18:1
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular 1x 1 Chronicles 17:10
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Physical submission (bending knee) becomes metaphor for total defeat, subjugation, and humiliation in warfare and covenant contexts.
Strong's H3665
Lexical occurrences 36 verses Word forms 2 forms 11 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Jeremiah 44:7-10 Source Gloss
properly, to bend the knee; hence, to humiliate , vanquish
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Physical submission (bending knee) becomes metaphor for total defeat, subjugation, and humiliation in warfare and covenant contexts.
properly, to bend the knee; hence, to humiliate, vanquish BDB: be humble Usage: bring down (low), into subjection, under, humble (self), subdue.
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 groups 2 Aligned forms 11
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 8×
Perfect 1Kgs 21:29 · 2Chr 33:23 · 2Chr 36:12 · 2Chr 12:7 · 2Chr 30:11 7×
Imperfect Lev 26:41 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 3×
Imperfect Isa 25:5 · Ps 81:15 2×
Perfect 2Chr 28:19 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
to bring oneself low, to submit or yield to humiliation
Showing 1 selected witness from 36 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
כָּנַע is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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