Lexical Summary kad: Jar, Pitcher Original Word: כַּד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance barrel, pitcher From an unused root meaning to deepen; properly, a pail; but generally of earthenware; a jar for domestic purposes -- barrel, pitcher. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a jar NASB Translation bowl (3), jar (9), pitcher (1), pitchers (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs כַּד noun feminine jar (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כַּדָּא) — כַּד absolute 1 Kings 17:12; Ecclesiastes 12:6; construct 1 Kings 17:14,16; כַּדֵּךְ Genesis 24:14,17,43 etc.; plural כַּדִּים Judges 7:16 (twice in verse) + 3t.; — water-jar, carried on woman's shoulder Genesis 24:14,15,16,17,18,20,43,45,46 (all J), 1 Kings 18:34; Ecclesiastes 12:6; empty (of water), containing lamps Judges 7:16,19,20; containing meal 1 Kings 17:12,14,16. (On extra-Palestinian history of this word compare LagBN 104.) Topical Lexicon Overview of the Biblical “Kad”The כַּד (kad) is a medium-sized earthenware vessel, normally narrow at the neck with a rounded body, suitable for carrying liquids or dry goods. Because it could be balanced on the shoulder or held in the crook of the arm, it became a staple of daily life from patriarchal times through the monarchy. Scripture presents the kad not merely as household pottery but as a silent participant in pivotal redemptive moments. Hospitality and Divine Guidance (Genesis 24) Ten references cluster in the account of Abraham’s servant seeking a bride for Isaac. Rebekah’s kad of water becomes the providential sign confirming the Lord’s choice (Genesis 24:14–46). The narrative highlights classic Near-Eastern hospitality: she lowers the vessel, offers a stranger a drink, and willingly draws enough for ten thirsty camels. In so doing she displays the servant-hearted character God desires for the matriarch of the covenant line. The kad thus serves as an emblem of elective grace—through an ordinary gesture with an ordinary jar, the extraordinary plan of God advances. Strategic Weakness in Spiritual Warfare (Judges 7) Gideon arms three hundred soldiers with trumpets and kadim rather than swords (Judges 7:16-20). Torches concealed inside the pitchers allow stealth until the decisive moment. When the jars are smashed, sudden light and deafening blasts sow panic among the Midianites. The fragile earthen vessel, broken at just the right instant, magnifies the Lord’s power and underscores that victory comes “not by might nor by power,” but by divine strategy working through weakness. The lesson carries enduring relevance for believers who bear “treasure in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Providence in Famine (1 Kings 17) At Zarephath a widow has “only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug” (1 Kings 17:12). Elijah’s word of promise—“The jar of flour will not be exhausted” (1 Kings 17:14)—is fulfilled day after day (1 Kings 17:16). Here the kad becomes a vessel of continuous provision during covenant judgment drought. Its daily replenishment teaches reliance on God’s spoken word and foreshadows Christ’s multiplication miracles (Matthew 14:13-21). Revival on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18) During Elijah’s contest with Baal, four kadim of water are poured over the sacrifice three times, drenching altar and trench (1 Kings 18:34). The action eliminates any suspicion of deceit and sets the stage for fire from heaven. The water-filled jars dramatize that genuine revival is heaven-sent, not human-engineered; the kad again serves God’s purpose of authenticating His supremacy. Mortality and the Fragility of Life (Ecclesiastes 12:6) Solomon uses the image of a shattered kad at the spring to symbolize the nearing of death: “Remember Him… before the pitcher is shattered at the spring.” Life, like pottery, is fragile and finite; once broken, it can no longer hold the waters of vitality. The same jar that conveyed life-sustaining water in Genesis now warns of life’s brevity, urging timely remembrance of the Creator. Theological and Ministry Implications 1. Humble Instruments: God repeatedly employs commonplace jars to fulfill covenantal, military, prophetic, and eschatological purposes. No vessel is too humble for divine use. Conclusion From patriarchal wells to prophetic battlegrounds, the kad moves through Scripture as a quiet yet eloquent witness to a God who delights in using ordinary vessels to accomplish His extraordinary will. Forms and Transliterations בַּכַּ֔ד בכד הַכַּדִּ֖ים הַכַּדִּֽים׃ הַכַּדִּים֒ הכדים הכדים׃ וְכַדִּ֣ים וְכַדָּ֖הּ וְכַדָּ֣הּ וכדה וכדים כַּ֤ד כַּד֙ כַּדָּ֛הּ כַּדָּהּ֙ כַדִּים֙ כַדֵּךְ֙ כַדָּ֖הּ כד כדה כדים כדך מִכַּדֵּֽךְ׃ מכדך׃ bak·kaḏ bakKad bakkaḏ chadDah chaddeCh chadDim hak·kad·dîm hakkadDim hakkaddîm kad kaḏ kad·dāh ḵad·dāh ḵad·dêḵ ḵad·dîm kadDah kaddāh ḵaddāh ḵaddêḵ ḵaddîm mik·kad·dêḵ mikkadDech mikkaddêḵ vechadDah vechadDim wə·ḵad·dāh wə·ḵad·dîm wəḵaddāh wəḵaddîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 24:14 HEB: הַטִּי־ נָ֤א כַדֵּךְ֙ וְאֶשְׁתֶּ֔ה וְאָמְרָ֣ה NAS: let down your jar so that I may drink,' KJV: Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; INT: let Please your jar Drink say Genesis 24:15 Genesis 24:16 Genesis 24:17 Genesis 24:18 Genesis 24:20 Genesis 24:43 Genesis 24:45 Genesis 24:46 Judges 7:16 Judges 7:16 Judges 7:19 Judges 7:20 1 Kings 17:12 1 Kings 17:14 1 Kings 17:16 1 Kings 18:34 Ecclesiastes 12:6 18 Occurrences |
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