3649. komer

Lexicon

komer: Priest, idolatrous priest

Original Word: כָּמָר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kamar
Pronunciation: koh'-mer
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-mawr')
Definition: Priest, idolatrous priest
Meaning: an ascetic, an idolatrous priest

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Chemarims idolatrous priests

From kamar; properly, an ascetic (as if shrunk with self-maceration), i.e. An idolatrous priest (only in plural) -- Chemarims (idolatrous) priests.

see HEBREW kamar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as makmor
Definition
a priest (in idol worship)
NASB Translation
idolatrous priests (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[כֹּ֫מֶר] noun masculine (idol-)priest (so Late Hebrew כּוּמָר; Aramaic , כּוּמְרָא, is also priest of God; Nerab כמר Hal^{Rev. Semitic 1896, 280, 282}; Nabataean כמר priest CIS^{ii, No. 170, Teima} כמרא id. CIS^{ii, No. 113 a, b, b} bis; so כמר Neo-Punic Eut^{ZMG. 1875, 238, 239} Berger^{JAs Apr.-June, 1887, 465}; perhaps Tel Amarna kamiru Bez^{BM.:Tabl, xxvi; Or. Dipl. 92}; Wkl^{TA. 1, 15, 33 leaves untranslated}); — plural absolute, in O.T. only of idol-priests; הַכְּמָרִים 2 Kings 23:5, כְּמָרָיו Hosea 10:5, עִםהַֿכֹּהֲנִים ׳הַכּ Zephaniah 1:4. In Hosea 4:4 Beck (in Wü¹⁴²) We proposes וְעַמִּי כִּכְמָרָיו (for ᵑ0 וְעַמְּךָ כִּמְרִיבֵי).

כמת (√ of following, meaning unknown).

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from an unused root meaning to intertwine or to shrivel.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Greek equivalent for the Hebrew term כָּמָר (kamar) in the Strong's Concordance. However, the concept of idolatrous priests can be related to Greek terms that describe pagan religious practices or priesthoods, such as ἱερεύς (hiereus • Strong's Greek 2409), which generally means "priest" and can be used in various contexts, including pagan worship.

Usage: The term כָּמָר (kamar) is used in the context of idolatrous priests, particularly those who serve in pagan religious practices. It is often associated with priests who are involved in rituals that are contrary to the worship of Yahweh.

Context: The Hebrew term כָּמָר (kamar) appears in the Old Testament to describe priests who are engaged in idolatrous practices. This term is notably used in the book of 2 Kings 23:5, where King Josiah is described as having removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places of the cities of Judah and the areas surrounding Jerusalem. These priests were involved in the worship of false gods, which was strictly prohibited by the Mosaic Law. The term suggests a sense of devotion and asceticism, as these priests were deeply committed to their religious practices, albeit in a manner that was considered abominable by the standards of Israelite monotheism.

The role of the כָּמָר (kamar) is contrasted with that of the Levitical priests, who were ordained to serve in the temple of Yahweh. The presence of idolatrous priests in Israel was a significant issue, as it represented a departure from the covenantal relationship between God and His people. The reforms of King Josiah, as recorded in 2 Kings, highlight the efforts to purify the worship practices of Judah by eliminating these pagan influences.

Forms and Transliterations

הַכְּמָרִ֖ים הַכְּמָרִ֗ים הכמרים וּכְמָרָיו֙ וכמריו hak·kə·mā·rîm hakkemaRim hakkəmārîm ū·ḵə·mā·rāw uchemaRav ūḵəmārāw

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 23:5
HEB: וְהִשְׁבִּ֣ית אֶת־ הַכְּמָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָֽתְנוּ֙
NAS: He did away with the idolatrous priests whom
KJV: And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings
INT: did the idolatrous whom had appointed

Hosea 10:5
HEB: עָלָ֜יו עַמּ֗וֹ וּכְמָרָיו֙ עָלָ֣יו יָגִ֔ילוּ
NAS: will mourn for it, And its idolatrous priests will cry
KJV: thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof [that] rejoiced
INT: over people idolatrous Over will cry

Zephaniah 1:4
HEB: אֶת־ שֵׁ֥ם הַכְּמָרִ֖ים עִם־ הַכֹּהֲנִֽים׃
NAS: [And] the names of the idolatrous priests along
KJV: [and] the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
INT: of Baal the names of the idolatrous along the priests

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3649
3 Occurrences

hak·kə·mā·rîm — 2 Occ.
ū·ḵə·mā·rāw — 1 Occ.