3719. kaphan
Lexical Summary
kaphan: To bend, curve, bow down

Original Word: כָּפַן
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kaphan
Pronunciation: kah-fan'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-fan')
KJV: bend
NASB: bent
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to bend

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bend

A primitive root; to bend -- bend.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be hungry, to hunger
NASB Translation
bent (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[כָּפַן] verb be hungry, hunger, perhaps also hungrily desire (Aramaic loan-word; compare Aramaic כְּפֵין, כְּפַן, be hungry; Arabic is spin wool, wrap a corpse in the shroud); — only

Qal Perfect3feminine singular כָּֽפְנָה עַל Ezekiel 17:7 (si vera lectio) this vine stretched its roots hungrily towards ׅ "" ( שִׁלְּחָה לְ.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Basic Concept

כָּפַן (kāphan) pictures the deliberate bending, curving, or inclining of something that is rooted. Its only appearance describes a vine that consciously turns its roots and shoots toward an external source of water. The verb therefore carries the idea of active, willful re-direction rather than passive sagging or accidental drooping.

Biblical Occurrence

Ezekiel 17:7: “But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and stretched out its branches to him for water from the bed where it was planted”.

Historical Setting

The parable of the two eagles (Ezekiel 17:1-21) unfolds in the final years of the Judean monarchy.
• First eagle = Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who had already deported the first wave of exiles.
• Vine = Zedekiah, installed by Babylon and expected to remain a loyal vassal.
• Second eagle = Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt, to whom Zedekiah turned for military aid.

כָּפַן thus captures Zedekiah’s calculated rebellion: he “bent” his national roots away from the covenant obligations he had sworn before God (2 Chronicles 36:13) and toward an alliance God had forbidden (Isaiah 30:1-5).

Prophetic Message

1. Human allegiance is never neutral. The act of bending either honors or dishonors the Lord who plants (Ezekiel 17:5-6).
2. Political maneuvering that ignores God’s word inevitably invites judgment (Ezekiel 17:9-10, 19-21).
3. God alone guarantees lasting security; looking elsewhere is spiritual adultery, vividly depicted by a vine twisting itself toward foreign soil.

Theological Themes

• Covenant Faithfulness: God plants His people for fruitfulness; they must remain where He sets them (Psalm 1:3; John 15:5-6).
• Sovereignty and Judgment: The Lord not only plants but also uproots when His people “bend” in the wrong direction (Jeremiah 42:10-17).
• Remnant Hope: Even as judgment falls, God promises a future “sprig” that He Himself will plant and exalt—messianic anticipation fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Ezekiel 17:22-24).

Connections to Other Scriptures

Psalm 80:8-11—Israel as a vine transplanted by God, flourishing only under His care.
Hosea 10:1-4—A luxuriant vine whose wayward growth exposes false trust.
John 15:1-8—Believers remain fruitful only by abiding in the true Vine, Jesus Christ; any self-directed “bending” ends in withering and removal.

Practical and Pastoral Reflections

• Spiritual Discernment: Ministries must examine whether they are subtly re-directing their “roots” toward cultural approval, financial security, or political power instead of relying on the Lord.
• Leadership Integrity: Like Zedekiah, leaders who violate sworn commitments undermine the stability of God’s people.
• Discipleship Warning: Individual believers can outwardly remain “planted” in the community of faith while inwardly bending their affections toward competing loyalties (James 4:4).

Summary

כָּפַן is far more than a botanical term; it is a window into the heart’s posture. In Ezekiel’s parable it exposes a covenant people deliberately twisting away from their true Source. The word therefore stands as a timeless reminder that flourishing depends on undivided reliance on the One who plants, waters, and sustains His vineyard.

Forms and Transliterations
כָּֽפְנָ֧ה כפנה kā·p̄ə·nāh kafeNah kāp̄ənāh
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Englishman's Concordance
Ezekiel 17:7
HEB: הַגֶּ֨פֶן הַזֹּ֜את כָּֽפְנָ֧ה שָׁרֳשֶׁ֣יהָ עָלָ֗יו
NAS: this vine bent its roots toward
KJV: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots
INT: vine likewise bent roots toward

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3719
1 Occurrence


kā·p̄ə·nāh — 1 Occ.

3718
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