Lexical Summary kaphan: To bend, bow down, subdue Original Word: כָּפָן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance famine From kaphan; hunger (as making to stoop with emptiness and pain) -- famine. see HEBREW kaphan NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kaphan Definition hunger, famine NASB Translation famine (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs כָּפָן noun [masculine] hunger, famine (Aramaism; on form compare LagBN 144), Job 5:22; Job 30:3. כפס (perhaps √ of following; compare ᵑ7. כְּפַס Esther 1:6 bind, fasten (so Levy, Jastrow)). Topical Lexicon Occurrences in Job Job 5:22 records Eliphaz promising God’s righteous protection: “You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth”. Here כָּפָן is paired with “destruction,” portraying famine as a calamity from which the Lord can shield the upright. Job 30:3 contrasts sharply, as Job, describing the outcasts of society, laments that they are “gaunt with hunger”. In this verse כָּפָן depicts the physical wasting that accompanies severe deprivation. The two occurrences form a literary tension between confidence in divine deliverance and the stark reality of human suffering. Theological Themes 1. Divine Sovereignty. Both passages affirm that famine lies within God’s providential rule. Whether as averted judgment (Job 5) or endured hardship (Job 30), the calamity is never outside His governance. Historical and Cultural Context In the Ancient Near East, agrarian societies depended on seasonal rains. Crop failure meant not only scarcity of food but social displacement and vulnerability to marauders—realities hinted at in Job 30:3. Famine could swiftly reduce nobles to beggars and drive communities into wastelands, making it a potent symbol of covenant curse (Leviticus 26:19–20; Deuteronomy 28:23–24). Job’s narrative, set outside Israel’s covenantal framework, shows that famine’s threat extended to the broader human family. Connections to Broader Biblical Teaching on Famine • Covenant Warning and Mercy: While other Hebrew terms describe famine in the Pentateuch and Prophets, כָּפָן complements those texts, reinforcing that hunger may serve as both chastening and a platform for divine compassion (Psalm 37:19; Isaiah 58:10–11). Implications for Faith and Ministry 1. Compassionate Action. The presence of כָּפָן in Job’s description of the destitute calls the Church to practical mercy—feeding the hungry mirrors God’s character (James 2:15–16). Summary Though כָּפָן appears only twice, its strategic placement in Job highlights famine as a multifaceted reality—instrument of judgment, occasion for deliverance, and cry for compassion. The biblical narrative consistently moves from famine to fullness, urging God’s people to emulate His generous provision while awaiting the day when hunger is forever banished. Forms and Transliterations וּבְכָפָ֗ן וּלְכָפָ֣ן ובכפן ולכפן ū·ḇə·ḵā·p̄ān ū·lə·ḵā·p̄ān ūḇəḵāp̄ān ulechaFan ūləḵāp̄ān uvechaFanLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 5:22 HEB: לְשֹׁ֣ד וּלְכָפָ֣ן תִּשְׂחָ֑ק וּֽמֵחַיַּ֥ת NAS: at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid KJV: At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: INT: violence and famine will laugh of the beasts Job 30:3 2 Occurrences |
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