Lexical Summary kar: Ram, lamb, battering ram Original Word: כַּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance captain, furniture, lamb, large pasture, ram From karar in the sense of plumpness; a ram (as full-grown and fat), including a battering-ram (as butting); hence, a meadow (as for sheep); also a pad or camel's saddle (as puffed out) -- captain, furniture, lamb, (large) pasture, ram. See also Beyth Kar, kariy. see HEBREW karar see HEBREW Beyth Kar see HEBREW kariy Brown-Driver-Briggs I. [כָּר] noun [masculine] basket-saddle, **for basket-saddle read < camelpalankeen; the palankeen, or tent-like erection, on the saddle (BurckhBedouins and Wahabys, 266 DoughtyArab. Des. i. 437. ii. 304 LaneModern Egyptians (5) ii. 158 and elsewhere), which seems intended here, is distinct from the basket or pannier (in which some women also traveled, PorterTravels ii. 232.). בְּכַרהַֿגָּמָל Genesis 31:34 in the camel-basket, i.e. the basket-saddle of the camel, a sort of palankeen bound upon the saddle proper (compare Kn in Di and references) II. כַּר see in alphabetical order. II. כַּר noun masculinePsalm 65:14 pasture (√ dubious; Thes derives from כַּר lamb (=lamb-pasturage); SchwZAW x. (1890) 186 from כרה, and compare Assyrian kirû [which however = nursery of trees, grove DlHWB 353], Arabic III. כַּר lamb see below כרר. II. כַּר noun [masculine] he-lamb, battering-ram (Assyrian kirru, Zim in SchwZAW x. (1890), 186; perhaps lamb from dancing, skipping, galloping in field; (battering-) ram as in English, from butting; compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Scope of the Termכַּר (kar) moves through Israel’s vocabulary of daily life, worship, commerce, prophecy, and warfare. It may denote a male lamb or fatling, a meadow where such animals graze, a soft cushion or camel–saddle, and—by visual analogy—the heavy timber “battering rams” of ancient siege warfare. Together the sixteen Old-Testament occurrences trace a spectrum from tender pastoral imagery to the hard reality of judgment. Pastoral and Economic Significance From earliest times the lamb was a measure of wealth. Mesha of Moab “paid the king of Israel a tribute of 100,000 lambs” (2 Kings 3:4), and Isaiah urges Moab, “Send the lambs to the ruler of the land” (Isaiah 16:1), recognizing political submission in the currency of livestock. The port of Tyre bought “lambs, rams, and goats” from Arabia and Kedar (Ezekiel 27:21), confirming kar’s place in international trade. Such texts illuminate the agrarian economy behind the Mosaic law’s stipulations for offerings and Israel’s later taxation systems. Sacrificial and Liturgical Use While the word never appears inside formal ritual prescriptions, Moses celebrates God’s bounty with “the fat of lambs” (Deuteronomy 32:14). Isaiah intensifies the Day-of-the-LORD imagery: “The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood… from the blood of lambs and goats” (Isaiah 34:6). Ezekiel’s oracle against Gog evokes a grisly feast — “the flesh of rams and lambs… all of them fattened animals of Bashan” (Ezekiel 39:18). Each scene leverages the sacrificial associations of a fatling to teach covenant blessing or judgment. Metaphor of Blessing “The pastures are clothed with flocks” (Psalm 65:13). Here kar points not to the animals but to the meadows themselves, so thickly blanketed with sheep that the land seems dressed in wool. Similarly, Isaiah promises that after repentance “your livestock will graze in wide pastures” (Isaiah 30:23), picturing restored plenty. Warning against Overindulgence Amos exposes the complacent elite who “dine on lambs from the flock” (Amos 6:4). Saul erred when he spared “the fatlings and lambs — everything that was good” from the Amalekite herds (1 Samuel 15:9). Such narratives show that the possession of kar invites gratitude and obedience, not self-indulgence or selective obedience. Image of Transience and Judgment Psalm 37:20 contrasts righteous permanence with wicked brevity: “The enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the fields. They will vanish.” The fleeting “glory” (kar) of lush pasture or well-fed lamb foreshadows the swift disappearance of evildoers. Jeremiah intensifies the sentence: “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter” (Jeremiah 51:40). Military Application: Battering Rams Ezekiel repeatedly calls siege engines karim: “place battering rams around it” (Ezekiel 4:2; 21:22). The term suits a device topped by a carved ram’s head and underscores the prophet’s message that the same beasts used in worship could, by divine decree, become instruments of destruction against a rebellious city. Domestic Scene Rachel hid the household idols “inside the camel’s saddle” (Genesis 31:34). The cushion she sat upon bears the same name, illustrating how the comforts of pastoral life could conceal idolatry — a subtle moral warning embedded in vocabulary. Toward the Lamb of God The recurring prominence of kar prepares hearts for the ultimate sacrificial Lamb. The abundance, purity, and costly value of the Old-Testament lamb all point forward, finding fulfillment in Jesus Christ, “the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12). The prophetic images of judgment and deliverance associated with kar sharpen the gospel contrast between wrath borne and grace secured. Ministry Reflections • Provision is meant for praise; neglected obedience (1 Samuel 15:9) still grieves God’s heart. By tracing כַּר through Scripture, pastors and students gain a multifaceted view of how God weaves everyday objects, economic realities, and prophetic symbols into a coherent testimony of His holiness, provision, and redemptive purpose. Forms and Transliterations בְּכַ֥ר בְּכָרִ֤ים בכר בכרים הַכָּרִים֙ הכרים כְּכָרִ֣ים כַ֥ר כַּ֥ר כָּרִ֑ים כָּרִ֔ים כָּרִ֖ים כָּרִ֜ים כָּרִ֤ים כָּרִים֙ כָרִ֨ים ׀ ככרים כר כרים bə·ḵā·rîm bə·ḵar beChar bechaRim bəḵar bəḵārîm char chaRim hak·kā·rîm hakkaRim hakkārîm kā·rîm ḵā·rîm kar ḵar kaRim kārîm ḵārîm kə·ḵā·rîm kechaRim kəḵārîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 31:34 HEB: הַתְּרָפִ֗ים וַתְּשִׂמֵ֛ם בְּכַ֥ר הַגָּמָ֖ל וַתֵּ֣שֶׁב NAS: them in the camel's saddle, and she sat KJV: them in the camel's furniture, and sat INT: the household and put saddle the camel's sat Deuteronomy 32:14 1 Samuel 15:9 2 Kings 3:4 Psalm 37:20 Psalm 65:13 Isaiah 16:1 Isaiah 30:23 Isaiah 34:6 Jeremiah 51:40 Ezekiel 4:2 Ezekiel 21:22 Ezekiel 21:22 Ezekiel 27:21 Ezekiel 39:18 Amos 6:4 16 Occurrences |
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cistern; HomNS 100 from כרר q. v., originally = round enclosure); — singular only כַּד נִדְחָ֑בּ 
ram and buttress, Lane; also battering-ram compare Dozyii. 440); — singular only