כְּהֻנָּה (ke.hun.nah)
ke.hun.nah
priesthood
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 12 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word for priesthood, kahunah, describes a sacred office held by Aaron’s descendants. It was not merely a job title but a divine appointment requiring strict lineage and ritual purity. The text makes clear that this role carried heavy responsibility, including bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and ensuring proper worship.
For believers today, this concept points to the unique mediatorial work of Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament priests offered repeated sacrifices, Christian faith rests on the finished work of a High Priest who entered the heavenly holy place once for all. This shift from earthly ritual to spiritual reality offers profound comfort and assurance.
Understanding kahunah helps us appreciate the seriousness of approaching God. It reminds us that access to the Divine is granted through grace, not human merit. We can rest in the certainty that our connection to God is secure, grounded in His covenant faithfulness rather than our own performance.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 12 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ priesthood4×
- priesthood/ your3×
- priesthood2×
- the/ priesthoods1×
- priesthood/ their1×
- priesthood of1×
- [is] [the] priesthood of1×
- <into>/ a priesthood of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/כְּהֻנָּֽה\׃2×
- לִ/כְהֻנַּ֥ת1×
- כְּהֻנָּתָ֑/ם1×
- כְּהֻנָּֽה\׃1×
- כְּהֻנָּ֖ה1×
- כְּהֻנַּתְ/כֶֽם\׃1×
- כְּהֻנַּתְ/כֶ֜ם1×
- כְּהֻנַּתְ/כֶ֔ם1×
- כְּהֻנַּ֣ת1×
- כְהֻנַּ֥ת1×
- הַ/כְּהֻנָּ֖ה1×
- הַ/כְּהֻנָּ֔ה1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 29:9
You shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them. They shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. You shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
This verse establishes the priesthood as a perpetual statute, highlighting its enduring nature and divine origin rather than human selection.
-
Numbers 18:7
You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil. You shall serve. I give you the service of the priesthood as a gift. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
Here the priesthood is described as a gift from God, emphasizing that the authority to serve at the altar comes solely from His provision.
-
Nehemiah 13:29
Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
This passage shows the seriousness of maintaining priestly holiness, linking the integrity of the priesthood directly to the covenant relationship with God.