כַּוָּן (kav.van)
kav.van
bun
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun kavvan refers to a flat, unleavened cake, specifically one prepared for religious sacrifice. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears only twice, both times in the book of Jeremiah (23:14 and 44:19), where it describes the bread offered to the "Queen of Heaven." This is not everyday food but a ritual item, highlighting how deeply embedded idolatrous practices had become in certain communities.
The word’s rarity makes its usage significant. Jeremiah uses it to condemn those who bake these cakes as an offering to foreign deities, framing the act as spiritual adultery. The specificity of the term—distinguishing a sacrificial cake from ordinary bread—underscores the deliberate nature of this worship. It was not a casual gesture but a structured religious observance that God’s prophets strongly opposed.
This single word captures a moment of theological tension: the clash between covenant faithfulness and syncretistic worship. By focusing on kavvan, we see how even small details in biblical texts can reveal larger patterns of spiritual compromise. The text does not merely describe food; it exposes the heart’s inclination toward false gods.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word kavvan describes a specific type of flat cake used in ancient rituals. In Scripture, it appears only twice, both in Jeremiah. These passages record people baking these cakes as offerings to foreign deities, specifically the "Queen of Heaven." This detail shows how deeply idolatry had taken root in daily life. It was not just a casual act but a structured religious practice involving families working together.
For your faith today, this rare word reminds us that spiritual compromise often looks ordinary. People may continue their routines while drifting from God. The text does not merely describe food; it exposes the heart’s inclination toward false gods. By focusing on kavvan, we see how even small details in biblical texts can reveal larger patterns of spiritual compromise.
God calls His people to exclusive loyalty. When we face choices that divide our hearts, this passage invites us to examine what we truly worship. May you find peace in knowing God desires your whole heart, not divided loyalties. He offers a way back to full devotion and rest.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- cakes2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- כַּוָּנִים֙1×
- כַּוָּנִ֜ים1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 7:18
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
This verse shows the communal nature of the sin, where families work together to bake cakes for the queen of the sky.
-
Jeremiah 44:19
The women said, “When we burned incense to the queen of the sky and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands?”
Here the women defend their actions by claiming they made these cakes only with their husbands' consent, showing family involvement in idolatry.