כֹּ֫מֶר (ka.mar)
ka.mar
pagan priest
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun kōmer refers specifically to a pagan or idolatrous priest. Unlike the standard Hebrew term for Israel’s religious leaders, this word carries an immediate negative connotation, identifying individuals who served false gods rather than Yahweh.
It appears in only three verses: Hosea 10:5, II Kings 23:5, and Zephaniah 1:4. In each instance, the prophet condemns these figures for leading people away from true worship. The context highlights their role in maintaining shrines to other deities, making them symbols of spiritual corruption.
This distinction is important because it separates legitimate Israelite priesthood from foreign religious practices. When the text uses kōmer, it is not describing a neutral occupation but calling out specific acts of idolatry that violated the covenant.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word kōmer identifies a priest who serves false gods rather than Yahweh. This term appears only three times in the Old Testament, always in contexts of judgment. It is not a neutral title for religious leadership but a specific label for idolatrous worship.
When you encounter this word, remember that Scripture values faithfulness to God above all else. The prophets used it to call Israel back to covenant loyalty. It reminds us that true worship requires purity of heart and direction toward the one true God.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ pagan priests2×
- and/ pagan priests/ its1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וּ/כְמָרָי/ו֙1×
- הַ/כְּמָרִ֗ים1×
- הַ/כְּמָרִ֖ים1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 23:5
He got rid of the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the planets, and to all the army of the sky.
This verse shows King Josiah actively removing these priests to restore proper worship in Jerusalem.
-
Hosea 10:5
The inhabitants of Samaria will be in terror for the calves of Beth Aven, for its people will mourn over it, along with its priests who rejoiced over it, for its glory, because it has departed from it.
Here the kōmer is linked to the golden calves at Bethel, highlighting how idolatry corrupts religious leadership.
-
Zephaniah 1:4
I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place—the name of the idolatrous and pagan priests,
God declares He will cut off this group, showing that serving other gods leads to divine judgment.