כָּסַס (ka.sas)
ka.sas
to compute
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb kâsas means to calculate or count with precision. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Exodus 12:4, where it guides the Israelites on how to organize their Passover meal. The text instructs neighbors to join together so that the number of people matches what they can actually eat, ensuring no food is wasted.
This rare word emphasizes practical stewardship over ritual formality. By using a term for computation rather than simple gathering, the law highlights the importance of planning and moderation. It connects spiritual observance with everyday responsibility, showing that worship involves careful attention to physical needs and resources.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word kâsas appears in Exodus 12:4, guiding the Israelites on how to organize their Passover meal. It means to compute or count with precision. The text instructs neighbors to join together so that the number of people matches what they can actually eat. This ensures no food is wasted and highlights practical stewardship over ritual formality.
By using a term for computation rather than simple gathering, the law emphasizes planning and moderation. It connects spiritual observance with everyday responsibility. Worship involves careful attention to physical needs and resources, showing that faithfulness includes managing what we have wisely.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- you will estimate1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תָּכֹ֖סּוּ1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 12:4
and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls. You shall make your count for the lamb according to what everyone can eat.
This verse uses kâsas to instruct the Israelites to count their numbers precisely so they can share a lamb without waste, linking communal worship with practical resource management.