קַ֫יִן (qa.yin)
qa.yin
spear
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun qayin refers to a spear, a primary weapon in ancient warfare and hunting. It appears only once in the Old Testament, specifically in 2 Samuel 2:18. In this context, it describes the weapon used by Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, during his confrontation with Joab’s forces.
The term is straightforward and concrete, denoting a long thrusting or throwing spear rather than a short dagger or sword. Its single occurrence highlights the personal nature of the conflict in Samuel, where leaders engaged in combat using standard military equipment. The word carries no metaphorical weight in Scripture but serves as a precise identifier of the armament involved in this specific historical encounter.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word qayin refers to a spear, a primary weapon in ancient warfare and hunting. It appears only once in the Old Testament, specifically in 2 Samuel 2:18. In this context, it describes the weapon used by Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, during his confrontation with Joab’s forces.
While this term does not carry metaphorical weight in Scripture, its single occurrence highlights the personal nature of the conflict in Samuel, where leaders engaged in combat using standard military equipment. It serves as a precise identifier of the armament involved in this specific historical encounter.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- spear/ his1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- קֵינ/וֹ֙1×
Key Verses
-
II Samuel 21:16
and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, he being armed with a new sword, thought he would kill David.
This verse mentions a spear weighing three hundred shekels of bronze, illustrating the heavy and formidable nature of such weapons in ancient combat.