כֵּן
ken
gnat
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Ken (כֵּן): A Small but Persistent Biblical Pest The Hebrew word *ken* refers to a gnat, one of the smallest insects mentioned in biblical texts. With seven occurrences across the scriptural record, this term appears infrequently but consistently enough to suggest it held recognizable significance for ancient Hebrew speakers. The gnat's diminutive size made it a memorable reference point—small enough to be nearly invisible, yet capable of causing genuine irritation to people and animals alike. The limited frequency of *ken* in the Bible likely reflects its appearance primarily in passages describing plagues, discomfort, or metaphorical comparisons. As a minor pest that would have been familiar to an agrarian society, the gnat served as an apt illustration for things that are trivial in appearance yet troublesome in effect. The seven biblical references suggest the word was specific enough to warrant its own distinct term rather than being subsumed under a more general word for insects, indicating that ancient Hebrews made fine distinctions among the creatures they encountered in daily life.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences across the text
He spoke, and swarms of flies came, and lice in all their borders.
Isaiah 51:6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment. Its inhabitants will die in the same way, but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be abolished.
Exodus 8:16Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ”
Exodus 8:17They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were lice on man, and on animal; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Exodus 8:17They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were lice on man, and on animal; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Exodus 8:18The magicians tried with their enchantments to produce lice, but they couldn’t. There were lice on man, and on animal.
Exodus 8:18The magicians tried with their enchantments to produce lice, but they couldn’t. There were lice on man, and on animal.