כָּפָן
hunger (as making to stoop with emptiness and pain)
Definition
כָּפָן (kâphân) refers to severe hunger or famine, specifically describing a state of emptiness and pain that causes one to stoop or bend over. The word conveys not just physical hunger but the debilitating effects of extreme scarcity, as seen in Job 30:3 where it describes people in desperate conditions. In Job 5:22, it is paired with 'famine' (רָעָב, raʿāv) to emphasize protection from such calamities. The term always implies a profound, distressing lack of sustenance that impacts posture and dignity.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only twice in the Old Testament, both in the book of Job. In Job 5:22, it is used in a promise of divine protection from famine and destruction. In Job 30:3, it describes the condition of outcasts who 'gnaw the dry ground' in their extreme hunger. The usage consistently portrays כָּפָן as an intense, life-threatening scarcity, highlighting human vulnerability and suffering.
Etymology
Derived from the root כָּפַן (kāphan, H3719), meaning 'to bend, bow down, or curve.' This root imagery suggests hunger so severe it physically bends a person over. The noun form כָּפָן thus extends this to mean 'hunger' as that which causes stooping, emphasizing the posture of emptiness and pain.
Semantic Range
כָּפָן underscores the biblical theme of human dependence on God for provision. In Job 5:22, it appears in Eliphaz's speech about God's protection, contrasting human frailty with divine sovereignty. The word enriches understanding of suffering in Job, where hunger is not just physical but a symbol of total destitution and social marginalization (Job 30:3). It reminds readers that God is ultimately the sustainer in times of extreme need.
In ancient Near Eastern culture, famine was a recurring threat that could lead to social collapse and forced migration. כָּפָן reflects this reality, where hunger was not merely discomfort but a life-or-death crisis that humbled and physically deformed sufferers. The imagery of stooping conveys loss of dignity, aligning with descriptions of outcasts in Job 30:3 who are reduced to scavenging.
רָעָב (raʿāv, H7458) — a more general term for famine or hunger, often used in broader contexts of national scarcity. כְּפָנִים (kephānîm, H3720*) — a variant plural form with identical meaning, though not used in the Hebrew Bible.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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