kun · be firm, prepare

What it means

kun (כּוּן) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “be firm, prepare”.

Be firm, be set, be ready; in the causative form, set up, establish, prepare, make ready.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To be steady, well set, not moving.
2. To make something firm, establish it.
3. To get something set and done beforehand.
4. To be true, sure.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Be firm; in causative forms, establish, prepare, make firm. BDB notes that the proper sense is probably to be firm, and from there to set up, fix, prepare, appoint or make sure.

• To be firm: the world, the heart Psalms 93:1Psalms 57:7
• To prepare Exodus 16:51 Samuel 7:3
• To establish a kingdom or a throne 2 Samuel 7:122 Samuel 7:13
• YHWH establishes steps and plans Proverbs 16:3Proverbs 16:9
• To stand firm Joshua 3:17

How we translate it

“Established” 50 times, “prepared” 42, “firm” 27, “prepare” 25, “ready” 13. It is translated “be firm”, “establish” or “prepare”, according to the passage; in the promise to David, “I will establish his kingdom” and “I will make firm the throne of his kingdom” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). הֵכִין לֵב is “prepare your heart”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• established ×50
• prepared ×42
• firm ×27
• prepare ×25
• ready ×13
• set ×8
• I will establish ×5
• establish ×5
• certain ×4
• establishes ×4
• others ×34

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Exodus×7
• Numbers×3
• Deuteronomy×4
• Joshua×5
• Judges×3
• 1 Samuel×6
• 2 Samuel×6
• 1 Kings×6
• 1 Chronicles×24
• 2 Chronicles×26
• Ezra×2
• Nehemiah×1
• Esther×2
• Job×15
• Psalms×52
• Proverbs×19
• Isaiah×10
• Jeremiah×7
• Ezekiel×8
• Hosea×1
• Amos×1
• Micah×1
• Nahum×2
• Habakkuk×1
• Zephaniah×1
• Zechariah×1

• Genesis 41:32

  As for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is fixed by Elohim, and Elohim is hurrying to do it.

• Genesis 43:16

  When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the one over his house, “Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon.”

• Genesis 43:25

  They prepared the gift until Joseph came at noon, for they had heard that they would eat bread there.

• Exodus 8:26

  But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for what we sacrifice to YHWH our Elohim is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?

• Exodus 15:17

  You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance, the place for you to dwell in that you have made, YHWH, the sanctuary, Adonai, that your hands have established.

• Exodus 16:5

  And on the sixth day they shall prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather each day.”

• Exodus 19:11

  and be ready for the third day; for on the third day YHWH will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.

• Exodus 19:15

  He said to the people, “Be ready in three days; do not go near a woman.”

• Exodus 23:20

  Look, I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

• Exodus 34:2

  And be ready for the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to me there on the top of the mountain.

• Numbers 21:27

  Therefore those who recite poems say, “Come to Heshbon; let it be built, and let the city of Sihon be established.

• Numbers 23:1

  And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

• Numbers 23:29

  And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

• Deuteronomy 13:14

  then you shall seek and investigate and ask thoroughly. And look, if it is true and the matter certain, that this abomination has been done among you,

• Deuteronomy 17:4

  and it is told to you and you hear of it, then you shall seek thoroughly. And look, if it is true and the matter certain, that this abomination has been done in Israel,

• Deuteronomy 19:3

  You shall prepare for yourself the road, and divide into three parts the territory of your land that YHWH your Elohim gives you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer may flee there.

• Deuteronomy 32:6

  Is it to YHWH you repay this, foolish and unwise people? Is he not your father, who acquired you? He made you and established you.

• Joshua 1:11

  “Pass through the middle of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are crossing this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that YHWH your Elohim is giving you to possess it.’”

• Joshua 3:17

  The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of YHWH stood firm on dry land in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel was crossing on dry land, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

• Joshua 4:3

  and command them, saying, ‘Carry for yourselves from here, from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the feet of the priests stood firm, twelve stones, and bring them across with you and leave them in the lodging place where you spend the night tonight.’”

• Joshua 4:4

  So Joshua called to the twelve men whom he had prepared from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe.

• Joshua 8:4

  He commanded them, saying, “See, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, and be all of you ready.

• Judges 12:6

  Then they would say to him, “Say, please, ‘Shibboleth.’” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not say it that way. Then they would seize him and slaughter him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time, of Ephraim, forty-two thousand.

• Judges 16:26

  And Samson said to the boy who was holding him by his hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean on them.”

• Judges 16:29

  And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he braced himself against them, one with his right hand and one with his left.

• 1 Samuel 7:3

  And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If with all your heart you are returning to YHWH, put away the foreign gods from among you, and the Astartes, and prepare your heart for YHWH and serve him alone, and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

• 1 Samuel 13:13

  Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of YHWH your Elohim that he commanded you; for now YHWH would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

• 1 Samuel 20:31

  For all the days that the son of Jesse lives on the ground, you will not be established, nor your kingdom. And now, send and bring him to me, for he deserves death.”

• 1 Samuel 23:22

  Go, please, make sure still more; find out and see his place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for someone has told me that he is very cunning.

• 1 Samuel 23:23

  See and find out about all the hiding places where he hides there, and come back to me with sure information, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

• 1 Samuel 26:4

  David sent spies and learned for certain that Saul had come.

• 2 Samuel 5:12

  David knew that YHWH had established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

• 2 Samuel 7:12

  When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will come out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

• 2 Samuel 7:13

  He will build a house for my name, and I will make firm the throne of his kingdom forever.

• 2 Samuel 7:16

  And your house and your kingdom will be firm forever before you; your throne will be established forever.’”

• 2 Samuel 7:24

  You made firm for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever; and you, YHWH, have become their Elohim.

• 2 Samuel 7:26

  And may your name be great forever, so that it is said, ‘YHWH Tsevaot is Elohim over Israel’; and may the house of your servant David be established before you.

• 1 Kings 2:12

  And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was established firmly.

• 1 Kings 2:24

  And now, as YHWH lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made for me a house, as he spoke, surely today Adonijah shall be put to death.”

• 1 Kings 2:45

  But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before YHWH forever.”

And 177 more times.