keli · vessel, article

What it means

keli (כְּלִי) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “vessel, article”.

Object, article: anything made to be used (vessels, jewelry, tools, weapons, baggage).

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. Any container for keeping or carrying liquids and food.
2. Something for use: tools, jewels, travel gear.
3. What is carried to war to fight with: sword, bow, spear.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Object, utensil: anything made to be used. BDB adds “vessel”.

• Objects of value Genesis 24:53
• Weapons, gear Genesis 27:31 Samuel 31:4
• Someone's things, baggage Genesis 31:371 Samuel 17:22
• A clay vessel Jeremiah 18:4
• The furnishings of the sanctuary Exodus 25:9

How we translate it

“Utensils” 103 times, “weapons” 45, “vessels” 38, “vessel” 32, “articles” 15, “instruments” 14, “baggage” 12, “objects” 12. The Hebrew word is a single one; English chooses according to the object. “The one who carried his weapons” renders נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו (1 Samuel 31:4).

How it is translated

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

• utensils ×103
• weapons ×45
• vessels ×38
• vessel ×32
• articles ×15
• instruments ×14
• baggage ×12
• objects ×12
• article ×11
• object ×11
• others ×32

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Genesis×9
• Exodus×34
• Leviticus×22
• Numbers×31
• Deuteronomy×3
• Joshua×3
• Judges×4
• Ruth×1
• 1 Samuel×33
• 2 Samuel×8
• 1 Kings×13
• 2 Kings×17
• 1 Chronicles×23
• 2 Chronicles×33
• Ezra×10
• Nehemiah×5
• Esther×3
• Job×1
• Psalms×4
• Proverbs×2
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Isaiah×14
• Jeremiah×27
• Ezekiel×15
• Daniel×3
• Hosea×2
• Amos×1
• Jonah×1
• Nahum×1
• Zechariah×1

• Genesis 24:53

  The servant brought out objects of silver and objects of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; and costly gifts he gave to her brother and to her mother.

• Genesis 27:3

  So now, take, please, your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,

• Genesis 31:37

  Now that you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all the goods of your house? Put it here before my brothers and your brothers, and let them decide between the two of us.

• Genesis 42:25

  Joseph gave orders to fill their containers with grain, and to return their silver, each into his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And so it was done for them.

• Genesis 43:11

  Israel their father said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choicest products of the land in your containers and carry down to the man a gift: a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and ladanum, pistachios and almonds.

• Genesis 45:20

  Do not let your eye regret your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

• Genesis 49:5

  Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.

• Exodus 3:22

  Each woman shall ask of her neighbor and of the woman who resides in her house articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; and so you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

• Exodus 11:2

  Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let them ask, each man from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.”

• Exodus 12:35

  The sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses: they asked of the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing.

• Exodus 22:7

  When a man gives his neighbor silver or goods to keep, and it is stolen from the house of the man, if the thief is found, he shall repay double.

• Exodus 25:9

  According to all that I am showing you, the pattern of the dwelling and the pattern of all its furnishings, so you shall make it.

• Exodus 25:39

  Of a talent of pure gold it shall be made, it, with all these utensils.

• Exodus 27:3

  You shall make its pots for removing its ashes, and its shovels, its bowls, its forks, and its firepans; all its utensils you shall make of bronze.

• Exodus 27:19

  All the utensils of the dwelling for all its service, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the courtyard, shall be of bronze.

• Exodus 30:27

  the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,

• Exodus 30:28

  the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand.

• Exodus 31:7

  the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the cover of expiation that is on it, and all the utensils of the tent;

• Exodus 31:8

  and the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand and all its utensils, and the altar of incense,

• Exodus 31:9

  and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand;

• Exodus 35:13

  the table and its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the presence;

• Exodus 35:14

  and the lampstand for the light and its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light;

• Exodus 35:16

  the altar of burnt offering and its grating of bronze that belongs to it, its poles and all its utensils, the basin and its stand;

• Exodus 35:22

  And they came, the men with the women, all who were generous of heart; they brought brooches and earrings and rings and necklaces, all kinds of articles of gold; and every man who waved a wave offering of gold to YHWH.

• Exodus 37:16

  And he made the utensils that were on the table, its plates and its spoons and its bowls and the jars with which libations are poured, of pure gold.

• Exodus 37:24

  Of a talent of pure gold he made it and all its utensils.

• Exodus 38:3

  And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots and the shovels and the bowls, the forks and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze.

• Exodus 38:30

  And with it he made the bases of the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the altar of bronze, and the grating of bronze that belonged to it, and all the utensils of the altar,

• Exodus 39:33

  And they brought the dwelling to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its bases;

• Exodus 39:36

  the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the presence;

• Exodus 39:37

  the pure lampstand, its lamps, the lamps set in order, and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;

• Exodus 39:39

  the bronze altar and the grating of bronze that belonged to it, its poles and all its utensils, the basin and its stand;

• Exodus 39:40

  the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the courtyard, its cords and its pegs, and all the utensils for the service of the dwelling, for the tent of meeting;

• Exodus 40:9

  And you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the dwelling and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its utensils; and it shall be holy.

• Exodus 40:10

  And you shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy.

• Leviticus 6:28

  And the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; and if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, it shall be scoured and rinsed in water.

• Leviticus 8:11

  He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.

• Leviticus 11:32

  And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead will be unclean, whether any article of wood or garment or skin or sack, any article with which work is done; it shall be put into water, and it will be unclean until the evening; then it will be clean.

• Leviticus 11:33

  And any earthen vessel into which any of them falls, whatever is in it will be unclean, and it you shall break.

• Leviticus 11:34

  Any food that may be eaten, on which water comes, will be unclean; and any drink that may be drunk from any such vessel will be unclean.

And 285 more times.