katef · shoulder; side

What it means

katef (כָּתֵף) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “shoulder; side”.

Shoulder; from there the side or flank of something, such as a hill or a building.

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. The part of the body between neck and arm, where loads are carried.
2. The side part of something: the flank of a house or hill.
3. The supports that hold something at its sides, like those of the temple's bronze stands.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Shoulder; and, by likeness, the side or flank of something: of a building, a mountain, a gate. In the high priest's garment, the shoulder pieces of the ephod.

• Carrying on the shoulders Judges 16:31 Chronicles 15:15Isaiah 46:7
• The shoulder pieces of the ephod Exodus 28:7
• The side of the house 1 Kings 6:8Ezekiel 47:1
• The slope of a mountain Joshua 18:12
• “They gave a rebellious shoulder” Nehemiah 9:29Zechariah 7:11

Historical and cultural background

The Levites carried the ark “on their shoulders”, as Moses had commanded (1 Chronicles 15:15).

How we translate it

According to the object: “shoulder” 23 times and “shoulders” 6 on the body, and “shoulder pieces” on the ephod (Exodus 28:7); “side” 22 and “sides” 2 in buildings (1 Kings 6:8); “slope” 9 in the borders of Joshua; “supports” 4. כָּתֵף סוֹרֶרֶת is “a rebellious shoulder” (Nehemiah 9:29).

How it is translated

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

• shoulder ×23
• side ×22
• slope ×9
• shoulders ×6
• supports ×4
• sides ×2
• backs ×1

Where it appears

• Exodus×13
• Numbers×2
• Deuteronomy×1
• Joshua×8
• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×8
• 2 Kings×2
• 1 Chronicles×1
• 2 Chronicles×4
• Nehemiah×1
• Job×1
• Isaiah×4
• Ezekiel×19
• Zechariah×1

• Exodus 27:14

  Fifteen cubits of hangings for the one side, their pillars three and their bases three;

• Exodus 27:15

  and for the other side fifteen cubits of hangings, their pillars three and their bases three.

• Exodus 28:7

  It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, so that it is joined together.

• Exodus 28:12

  You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before YHWH on his two shoulders as a memorial.

• Exodus 28:25

  and the other two ends of the two cords you shall put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.

• Exodus 28:27

  You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, low down, on its front, close to its seam, above the woven band of the ephod.

• Exodus 38:14

  Hangings of fifteen cubits for the one side; their pillars three and their bases three.

• Exodus 38:15

  And for the second side, on this side and on that side of the gate of the courtyard, hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three and their bases three.

• Exodus 39:4

  Shoulder pieces they made for it, joining; at its two ends it was joined.

• Exodus 39:7

  And he put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Exodus 39:18

  And the other two ends of the two cords they put on the two settings, and they put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its front.

• Exodus 39:20

  And they made two rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below, at its front, close to its joining, above the woven band of the ephod.

• Numbers 7:9

  But to the sons of Kohath he did not give any, because the service of the holy things was on them; they carried them on the shoulder.

• Numbers 34:11

  and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach the slope of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east;

• Deuteronomy 33:12

  Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of YHWH will dwell in security beside him; he shields him all the day, and between his shoulders he dwells.”

• Joshua 15:8

  and the border went up by the Valley of Ben-hinnom to the slope of the Jebusite on the south (that is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim;

• Joshua 15:10

  and the border turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is Chesalon), and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed along to Timnah;

• Joshua 15:11

  and the border went out to the slope of Ekron to the north, and the border bent to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out to Jabneel, and the ends of the border were at the sea.

• Joshua 18:12

  And their border on the north side was from the Jordan, and the border went up to the slope of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and its ends were at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

• Joshua 18:13

  And from there the border passed along to Luz, to the slope of Luz on the south (that is Bethel); and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, on the hill that is south of Lower Beth-horon.

• Joshua 18:16

  and the border went down to the end of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim to the north; and it went down by the Valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusite on the south, and went down to En-rogel;

• Joshua 18:18

  and it passed along to the slope opposite the Arabah on the north, and went down to the Arabah;

• Joshua 18:19

  and the border passed along to the slope of Beth-hoglah on the north; and the ends of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan, to the south. This was the south border.

• Judges 16:3

  And Samson lay until midnight; then at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and of the two doorposts, and pulled them up with the bar, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.

• 1 Samuel 17:6

  And guards of bronze were on his legs, and a javelin of bronze was between his shoulders.

• 1 Kings 6:8

  The entrance of the middle side chamber was on the right side of the house; and by spiral stairs they went up to the middle one, and from the middle one to the third.

• 1 Kings 7:30

  And four wheels of bronze belonged to each base, and axles of bronze; and its four corners had supports; below the basin were the supports, cast, with wreaths beside each.

• 1 Kings 7:34

  And four supports were at the four corners of each base; its supports were of the base itself.

• 1 Kings 7:39

  And he put the bases, five on the side of the house on the right, and five on the side of the house on its left; and the Sea he put on the right side of the house, toward the east, facing south.

• 2 Kings 11:11

  The runners stood, each man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.

• 1 Chronicles 15:15

  The sons of the Levites carried the ark of Elohim, as Moses had commanded according to the word of YHWH, on their shoulders, with the poles on them.

• 2 Chronicles 4:10

  And the Sea he put on the right side, eastward, facing south.

• 2 Chronicles 23:10

  He stationed all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.

• 2 Chronicles 35:3

  He said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to YHWH, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel, built; it is no longer a burden for you on the shoulder. Now serve YHWH your Elohim and his people Israel.

• Nehemiah 9:29

  And you testified against them to turn them back to your law; yet they acted with arrogance and did not listen to your commandments, and against your rules they sinned, which, if a person does them, he will live by them; and they gave a rebellious shoulder, and their neck they hardened, and did not listen.

• Job 31:22

  let my shoulder fall from its blade, and my arm be broken from its reed.

• Isaiah 11:14

  And they will swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east; Edom and Moab will be the reach of their hand, and the sons of Ammon their subjects.

• Isaiah 30:6

  The burden of the beasts of the Negev. Through a land of distress and anguish, where the lioness and the lion are among them, the viper and the flying fiery serpent, they carry on the backs of young donkeys their riches, and on the humps of camels their treasures, to a people that does not profit.

• Isaiah 46:7

  They lift it on the shoulder, they bear it, and set it in its place, and it stands; from its spot it does not move; also, if one cries to it, it does not answer; from his distress it does not save him.

• Isaiah 49:22

  Thus says Adonai YHWH: “Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and to the peoples I will raise my banner; and they will bring your sons in the bosom, and your daughters will be carried on the shoulder.

And 27 more times.