Lexical Summary
kikkar: Circle, round, talent, loaf, region
Original Word:כִּכָּר
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:kikkar
Pronunciation:kik-KAR
Phonetic Spelling:(kik-kawr')
KJV: loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent
NASB:talents, talent, valley, loaf, plain, loaves, cake
Word Origin:[fromH3769 (כָּרַר - dancing)]
1. a circle
2. (by implication) a circumjacent tract or region, expec. the Ghor or valley of the Jordan
3. also a (round) loaf
4. also a talent (or large (round) coin)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent
Fromkarar; a circle, i.e. (by implication) a circumjacent tract or region, expec. The Ghor or valley of the Jordan; also a (round) loaf; also a talent (or large (round) coin) -- loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent.
see HEBREWkarar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
kararDefinitiona round, a round district, a round loaf, a round weight, a talent (a measure of weight or money)
NASB Translationcake (1), cover (1), district (1), loaf (4), loaves (2), plain (4), talent (9), talents (38), valley (8).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Genesis 13:10Exodus 29:32; : hence
.
.
(Late Hebrewid.; loaf, weight, talent; Aramaic ,
talent; Tel Amarnagaggaru kaspu WklNo. 35, Rev. 14 Christian-Palestinian Aramaic
, of honey-comb SchwIdioticon 46; on formative see BaNB 204); — absoluteGenesis 13:12 +; construct1 Samuel 2:36 +; dual1 Kings 16:24;2 Kings 5:23,2 Kings 5:23; plural1 Chronicles 22:14 (twice in verse) + 7 t. chr; construct2 Kings 5:5 2t. Chronicles; (loaves)Judges 8:5;1 Samuel 10:3; —
the round (oroval) especially of the Jordan valley,Genesis 13:10,11;1 Kings 7:46 2Chronicles 4:17; absoluteGenesis 19:17,25;Deuteronomy 34:3;2 Samuel 18:23;Genesis 19:28;Genesis 13:12;Genesis 19:29, see GASmG 505 BuhlG. 112; district of Jerusalem,Nehemiah 3:22;Nehemiah 12:28.
loaf of bread (from round shape),1 Samuel 2:36;Proverbs 6:36, compareExodus 29:23;Jeremiah 37:21;1 Chronicles 16:3;1 Samuel 10:3;Judges 8:5.
a weight (also from shape),Zechariah 5:7a weight of lead, serving as cover of an ephah.
a particularunit of weight,talent, usually of gold or silver: —2 Samuel 12:30;2 Kings 9:14 18t.;1 Kings 20:39;2 Kings 5:5 21t.; but also of iron,1 Chronicles 29:7, and bronzeExodus 38:29;1 Chronicles 29:7. — The weight of the talent was 58.944 kilograms (= 129.97 lbs.) according to older (Babylonian) standard, later 49.11 king (= 108.29 lbs.) and less; see BenzArchaeology 187 ff.194NowArchaeology i. 208 f. — See also .
√ of following (Arabic
be wrinkled).
(√ of following; compare Biblical Hebrew ,
).
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and ImageryThe Hebrew noun kikkar (Strong’s 3603) combines two pictures—the rounded shape of a disc or loaf, and the idea of something substantial. This yields its two principal uses in Scripture: (1) a “talent,” the largest common unit of weight in Israel’s economy, and (2) a “plain,” especially the broad circular basin of the lower Jordan. The shared imagery of something wide and encompassing invites reflection on divine provision that is both weighty and expansive.
Measure of Weight and Monetary Value
A talent (approximately 75 pounds or 34 kilograms) represented staggering wealth in the Ancient Near East. When the Queen of Sheba presented Solomon with “one hundred twenty talents of gold” (1 Kings 10:10), she was acknowledging the extraordinary splendor God had granted his king. Annual revenues of “six hundred sixty-six talents of gold” (1 Kings 10:14) underscored Israel’s golden age. Conversely, Assyrian tribute of “three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold” (2 Kings 18:14) revealed the humiliation of Hezekiah’s generation.
The Exodus record totals the wilderness offerings: “The total amount of the gold...was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels” (Exodus 38:24). Every talent hammered into sanctuary furniture testified that Israel’s best belonged to the LORD. In later centuries temple repairs under Joash (2 Kings 12:13) and measures taken by Josiah (2 Kings 23:33) continued to reckon value by the talent, anchoring Israel’s economy to the benchmarks revealed at Sinai.
Component in Tabernacle and Temple Worship
A single talent of pure gold was used to fashion the lampstand with all its accessories (Exodus 25:39; 37:24). The sevenfold lamp, beating out of one talent, portrays unity of light derived from costly devotion. Silver talents financed the sockets that grounded the sanctuary boards (Exodus 26:19; 38:27), a vivid lesson that God’s dwelling among His people rests on redemption—silver being the metal paid for each ransom half-shekel (Exodus 30:13-16).
Solomon continued the pattern. Temple doors, cherubim, altar furnishings, and shields were measured by the talent (1 Kings 7;2 Chronicles 9). Thus the unit links both tabernacle and temple across centuries, emphasizing continuity in worship and foreshadowing the “surpassing worth” found in Christ (Philippians 3:8).
Symbol of Economic Provision and Generosity
Kikkar becomes a yardstick for munificence or greed. Naaman offered “ten talents of silver” for healing (2 Kings 5:5); Elisha refused, but Gehazi coveted two talents, incurring judgment (2 Kings 5:20-27). InEsther 3:9 Haman offered “ten thousand talents of silver” to annihilate the Jews, displaying how vast resources can be weaponized against God’s people. By contrast, generous giving in1 Chronicles 29:7 (“five thousand talents of gold...ten thousand talents of silver”) modeled glad stewardship that funded Solomon’s temple.
Geographical Designation: The Jordan Plain
Genesis introduces “the whole plain of the Jordan” as the land Lot coveted (Genesis 13:10-12). After judgment fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham “looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace” (Genesis 19:28). The fertile kikkar that once attracted Lot became a constant reminder of the deceitfulness of appearances and the certainty of divine justice.
Later, Moses surveyed “the Negev and the whole region of the valley of Jericho, the city of palms, as far as Zoar” (Deuteronomy 34:3) from Pisgah’s heights. The same plain witnessed the casting of bronze vessels for Solomon’s temple “in the plain of the Jordan” (1 Kings 7:46), transforming a site of former judgment into one of worship preparation—a subtle testimony to redemption.
Foreshadowing in Salvation History
The talent pattern anticipates the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) where the Master entrusts weighty responsibility and expects faithful multiplication. While the Greek term differs, the Old Testament’s repeated link between kikkar and stewardship prepares readers for Messiah’s call to invest entrusted resources for the kingdom.
The Jordan plain, initial stage for Israel’s entry into Canaan, prefigures the baptism of Jesus in the same river valley (Matthew 3:13-17). A land once cursed by fire now witnesses the heavens opened and the Spirit descending, declaring the Beloved Son who will bear the fiery wrath for sinners.
Prophetic Echoes and Eschatological Hints
Zechariah’s vision of the flying scroll, whose dimensions suggest a rolled-up kikkar, pronounces judgment on thieves and perjurers (Zechariah 5:1-4). The image merges weight and circumference: sin carries heavy liability and fills the land.Revelation 16:21 describes hailstones “weighing about a talent each,” borrowing the language of kikkar to convey the severity of final judgment.
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Stewardship: As Israel’s offerings were tallied by talents, so modern believers evaluate giving not merely by amount but by weight of obedience (2 Corinthians 8:12).
2. Discernment: Lot’s choice warns ministries against evaluating opportunities solely by surface prosperity.
3. Redemption Narrative: The transformation of the Jordan plain from Sodom to sanctuary bronze encourages confidence that God can repurpose broken places for His glory.
4. Accountability: Gehazi’s two-talent deceit and Haman’s ten-thousand-talent bribe challenge leaders to guard motives in handling resources.
5. Hope in Judgment: The hailstones of Revelation recall the talent, assuring the church that justice will one day be fully measured out by the righteous Judge.
Conclusion
Whether as the heaviest unit of currency or the broadest stretch of land, kikkar accents the magnitude of God’s dealings—His lavish provision, His uncompromising holiness, and His redemptive purpose that transforms both wealth and land for eternal praise.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּכִכְּרַ֣יִם בְּכִכַּ֤ר בככר בככרים הַכִּכָּ֑ר הַכִּכָּ֔ר הַכִּכָּ֖ר הַכִּכָּ֞ר הַכִּכָּֽר׃ הַכִּכָּר֙ הככר הככר׃ וְכִכַּ֥ר וְכִכַּ֨ר וְכִכַּר־ וככר וככר־ כִּכְּר֣וֹת כִּכְּרֵ֥י כִּכְּרֵי־ כִּכְּרַ֨יִם כִּכַּ֣ר כִּכַּ֤ר כִּכַּ֥ר כִּכַּ֫ר כִּכַּר־ כִּכָּ֑ר כִּכָּ֔ר כִּכָּ֛ר כִּכָּ֥ר כִּכָּרִ֑ים כִּכָּרִ֔ים כִּכָּרִ֣ים כִּכָּרִ֤ים כִּכָּרִֽים׃ כִּכָּרִים֙ כִּכָּרָ֑יִם כִכַּר־ כִכָּֽר׃ ככר ככר־ ככר׃ ככרות ככרי ככרי־ ככרים ככרים׃ לְכִכָּרִ֑ים לְכִכָּרִ֖ים לככרים bə·ḵik·kar bə·ḵik·kə·ra·yim bechikKar bechikkeRayim bəḵikkar bəḵikkərayim chikkar hak·kik·kār hakkikKar hakkikkār kik·kā·rā·yim kik·kā·rîm kik·kar kik·kār ḵik·kār kik·kar- ḵik·kar- kik·kə·ra·yim kik·kə·rê kik·kə·rê- kik·kə·rō·wṯ kikkar kikkār ḵikkār kikkar- ḵikkar- kikkaRayim kikkārāyim kikkaRim kikkārîm kikkeRayim kikkərayim kikkərê kikkərê- kikkerei kikkeRot kikkərōwṯ lə·ḵik·kā·rîm lechikkaRim ləḵikkārîm vechikKar wə·ḵik·kar wə·ḵik·kar- wəḵikkar wəḵikkar-
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