Lexical Summary
kar: Ram, lamb, battering ram
Original Word:כַּר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:kar
Pronunciation:kar
Phonetic Spelling:(kar)
KJV: captain, furniture, lamb, (large) pasture, ram See also H1033, H3746
Word Origin:[fromH3769 (כָּרַר - dancing) in the sense of plumpness]
1. a ram (as full-grown and fat), including a battering-ram (as butting)
2. (hence) a meadow (as for sheep)
3. also a pad or camel's saddle (as puffed out)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
captain, furniture, lamb, large pasture, ram
Fromkarar in the sense of plumpness; a ram (as full-grown and fat), including a battering-ram (as butting); hence, a meadow (as for sheep); also a pad or camel's saddle (as puffed out) -- captain, furniture, lamb, (large) pasture, ram. See alsoBeyth Kar,kariy.
see HEBREWkarar
see HEBREWBeyth Kar
see HEBREWkariy
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] , for
basket-saddle read <
camelpalankeen; the palankeen, or tent-like erection, on the saddle (Burckh
Bedouins and Wahabys, 266 Doughty
Arab. Des. i. 437. ii. 304 Lane
Modern Egyptians (5) ii. 158 and elsewhere), which seems intended here, is distinct from the basket or pannier (in which some women also traveled, Porter
Travels ii. 232.).
Genesis 31:34in the camel-basket, i.e. the basket-saddle of the camel, a sort of palankeen bound upon the saddle proper (compare Kn in Di and references) II. see in alphabetical order.
II.Psalm 65:14 pasture (√ dubious; Thes derives fromlamb (=lamb-pasturage); SchwZAW x. (1890) 186 from , and compare Assyriankirû [which however =nursery of trees, grove DlHWB 353], Arabic
cistern; HomNS 100 from q. v., originally =round enclosure); — singular onlyIsaiah 30:23a roomy pasture; pluralPsalm 37:20,Psalm 65:14the pastures are clothed with the sheep (> Schwl.c. who translateslambsPsalm 37:20 after Aq andPsalm 65:14, and understandsIsaiah 30:23 of a definite plural). —
III.lamb see below .
II. (Assyriankirru, Zim in SchwZAW x. (1890), 186; perhapslamb fromdancing, skipping, galloping in field; (battering-)ram as in English, from butting; compare Arabic
ram andbuttress, Lane; alsobattering-ram compare Dozyii. 440); — singular onlyIsaiah 16:1the lamb of the ruler (as tribute); elsewhere pluralAmos 6:4;1 Samuel 15:9;2 Kings 3:4;Jeremiah 51:40 (in simile),Ezekiel 27:21;Ezekiel 39:18;Deuteronomy 32:14the fat of lambs;Isaiah 34:6the blood of lambs and goats; =battering-ramsEzekiel 4:2;Ezekiel 21:27 (twice in verse) (in va Co reads , compare AV; RV as above). — See also p. I I I above
Topical Lexicon
Scope of the Termכַּר (kar) moves through Israel’s vocabulary of daily life, worship, commerce, prophecy, and warfare. It may denote a male lamb or fatling, a meadow where such animals graze, a soft cushion or camel–saddle, and—by visual analogy—the heavy timber “battering rams” of ancient siege warfare. Together the sixteen Old-Testament occurrences trace a spectrum from tender pastoral imagery to the hard reality of judgment.
Pastoral and Economic Significance
From earliest times the lamb was a measure of wealth. Mesha of Moab “paid the king of Israel a tribute of 100,000 lambs” (2 Kings 3:4), and Isaiah urges Moab, “Send the lambs to the ruler of the land” (Isaiah 16:1), recognizing political submission in the currency of livestock. The port of Tyre bought “lambs, rams, and goats” from Arabia and Kedar (Ezekiel 27:21), confirming kar’s place in international trade. Such texts illuminate the agrarian economy behind the Mosaic law’s stipulations for offerings and Israel’s later taxation systems.
Sacrificial and Liturgical Use
While the word never appears inside formal ritual prescriptions, Moses celebrates God’s bounty with “the fat of lambs” (Deuteronomy 32:14). Isaiah intensifies the Day-of-the-LORD imagery: “The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood… from the blood of lambs and goats” (Isaiah 34:6). Ezekiel’s oracle against Gog evokes a grisly feast — “the flesh of rams and lambs… all of them fattened animals of Bashan” (Ezekiel 39:18). Each scene leverages the sacrificial associations of a fatling to teach covenant blessing or judgment.
Metaphor of Blessing
“The pastures are clothed with flocks” (Psalm 65:13). Here kar points not to the animals but to the meadows themselves, so thickly blanketed with sheep that the land seems dressed in wool. Similarly, Isaiah promises that after repentance “your livestock will graze in wide pastures” (Isaiah 30:23), picturing restored plenty.
Warning against Overindulgence
Amos exposes the complacent elite who “dine on lambs from the flock” (Amos 6:4). Saul erred when he spared “the fatlings and lambs — everything that was good” from the Amalekite herds (1 Samuel 15:9). Such narratives show that the possession of kar invites gratitude and obedience, not self-indulgence or selective obedience.
Image of Transience and Judgment
Psalm 37:20 contrasts righteous permanence with wicked brevity: “The enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the fields. They will vanish.” The fleeting “glory” (kar) of lush pasture or well-fed lamb foreshadows the swift disappearance of evildoers. Jeremiah intensifies the sentence: “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter” (Jeremiah 51:40).
Military Application: Battering Rams
Ezekiel repeatedly calls siege engines karim: “place battering rams around it” (Ezekiel 4:2; 21:22). The term suits a device topped by a carved ram’s head and underscores the prophet’s message that the same beasts used in worship could, by divine decree, become instruments of destruction against a rebellious city.
Domestic Scene
Rachel hid the household idols “inside the camel’s saddle” (Genesis 31:34). The cushion she sat upon bears the same name, illustrating how the comforts of pastoral life could conceal idolatry — a subtle moral warning embedded in vocabulary.
Toward the Lamb of God
The recurring prominence of kar prepares hearts for the ultimate sacrificial Lamb. The abundance, purity, and costly value of the Old-Testament lamb all point forward, finding fulfillment in Jesus Christ, “the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12). The prophetic images of judgment and deliverance associated with kar sharpen the gospel contrast between wrath borne and grace secured.
Ministry Reflections
• Provision is meant for praise; neglected obedience (1 Samuel 15:9) still grieves God’s heart.
• Luxury without justice (Amos 6:4) invites divine rebuke; stewardship must remain accountable.
• God can transform symbols of blessing into tools of discipline (Ezekiel 4:2); faithfulness is the safeguard.
• Every lamb of Old-Testament imagery ultimately directs believers to proclaim Christ’s atoning work.
By tracing כַּר through Scripture, pastors and students gain a multifaceted view of how God weaves everyday objects, economic realities, and prophetic symbols into a coherent testimony of His holiness, provision, and redemptive purpose.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּכַ֥ר בְּכָרִ֤ים בכר בכרים הַכָּרִים֙ הכרים כְּכָרִ֣ים כַ֥ר כַּ֥ר כָּרִ֑ים כָּרִ֔ים כָּרִ֖ים כָּרִ֜ים כָּרִ֤ים כָּרִים֙ כָרִ֨ים ׀ ככרים כר כרים bə·ḵā·rîm bə·ḵar beChar bechaRim bəḵar bəḵārîm char chaRim hak·kā·rîm hakkaRim hakkārîm kā·rîm ḵā·rîm kar ḵar kaRim kārîm ḵārîm kə·ḵā·rîm kechaRim kəḵārîm
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