Lexical Summary
qanah: To acquire, to buy, to possess, to create
Original Word:קָנָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:qanah
Pronunciation:kah-NAH
Phonetic Spelling:(kaw-naw')
KJV: attain, buy(-er), teach to keep cattle, get, provoke to jealousy, possess(-or), purchase, recover, redeem, X surely, X verily
NASB:buy, bought, acquire, buyer, get, purchased, purchaser
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to erect, i.e. create
2. by extension, to procure, especially by purchase (causatively, sell)
3. (by implication) to own
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
attain, buyer, teach to keep cattle, get, provoke to jealousy, possessor, purchase
A primitive root; to erect, i.e. Create; by extension, to procure, especially by purchase (causatively, sell); by implication to own -- attain, buy(-er), teach to keep cattle, get, provoke to jealousy, possess(-or), purchase, recover, redeem, X surely, X verily.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto get, acquire
NASB Translationacquire (6), acquired (1), acquires (2), bought (20), buy (23), buyer (4), buying (2), buys (1), formed (1), gain acquisition (1), gained (1), get (3), gets (1), gotten (1), owner (1), possessed (1), possessor (2), purchased (3), purchaser (3), recover (1), redeemed (1), sold (1), surely buy (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I.
84 (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Phoenician (Punic) ,
property [in cattle]; Assyrian
‡anû,
gain,
acquire, Meissn
Suppl. 85; Arabic
(
,
)
acquire, procure; Sabean
acquire, possess, CIS
iv,no.89,5.6, noun
property Id
ib,no.3,8,29,3; Ethiopic
acquire, subjugate; Aramaic ,
(
accquire); —
81Perfect3masculine singularGenesis 25:10 +; suffixDeuteronomy 32:6,Leviticus 27:24; 3feminine singularPsalm 78:54; 2masculine singularExodus 15:16 +, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularLeviticus 22:11 +,Genesis 33:19 +, etc.;Imperative masculine singularGenesis 47:19 +;Infinitive absoluteLeviticus 25:14;1 Chronicles 21:24,2 Samuel 24:24;cstr.Proverbs 16:16,Proverbs 16:16 +, etc.;ParticipleDeuteronomy 28:68,Proverbs 15:32 +, etc.; —
get, acquire (all poetry) :
,Genesis 14:19,22;Deuteronomy 32:6 (Israel),Psalm 139:13 ();Proverbs 8:22 ( q. v.).
Exodus 15:16;Isaiah 11:11;Psalm 74:2 ("" ) objectPsalm 78:54.
, (i.e.with the help of),Genesis 4:1 (J).
(only Proverbs):Proverbs 1:5;Proverbs 4:5 (twice in verse);Proverbs 4:7 (twice in verse);Proverbs 15:32;Proverbs 16:16 (twice in verse);Proverbs 17:16;Proverbs 18:15;Proverbs 19:8;Proverbs 23:23.
buyExodus 21:2 (E),Genesis 47:22 (J),Genesis 50:13 (P),Leviticus 27:24(H),Deuteronomy 28:68;Isaiah 24:2;Jeremiah 13:1;Ezekiel 7:12;Proverbs 20:14 +;owner, as purchaserLeviticus 25:30 (P)Isaiah 1:3;Zechariah 11:5 +.
be bought:Perfect3masculine singularJeremiah 32:43;Imperfect3masculine pluralJeremiah 32:15.
Perfect3masculine singular suffixZechariah 13:5; AV makes denominative ofcattle; Thes RV MartiKau Buhlcaused (one)to purchase me, i.e.made me a bondman; < We Now GASm read —Participle see .
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Key Themesקָנָה (qanah) spans the ideas of acquiring, buying, possessing, or bringing forth. Scripture applies it to tangible transactions (land, servants, livestock), intangible treasures (wisdom and truth), and, supremely, to the Lord’s creative and redemptive ownership. Roughly eighty-five occurrences fall into four broad arenas: divine prerogative, redemptive purchase, covenant economy, and personal acquisition.
Divine Ownership and Creation
•Genesis 14:19,22 presents God Most High as “Possessor of heaven and earth,” grounding all subsequent human stewardship in His absolute ownership.
•Deuteronomy 32:6 rebukes Israel’s ingratitude toward the Father “who created you,” rooting covenant faithfulness in the recognition that the people are God’s acquired possession.
•Proverbs 8:22 pictures personified Wisdom: “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His work,” highlighting pre-creational purpose and order.
The verb therefore underlines that creation itself is God’s acquisition, establishing His sovereign right to command and to care.
Redemptive Purchase of a People
•Exodus 15:16 celebrates Israel’s rescue: “Terror and dread fall upon them… until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You purchased pass by.”
•Psalm 74:2 pleads, “Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago,” whilePsalm 78:54 recalls the land “He had purchased for them.”
These texts tie the Exodus and Conquest to a commercial metaphor—Israel belongs to Yahweh by price and power, prefiguring the New Testament’s language of Christ “purchasing” the church with His blood (Acts 20:28).
Covenant Economics and Social Justice
קָנָה dominates Israel’s legal material on property and servitude:
•Leviticus 25:14–16 regulates, “If you sell land to your neighbor or buy from him, do not take advantage of one another.”
•Leviticus 25:39–42 protects impoverished Hebrews who are “bought” as servants, reminding masters that the servants are already God’s property, liberated at Jubilee.
•Jeremiah 32:7–15 recounts Jeremiah’s prophetic land purchase during siege, demonstrating hope in future restoration.
In every case economic activity is framed by covenant loyalty, compassion, and the acknowledgment that ultimate ownership is God’s.
Domestic and Agricultural Acquisition
• The first human use occurs when Eve declares, “With the help of the LORD, I have brought forth [qanah] a man” (Genesis 4:1), linking childbirth to divine cooperation.
• Patriarchal narratives repeatedly employ qanah for purchasing burial plots (Genesis 23:13-20), fields (Genesis 33:19), and Joseph’s sale (Genesis 39:1), portraying responsible provision and sometimes stark exploitation.
•Ruth 4:4,10 shows Boaz legally “acquiring” both land and the duty of levirate marriage, marrying covenant faithfulness to commercial language.
Wisdom, Truth, and Spiritual Treasure
Proverbs invests qanah with ethical urgency:
“Get wisdom, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:5).
“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom” (4:7).
“How much better to get wisdom than gold” (16:16).
“Buy the truth and do not sell it” (23:23).
Here acquisition is lifelong pursuit, valuing divine instruction above material gain.
Prophetic Imagery and Eschatological Hope
Isaiah 1:3 contrasts an ox that “knows its owner” with Israel’s ignorance, exposing spiritual dullness regarding the One who has possessed them. Hosea’s marriage analogy implicitly recalls God’s right of ownership over His wayward bride, anticipating ultimate restoration purchased at great cost.
Christological and New Covenant Implications
Old Testament qanah themes converge in the Messiah, who says, “The Son of Man came… to give His life as a ransom for many” (echoing the market imagery). The verb prepares the theological soil for New Testament terms such as agorazō and peripoiēō, underscoring that believers are “bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Thus the Creator-Owner of Genesis is also the Redeemer-Purchaser of Calvary.
Practical Ministry Application
1. Stewardship: Congregations may ground teaching on tithes, offerings, and ecological care in God’s original possession of creation (Genesis 14:19).
2. Identity: Counseling can remind believers that their worth rests not in self-acquisition but in having been “purchased” by Christ.
3. Discipleship: Encouragement to “get wisdom” (Proverbs 4) motivates disciplined study, prayer, and obedience.
4. Social Justice: Church advocacy for fair labor practices mirrorsLeviticus 25’s insistence that economic dealings respect the dignity of those already owned by God.
5. Hope: Jeremiah’s land purchase offers a model for faith-driven investment in God’s future, even amid apparent defeat.
Through קָנָה, Scripture weaves a consistent testimony: the God who acquires all things by right of creation lovingly purchases His people by grace, calls them to acquire wisdom by choice, and promises a redeemed creation fully possessed in the age to come.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶקְנֶ֖ה אֶקְנֶ֤ה אקנה הִקְנַ֥נִי הַמַּקְנֶֽה׃ הַקֹּנֶ֣ה הַקּוֹנֶ֑ה הַקּוֹנֶה֙ המקנה׃ הקונה הקנה הקנני וְלִקְנ֤וֹת וְנִקְנָ֥ה וְקָנִ֤יתָ וְקָנִ֥יתָ וַיִּ֜קֶן וַיִּ֨קֶן וַיִּקְנֵ֡הוּ וָֽאֶקְנֶה֙ וָאֶקְנֶ֥ה וּקְנ֥וֹת ואקנה ויקן ויקנהו ולקנות ונקנה וקנות וקנית יִקְנ֗וּ יִקְנֶ֥ה יִקְנֶֽה׃ יִקְנֶה־ יִקָּנ֥וּ יקנה יקנה־ יקנה׃ יקנו כַּקּוֹנֶה֙ כקונה לִקְנ֖וֹת לִקְנ֤וֹת לִקְנ֧וֹת לִקְנֽוֹת׃ לִקְנוֹת֙ לַקֹּנֶ֥ה לקנה לקנות לקנות׃ ק֣וֹנֶה קְ֠נֵה קְ֭נֵה קְֽנֹה־ קְנֵ֣ה קְנֵֽה־ קְנֵה־ קְנוֹתְךָ֥ קָ֘נִ֤יתָ קָ֠נִינוּ קָ֭נָנִי קָּנֶ֔ךָ קָנ֨וֹ קָנְתָ֥ה קָנִ֑ינוּ קָנִ֔יתָה קָנִ֖יתָ קָנִ֙יתִי֙ קָנִ֣יתָ קָנִ֥יתִי קָנִ֧יתִי קָנִ֨יתִי קָנִ֨יתָ קָנִֽיתָ׃ קָנָ֑ה קָנָ֔ה קָנָ֖הוּ קָנָ֥ה קָנָ֧ה קָנָ֨ה קָנָה֩ קָנֹ֖ה קָנֹ֥ה קֹֽנֶה־ קֹנֵ֔הוּ קֹנֵ֖ה קֹנֵיהֶ֤ן קֹנֶֽה׃ קונה קנה קנה־ קנה׃ קנהו קנו קנותך קניהן קנינו קנית קנית׃ קניתה קניתי קנך קנני קנתה תִּקְנ֔וּ תִּקְנ֖וּ תִּקְנֶ֖ה תִקְנֶה֙ תקנה תקנו ’eq·neh ’eqneh ekNeh hakkoNeh ham·maq·neh hammakNeh hammaqneh haq·qō·neh haq·qō·w·neh haqqōneh haqqōwneh hikNani hiq·na·nî hiqnanî kakkoNeh kaNah kaNahu Kanani kaNecha kaneTah Kaninu kaNita kaNitah kaNiti kaNo kaNoh kaq·qō·w·neh kaqqōwneh keneh kenoh kenotCha koNeh koNehu koneiHen lakkoNeh laq·qō·neh laqqōneh likNot liq·nō·wṯ liqnōwṯ qā·nā·hū qā·nā·nî qā·nāh qā·ne·ḵā qā·nə·ṯāh qā·nî·nū qā·nî·ṯā qā·nî·ṯāh qā·nî·ṯî qā·nōh qā·nōw qānāh qānāhū qānānî qāneḵā qānəṯāh qānînū qānîṯā qānîṯāh qānîṯî qānōh qānōw qə·nêh qə·nêh- qə·nō·wṯ·ḵā qə·nōh- qənêh qənêh- qənōh- qənōwṯḵā qō·nê·hen qō·nê·hū qō·neh qō·nêh qō·neh- qō·w·neh qōneh qōnêh qōneh- qōnêhen qōnêhū qōwneh tikNeh tikNu tiq·neh ṯiq·neh tiq·nū tiqneh ṯiqneh tiqnū ū·qə·nō·wṯ ukeNot ūqənōwṯ vaekNeh vaiYiken vaiyikNehu vekaNita velikNot venikNah wā’eqneh wā·’eq·neh way·yi·qen way·yiq·nê·hū wayyiqen wayyiqnêhū wə·liq·nō·wṯ wə·niq·nāh wə·qā·nî·ṯā wəliqnōwṯ wəniqnāh wəqānîṯā yikkaNu yikNeh yikNu yiq·neh yiq·neh- yiq·nū yiq·qā·nū yiqneh yiqneh- yiqnū yiqqānū
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