3724. kopher
Lexical Summary
kopher: Ransom, Atonement, Price of a Life, Bribe

Original Word: כֹּפֶר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kopher
Pronunciation: KOH-fer
Phonetic Spelling: (ko'-fer)
KJV: bribe, camphire, pitch, ransom, satisfaction, sum of money, village
Word Origin: [from H3722 (כָּפַר - To cover)]

1. (properly) a cover, i.e. (literally) a village (as covered in)
2. (specifically) bitumen (as used for coating), and the henna plant (as used for dyeing)
3. (figuratively) a redemption-price

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bribe, pitch, ransom, satisfaction, sum of money, village

From kaphar; properly, a cover, i.e. (literally) a village (as covered in); (specifically) bitumen (as used for coating), and the henna plant (as used for dyeing); figuratively, a redemption-price -- bribe, camphire, pitch, ransom, satisfaction, sum of money, village.

see HEBREW kaphar

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. כֹּפֶר noun masculine the price of a life, ransom (ποινή, wergild); — ׳כ Exodus 21:30 10t.; suffix כָּפְרְךָ Isaiah 43:3; כָפְרוֺ Psalm 49:8; —

1 a price for ransom of a life Job 33:24; Job 36:18; עַל ׳כ Exodus 21:30 (Covt. code; "" מִּדְיֹן נַפְשׁוֺ); נפשׁ ׳כ Proverbs 13:8; לְ ׳כ ransom for Proverbs 6:35; Proverbs 21:18; Numbers 35:31,32 (P); כָּפְרוֺ his ransom Psalm 49:8 ׅ "" ( פדה; כָּפְרְךָ thy ransom Isaiah 43:3 ׅ "" ( תַּחְתֶּיךָ; כֹּפֶר alone 1 Samuel 12:3; Amos 5:12.

2 in the ritual of P נַפְשׁוֺ ׳כ Exodus 30:12 is a half shekel of the sanctuary paid by each male above twenty years at the census in order that there might be no plague upon them. It was offered to Yahweh, לְכַמֵּר על to atone for them.

II. כֹּ֫פֶר noun masculine pitch (Arabic (loan-word, compare Frä150), Syriac ᵑ7. כּוּפְרָא; Assyrian kupru, kupur DlHWB 348; compare גֹּפֶר ?) — Genesis 6:14 (P).

III. כֹּ֫פֶר noun masculine name of a plant, El „enna (√ dubious; Late Hebrew כּוֺפֶר; Aramaic כּוּפְרָא, Arabic El „enna, see LöwNo. 159) — a shrub or low tree, with fragrant whitish flowers growing in clusters like grapes, אֶשְׁכֹּל הַכֹּפֶר cluster of Henna Songs 1:14 (fragrant, figurative of a beloved one); plural כְּפָרִים Songs 4:13.

IV. כֹּפֶר noun [masculine] village; — only singular construct כֹּפֶר הַמְּרָזִי 1 Samuel 6:18 villages of the peasantry.

כְּפַר הָעַמּוֺנִי see כָּפָר above

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The noun כֹּפֶר occurs seventeen times in the Old Testament with three chief senses: (1) a protective coating of pitch, (2) a ransom or compensatory payment, and (3) the fragrant henna plant. Each sense embodies the idea of “covering” or “exchange,” providing a unified testimony to God’s redemptive provision.

Material covering: pitch on the Ark (Genesis 6:14)

“Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; coat it with pitch inside and out” (Genesis 6:14). The viscous coating sealed Noah’s vessel against judgment-waters, prefiguring the divine covering that ultimately shields believers in Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Legal covering: ransom in civil and cultic law

Exodus 21:30 permits a family to “demand a ransom” instead of capital punishment when an ox kills.
Exodus 30:12 requires each census-participant to give “a ransom for his life” so “no plague will come upon them.”
Numbers 35:31-32 forbids ransom for a murderer, affirming the sanctity of innocent blood.

These texts reveal a principle of substitution: justice upheld, life preserved, mercy displayed. Their logic blossoms in the Messiah, “who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6).

Wisdom reflections

Proverbs 13:8 notes, “The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,” while Proverbs 6:35 warns that no amount of payment can appease an enraged husband. Psalm 49:7 asserts, “No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay to God the price of his life.” Earthly resources may rescue in limited ways, but only God supplies an ultimate כֹּפֶר.

Prophetic usage

Isaiah 43:3—“I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place”—shows God’s sovereignty in substitution. Amos 5:12 denounces those who “accept bribes,” twisting כֹּפֶר into injustice. The prophets affirm the legitimacy of true ransom while condemning its corruption.

Poetic testimony in Job

Job 33:24 celebrates God’s mercy: “Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom.” Job 36:18 warns not to gamble on wealth: “Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing; do not let a great ransom turn you aside.” Both verses spotlight God as the only adequate deliverer.

Narrative allusions

1 Samuel 6:18 uses the term of the “great stone” tied to sin-offerings; 1 Samuel 12:3 lists “bribe” among injustices Samuel never took, confirming כֹּפֶר’s moral weight.

Aromatic covering: henna blossoms (Song of Songs 1:14; 4:13)

“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms” (1:14). Here כֹּפֶר depicts fragrance and beauty, hinting that God’s covering not only protects but also delights.

Theological synthesis

1. Protective covering—Genesis 6:14; Exodus 30:12.
2. Substitutionary payment—Exodus 21:30; Numbers 35:31-32; Isaiah 43:3.
3. Delightful fragrance—Song 1:14; 4:13.

Each strand converges in Jesus Christ, whose blood covers sin, satisfies justice, and spreads “the fragrance of the knowledge of Him” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Practical applications

• Evangelism: Stress Christ as the sole sufficient כֹּפֶר; human effort cannot redeem.
• Worship: Marvel at God’s multifaceted covering—protective, justifying, beautifying.
• Ethics: Reject bribery (Amos 5:12); imitate divine righteousness.
• Pastoral care: Encourage believers resting in Christ’s paid-in-full ransom.

Summary

Whether sealing Noah’s ark, averting legal wrath, or scenting a lover’s garden, כֹּפֶר consistently portrays a covering or substitute that rescues and beautifies. It threads through Scripture toward the cross, where the Son of God becomes the once-for-all ransom, the perfect כֹּפֶר, for all who believe.

Forms and Transliterations
בַּכֹּֽפֶר׃ בכפר׃ הַכֹּ֤פֶר ׀ הכפר כְּפָרִ֖ים כָּפְרֽוֹ׃ כָפְרְךָ֙ כֹ֔פֶר כֹ֙פֶר֙ כֹּ֑פֶר כֹּ֖פֶר כֹּ֝֗פֶר כֹּ֣פֶר כֹּ֧פֶר כֹֽפֶר׃ כפר כפר׃ כפרו׃ כפרים כפרך bak·kō·p̄er bakKofer bakkōp̄er chafereCha chofer hak·kō·p̄er hakKofer hakkōp̄er ḵā·p̄ə·rə·ḵā kā·p̄ə·rōw kafeRo ḵāp̄ərəḵā kāp̄ərōw kə·p̄ā·rîm kefaRim kəp̄ārîm kō·p̄er ḵō·p̄er Kofer kōp̄er ḵōp̄er
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 6:14
HEB: מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ בַּכֹּֽפֶר׃
NAS: it inside and out with pitch.
KJV: it within and without with pitch.
INT: within and without pitch

Exodus 21:30
HEB: אִם־ כֹּ֖פֶר יוּשַׁ֣ת עָלָ֑יו
NAS: If a ransom is demanded
KJV: If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give
INT: If A ransom is demanded of

Exodus 30:12
HEB: וְנָ֨תְנ֜וּ אִ֣ישׁ כֹּ֧פֶר נַפְשׁ֛וֹ לַיהוָ֖ה
NAS: of them shall give a ransom for himself
KJV: every man a ransom for his soul
INT: shall give each A ransom himself to the LORD

Numbers 35:31
HEB: וְלֹֽא־ תִקְח֥וּ כֹ֙פֶר֙ לְנֶ֣פֶשׁ רֹצֵ֔חַ
NAS: Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life
KJV: Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life
INT: shall not take ransom the life of a murderer

Numbers 35:32
HEB: וְלֹא־ תִקְח֣וּ כֹ֔פֶר לָנ֖וּס אֶל־
NAS: You shall not take ransom for him who has fled
KJV: And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled
INT: shall not take ransom has fled to his

1 Samuel 6:18
HEB: מִבְצָ֔ר וְעַ֖ד כֹּ֣פֶר הַפְּרָזִ֑י וְעַ֣ד ׀
NAS: and of country villages. The large
KJV: and of country villages, even unto the great
INT: of fortified against villages country against

1 Samuel 12:3
HEB: מִי֙ לָקַ֣חְתִּי כֹ֔פֶר וְאַעְלִ֥ים עֵינַ֖י
NAS: have I taken a bribe to blind
KJV: or of whose hand have I received [any] bribe to blind
INT: Whose taken A bribe to blind my eyes

Job 33:24
HEB: שָׁ֗חַת מָצָ֥אתִי כֹֽפֶר׃
NAS: to the pit, I have found a ransom';
KJV: to the pit: I have found a ransom.
INT: to the pit have found A ransom

Job 36:18
HEB: בְסָ֑פֶק וְרָב־ כֹּ֝֗פֶר אַל־ יַטֶּֽךָּ׃
NAS: And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
KJV: then a great ransom cannot deliver
INT: to scoffing in abundance of the ransom nay turn

Psalm 49:7
HEB: יִתֵּ֖ן לֵאלֹהִ֣ים כָּפְרֽוֹ׃
NAS: give to God a ransom for him --
KJV: nor give to God a ransom for him:
INT: give to God A ransom

Proverbs 6:35
HEB: פְּנֵ֣י כָל־ כֹּ֑פֶר וְלֹֽא־ יֹ֝אבֶ֗ה
NAS: any ransom, Nor
KJV: He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content,
INT: accept any ransom Nor will he be satisfied

Proverbs 13:8
HEB: כֹּ֣פֶר נֶֽפֶשׁ־ אִ֣ישׁ
NAS: The ransom of a man's life
KJV: The ransom of a man's life
INT: the ransom life of a man's

Proverbs 21:18
HEB: כֹּ֣פֶר לַצַּדִּ֣יק רָשָׁ֑ע
NAS: The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
KJV: The wicked [shall be] a ransom for the righteous,
INT: ransom the righteous the wicked

Songs 1:14
HEB: אֶשְׁכֹּ֨ל הַכֹּ֤פֶר ׀ דּוֹדִי֙ לִ֔י
NAS: is to me a cluster of henna blossoms In the vineyards
KJV: [is] unto me [as] a cluster of camphire in the vineyards
INT: A cluster of henna my beloved the vineyards

Songs 4:13
HEB: פְּרִ֣י מְגָדִ֑ים כְּפָרִ֖ים עִם־ נְרָדִֽים׃
NAS: With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,
KJV: fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
INT: fruits choice henna with nard

Isaiah 43:3
HEB: מוֹשִׁיעֶ֑ךָ נָתַ֤תִּי כָפְרְךָ֙ מִצְרַ֔יִם כּ֥וּשׁ
NAS: Egypt as your ransom, Cush
KJV: Egypt [for] thy ransom, Ethiopia
INT: your Savior have given your ransom Egypt Cush

Amos 5:12
HEB: צַדִּיק֙ לֹ֣קְחֵי כֹ֔פֶר וְאֶבְיוֹנִ֖ים בַּשַּׁ֥עַר
NAS: [and] accept bribes And turn aside
KJV: they take a bribe, and they turn aside
INT: the righteous accept bribes the poor the gate

17 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3724
17 Occurrences


bak·kō·p̄er — 1 Occ.
ḵā·p̄ə·rə·ḵā — 1 Occ.
ḵō·p̄er — 5 Occ.
hak·kō·p̄er — 1 Occ.
kā·p̄ə·rōw — 1 Occ.
kə·p̄ā·rîm — 1 Occ.
kō·p̄er — 7 Occ.

3723
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