3763. Keran
Lexical Summary
Keran: Horn, Ray, Beam

Original Word: כְּרָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Kran
Pronunciation: keh-ran'
Phonetic Spelling: (ker-awn')
KJV: Cheran
NASB: Cheran
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. Keran, an aboriginal Idumaean

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Cheran

Of uncertain derivation; Keran, an aboriginal Idumaean -- Cheran.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
an Edomite
NASB Translation
Cheran (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
כְּרָ֫ן proper name, masculine an Edomite Genesis 36:26 = 1 Chronicles 1:41.

כִּרְסֵם see below כסם

Topical Lexicon
Occurrences in Scripture

Genesis 36:26; 1 Chronicles 1:41

Genealogical Setting and Historical Background

Cheran appears twice, both times within genealogical records that trace the clans of Seir the Horite who inhabited the hill country later known as Edom. In Genesis 36, Moses records the sons of Dishon, highlighting Cheran as one of four brothers. Centuries later, the Chronicler preserves the same name when rehearsing Israel’s broad ancestral table. These parallel lists confirm the continuity of the text across the canon and underscore the Spirit-guided preservation of even the lesser-known figures who make up the tapestry of redemptive history.

The Horites were an indigenous, non-Israelite people who lived in the region before the descendants of Esau took control (Genesis 36:20–30). By including Cheran, Scripture situates Israel’s neighbor Edom within a larger account that reaches back to the sons of Noah and forward to the prophets’ oracles against Edom (Obadiah 1). These records demonstrate that God’s covenant dealings with Israel unfolded in a wider geopolitical context that He Himself ordained and governed.

Textual Significance

1. Reliability of Scripture. The unbroken agreement between Genesis 36:26 and 1 Chronicles 1:41 testifies to the meticulous care with which the biblical text was transmitted. Even marginal names match across eras separated by nearly a millennium.
2. God’s Sovereign Knowledge. The inclusion of Cheran, though he leaves no recorded exploits, shows that the Lord “counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name” (Psalm 147:4). If a relatively obscure Horite clan leader is remembered in God’s Word, believers may rest in the assurance that their own labors are not forgotten (Hebrews 6:10).
3. Covenant Contrast. By setting Edomite genealogies alongside those of Jacob, Scripture implicitly contrasts the line chosen for covenant blessing with lines that stand outside it. Yet both genealogies unfold under God’s providential rule, preparing the stage for later conflict, judgment, and eventual universal blessing through the Messiah (Isaiah 42:6).

Lessons for Ministry Today

• Faithfulness in obscurity. Cheran’s quiet place in Scripture encourages pastors and lay people who serve without public acclaim. Ministry that seems hidden to men is never hidden from God.
• Evangelistic impulse. The record of non-Israelite peoples anticipates the gospel’s reach beyond ethnic Israel. The Great Commission calls the church to pursue every “tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9), just as the Old Testament already catalogues them.
• Biblical literacy. Teaching through genealogies can fortify confidence in Scripture’s inspiration and in the precision with which God fulfills His purposes across generations.

Key Scripture Quotation

“These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.” (Genesis 36:26)

“Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.” (1 Chronicles 1:41)

Related Themes and Cross-References

• Edom’s later hostility: Numbers 20:14-21; Psalm 137:7; Obadiah 1.
• God’s remembrance of names: Exodus 32:32; Malachi 3:16.
• Gentile inclusion in God’s plan: Isaiah 19:24-25; Acts 15:14-17; Ephesians 3:6.

Cheran’s brief appearance, therefore, is not incidental. It contributes to the intricate genealogical framework that validates Scripture’s historical claims, illuminates God’s universal sovereignty, and inspires confidence that every servant of the Lord is known and valued.

Forms and Transliterations
וּכְרָֽן׃ וכרן׃ ū·ḵə·rān ucheRan ūḵərān
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 36:26
HEB: וְאֶשְׁבָּ֖ן וְיִתְרָ֥ן וּכְרָֽן׃
NAS: and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran.
KJV: and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
INT: and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran

1 Chronicles 1:41
HEB: וְאֶשְׁבָּ֖ן וְיִתְרָ֥ן וּכְרָֽן׃ ס
NAS: Eshban, Ithran and Cheran.
KJV: and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
INT: Eshban Ithran and Cheran

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3763
2 Occurrences


ū·ḵə·rān — 2 Occ.

3762
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