Original Word: כָּחַשׁ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kachash
Pronunciation: kah-khash'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-khash')
KJV: deceive, deny, dissemble, fail, deal falsely, be found liars, (be-)lie, lying, submit selves
NASB: deny, lied, denied, fail, pretend obedience, cringe, deceive
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to be untrue, in word (to lie, feign, disown) or deed (to disappoint, fail, cringe)

deceive, deny, dissemble, fail, deal falsely, be found liars, belie, lying,

A primitive root; to be untrue, in word (to lie, feign, disown) or deed (to disappoint, fail, cringe) -- deceive, deny, dissemble, fail, deal falsely, be found liars, (be-)lie, lying, submit selves.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to disappoint, deceive, fail, grow lean
NASB Translation
cringe (1), deceive (1), deceived (1), deceives (1), deception (1), denied (2), deny (3), denying (1), fail (2), give feigned obedience (1), grown lean (1), lied (3), pretend obedience (2), submit (1).

כָּחַשׁ verb be disappointing, deceive, fail, grow lean (Late Hebrew כָּחַשׁ grow lean; Hiph`il convict of falsehood, refute; Aramaic כְּחַשׁ grow lean; כַּחְשָׁא leanness, כְּחִישׁוּתָא leanness, weakness; Aph`el as Late Hebrew Hiph`il) —

Qal. Perfect3masculine singular וּבְשָׂרִי כָּחַשׁ מִשָּׁ֑מֶן Psalm 109:24 my flesh hath grown lean (away) from fatness ("" בִּרְכַּי כָּֽשְׁלוּ מִצּוֺם).

Niph`al Imperfect וְיִכָּֽחֲשׂוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ לָךְ Deuteronomy 33:29 thine enemies shall cringe (come cringing, i.e. originally act deceptively, feigning obedience) to thee (compare also Pi`el 3, Hithpa`el)

Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular כִּחֵשׁ 1 Kings 13:18; Habakkuk 3:17; וְכִּ֫חֶשׁ consecutive (before monosyll.) Leviticus 5:22; Job 8:18, etc.; Imperfect יְכַ֫חֶשּׁ (בָּהּׅ Hosea 9:2; 3feminine singular וַתְּכַחֵשׂ Genesis 18:15, etc.; Infinitive absolute כַּחֵשׁ Hosea 4:2; Isaiah 59:13; construct Zechariah 13:4; —

1 device, absolute Genesis 18:15 (J), Joshua 7:11 (JE), Hosea 4:2 (אלה וכחשׁ together = false swearing according to We^{Kl. Pr}.; + וְרָצֹחַ וְגָנֹב וְנָאֹ֑ף), compare לֹא תִגְנֹ֑בוּ וְלֹאֿ תְכַחֲשׁוּ וְלֹא תְשַׁקְּרוּ אִישׁ בַּעֲמִיתוֺ Leviticus 19:11 (H); ׳לְמַעַן כ Zechariah 13:4 in order to deceive; followed by לְ person 1 Kings 13:18; Job 31:28; followed by בְ person and of thing Leviticus 5:21, בְ of thing Leviticus 6:22.

2 act deceptively against (i.e. seem to acknowledge, but not really do so), followed by בְ person Joshua 24:27 (E), Jeremiah 5:12; Isaiah 59:13; Job 8:18, apparently also בָּהּ ׳וְתִירוֺשׁ יכ Hosea 9:2 and new wine shall deny her (Israel; i.e. refuse to acknowledge her as its mistress, not yield itself to her); absolute Proverbs 30:9.

3 cringe = come cringing (make shew of obedience, see Niph`al) followed by בְ person Psalm 18:45 (Hithpa`el in "" 2 Samuel 22:45); followed by לְ person Psalm 66:3; Psalm 81:16.

4 disappoint, fail, absolute כִּחֵשׁ מַעֲשֵׂה זַיִת Habakkuk 3:17 the product of the olive hath failed (in sense compare Hosea 9:2 above)

Hithpa`el Imperfect יִתְכַּחֲשׁוּ לִי 2 Samuel 22:45 shall come cringing to me ("" Psalm 18:45. see above)

Overview

כָּחַשׁ expresses active or passive falsehood—denying, deceiving, feigning, or failing. Scripture employs the verb for personal lying, covenant unfaithfulness, national hypocrisy, and even physical shrinking or crop failure. Together the occurrences warn that any form of denial of truth undermines fellowship with God and invites judgment, while genuine integrity secures blessing.

Falsehood against God and Neighbor

The Mosaic Law treats lying as sacrilege because God is “the God of truth.” Leviticus 6:2-3 binds deception about property or lost items to sin “against the LORD,” revealing that dishonesty toward people is rebellion against God Himself. Leviticus 19:11 repeats the prohibition, anchoring social ethics in divine character. Genesis 18:15 shows the personal form—Sarah’s denial of laughter—reminding readers that even seemingly small untruths are laid bare before the Omniscient One.

Covenant Integrity and National Consequences

Joshua 24:27 warns Israel not to “deny your God,” and Jeremiah 5:12 records the tragic fulfillment: “They have lied about the LORD.” Isaiah 59:13 confesses, “We have rebelled and denied the LORD,” linking deception to societal collapse. Hosea 4:2 lists lying among sins that rupture the covenant and unleash bloodshed. Whenever Israel “denied” the covenant, famine, warfare, or exile followed, underscoring that truthfulness is essential to collective blessing (Deuteronomy 33:29).

Feigned Submission of the Nations

In royal thanksgiving songs David testifies, “Foreigners cower before me” (2 Samuel 22:45; Psalm 18:44). The verb pictures nations that outwardly yield yet inwardly resist. Psalm 66:3 extends the thought to Yahweh Himself: “So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.” The psalmist thus anticipates the eschatological day when every knee will bow—some willingly, others grudgingly.

Prophetic Exposure of Deception

Zechariah 13:4 foretells the day when false prophets will abandon the “hairy cloak to deceive,” while 1 Kings 13:18 provides a narrative example: an old prophet lies, imperiling a younger prophet’s life. These texts reveal God’s determination to unmask religious facades and safeguard His word.

Imagery of Withering and Failure

The verb can describe physical decline or agricultural loss. Job laments, “My body grows lean” (Psalm 109:24), and Habakkuk mourns, “Though the olive crop fails” (Habakkuk 3:17). Hosea 9:2 adds, “the new wine will fail them.” Such usage ties material deterioration to spiritual unfaithfulness, illustrating that deceit drains vitality from both people and land.

The Call to Truth in Wisdom Literature

Proverbs 30:9 warns that prosperity may tempt a man to “deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ ” Job 31:28 identifies denial of God as “an iniquity deserving punishment,” aligning with the Ninth Commandment and foreshadowing New Testament exhortations to “put off falsehood” (Ephesians 4:25).

Implications for Ministry and Christian Living

1. Shepherds must model transparent speech, for deceptive ministry destroys trust and invites divine discipline.
2. Believers must renounce “feigned obedience” (Psalm 81:15) and pursue wholehearted submission, knowing that God discerns motives.
3. Intercession for nations should include pleas for truthful governance, recognizing that communal lying invites societal decay.
4. In seasons of material “failure” (Habakkuk 3:17), the faithful may still rejoice, confident that honesty before God secures ultimate deliverance.

The thread uniting every usage of כָּחַשׁ is the unalterable reality that God is truth. Whether the verb depicts a whispered denial, a deceptive treaty, or a withering crop, Scripture bears witness that falsehood is fleeting and fatal, while truth endures and triumphs.

וְיִכָּֽחֲשׁ֤וּ וְכִ֥חֶשׁ וְכִחֵ֨שׁ וְכִחַשְׁתִּי֮ וְכַחֵ֔שׁ וְכַחֵשׁ֙ וַתְּכַחֵ֨שׁ ויכחשו וכחש וכחשתי ותכחש יְֽכַחֲשׁ֖וּ יְכַ֥חֶשׁ יְכַֽחֲשׁוּ־ יְכַחֲשׁוּ־ יִתְכַּֽחֲשׁוּ־ יכחש יכחשו יכחשו־ יתכחשו־ כִּֽחֲשׁ֔וּ כִּֽחֲשׁוּ֙ כִּחֵ֖שׁ כִּחֵשׁ֙ כִחַ֖שְׁתִּי כַּחֵֽשׁ׃ כָּחַ֥שׁ כחש כחש׃ כחשו כחשתי תְּכַחֲשׁ֖וּן תְכַחֲשׁ֥וּ תכחשו תכחשון chiChashti kā·ḥaš ka·ḥêš kaChash kaChesh kāḥaš kaḥêš ki·ḥă·šū ḵi·ḥaš·tî ki·ḥêš kichaShu kiChesh ḵiḥaštî kiḥăšū kiḥêš ṯə·ḵa·ḥă·šū tə·ḵa·ḥă·šūn techachaShu techachaShun ṯəḵaḥăšū təḵaḥăšūn vattechaChesh vechaChesh vechichashTi vechiChesh veyikkachaShu wat·tə·ḵa·ḥêš wattəḵaḥêš wə·ḵa·ḥêš wə·ḵi·ḥaš·tî wə·ḵi·ḥeš wə·ḵi·ḥêš wə·yik·kā·ḥă·šū wəḵaḥêš wəḵiḥaštî wəḵiḥeš wəḵiḥêš wəyikkāḥăšū yə·ḵa·ḥă·šū yə·ḵa·ḥă·šū- yə·ḵa·ḥeš yechachashu yeChachesh yəḵaḥăšū yəḵaḥăšū- yəḵaḥeš yiṯ·ka·ḥă·šū- yitkachashu yiṯkaḥăšū-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts