3603. kikkar
Lexical Summary
kikkar: Circle, round, talent, loaf, region

Original Word: כִּכָּר
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: kikkar
Pronunciation: kik-KAR
Phonetic Spelling: (kik-kawr')
KJV: loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent
NASB: talents, talent, valley, loaf, plain, loaves, cake
Word Origin: [from H3769 (כָּרַר - dancing)]

1. a circle
2. (by implication) a circumjacent tract or region, expec. the Ghor or valley of the Jordan
3. also a (round) loaf
4. also a talent (or large (round) coin)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent

From karar; a circle, i.e. (by implication) a circumjacent tract or region, expec. The Ghor or valley of the Jordan; also a (round) loaf; also a talent (or large (round) coin) -- loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent.

see HEBREW karar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from karar
Definition
a round, a round district, a round loaf, a round weight, a talent (a measure of weight or money)
NASB Translation
cake (1), cover (1), district (1), loaf (4), loaves (2), plain (4), talent (9), talents (38), valley (8).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
כִּכָּר noun feminineGenesis 13:10 Exodus 29:32; a round : hence

1 a round district.

2 a round loaf.

3 a round weight, talent (Late Hebrew id.; loaf, weight, talent; Aramaic כַּכְּרָא, talent; Tel Amarna gaggaru kaspu WklNo. 35, Rev. 14 Christian-Palestinian Aramaic , of honey-comb SchwIdioticon 46; on formative see BaNB 204); — absolute ׳כ Genesis 13:12 +; construct כִּכַּר 1 Samuel 2:36 +; dual כִּכְּרַיִם כֶּסֶף 1 Kings 16:24; 2 Kings 5:23, כִּכָּרָ֑יִם 2 Kings 5:23; plural כִּכָּרִים 1 Chronicles 22:14 (twice in verse) + 7 t. chr; construct כִּכְּרֵי 2 Kings 5:5 2t. Chronicles; כִּכְּרוֺת (loaves) Judges 8:5; 1 Samuel 10:3; —

1 the round (or oval) especially of the Jordan valley, כִּכַּר הַיַּרְדֵּן Genesis 13:10,11; 1 Kings 7:46 2Chronicles 4:17; absolute הַכִּכָּר Genesis 19:17,25; Deuteronomy 34:3; 2 Samuel 18:23; ׳אֶרֶץ הַכּ Genesis 19:28; ׳עָרֵי הַכּ Genesis 13:12; Genesis 19:29, see GASmG 505 BuhlG. 112; district of Jerusalem, ׳הַכּ Nehemiah 3:22; Nehemiah 12:28.

2 loaf of bread (from round shape), כִּכַּר לָ֑חֶם 1 Samuel 2:36; Proverbs 6:36, compare Exodus 29:23; Jeremiah 37:21; 1 Chronicles 16:3; כִּכְּרוֺת לֶחֶם 1 Samuel 10:3; Judges 8:5. 3

a. a weight (also from shape), כִּכַּר עֹפֶרֶת Zechariah 5:7 a weight of lead, serving as cover of an ephah.

b. a particularunit of weight, talent, usually of gold or silver: — זָהָבּ׳כ 2 Samuel 12:30; 2 Kings 9:14 18t.; כֶּסֶף ׳כ 1 Kings 20:39; 2 Kings 5:5 21t.; but also of iron, בַּרְזֶל 1 Chronicles 29:7, and bronze נְחשֶׁת Exodus 38:29; 1 Chronicles 29:7. — The weight of the talent was 58.944 kilograms (= 129.97 lbs.) according to older (Babylonian) standard, later 49.11 king (= 108.29 lbs.) and less; see BenzArchaeology 187 ff.194NowArchaeology i. 208 f. — See also שֶׁקֶל.

כרשׂ √ of following (Arabic be wrinkled).

כרר (√ of following; compare Biblical Hebrew כרר, כִּכָּר

3).

Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Imagery

The Hebrew noun kikkar (Strong’s 3603) combines two pictures—the rounded shape of a disc or loaf, and the idea of something substantial. This yields its two principal uses in Scripture: (1) a “talent,” the largest common unit of weight in Israel’s economy, and (2) a “plain,” especially the broad circular basin of the lower Jordan. The shared imagery of something wide and encompassing invites reflection on divine provision that is both weighty and expansive.

Measure of Weight and Monetary Value

A talent (approximately 75 pounds or 34 kilograms) represented staggering wealth in the Ancient Near East. When the Queen of Sheba presented Solomon with “one hundred twenty talents of gold” (1 Kings 10:10), she was acknowledging the extraordinary splendor God had granted his king. Annual revenues of “six hundred sixty-six talents of gold” (1 Kings 10:14) underscored Israel’s golden age. Conversely, Assyrian tribute of “three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold” (2 Kings 18:14) revealed the humiliation of Hezekiah’s generation.

The Exodus record totals the wilderness offerings: “The total amount of the gold...was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels” (Exodus 38:24). Every talent hammered into sanctuary furniture testified that Israel’s best belonged to the LORD. In later centuries temple repairs under Joash (2 Kings 12:13) and measures taken by Josiah (2 Kings 23:33) continued to reckon value by the talent, anchoring Israel’s economy to the benchmarks revealed at Sinai.

Component in Tabernacle and Temple Worship

A single talent of pure gold was used to fashion the lampstand with all its accessories (Exodus 25:39; 37:24). The sevenfold lamp, beating out of one talent, portrays unity of light derived from costly devotion. Silver talents financed the sockets that grounded the sanctuary boards (Exodus 26:19; 38:27), a vivid lesson that God’s dwelling among His people rests on redemption—silver being the metal paid for each ransom half-shekel (Exodus 30:13-16).

Solomon continued the pattern. Temple doors, cherubim, altar furnishings, and shields were measured by the talent (1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 9). Thus the unit links both tabernacle and temple across centuries, emphasizing continuity in worship and foreshadowing the “surpassing worth” found in Christ (Philippians 3:8).

Symbol of Economic Provision and Generosity

Kikkar becomes a yardstick for munificence or greed. Naaman offered “ten talents of silver” for healing (2 Kings 5:5); Elisha refused, but Gehazi coveted two talents, incurring judgment (2 Kings 5:20-27). In Esther 3:9 Haman offered “ten thousand talents of silver” to annihilate the Jews, displaying how vast resources can be weaponized against God’s people. By contrast, generous giving in 1 Chronicles 29:7 (“five thousand talents of gold...ten thousand talents of silver”) modeled glad stewardship that funded Solomon’s temple.

Geographical Designation: The Jordan Plain

Genesis introduces “the whole plain of the Jordan” as the land Lot coveted (Genesis 13:10-12). After judgment fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham “looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace” (Genesis 19:28). The fertile kikkar that once attracted Lot became a constant reminder of the deceitfulness of appearances and the certainty of divine justice.

Later, Moses surveyed “the Negev and the whole region of the valley of Jericho, the city of palms, as far as Zoar” (Deuteronomy 34:3) from Pisgah’s heights. The same plain witnessed the casting of bronze vessels for Solomon’s temple “in the plain of the Jordan” (1 Kings 7:46), transforming a site of former judgment into one of worship preparation—a subtle testimony to redemption.

Foreshadowing in Salvation History

The talent pattern anticipates the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) where the Master entrusts weighty responsibility and expects faithful multiplication. While the Greek term differs, the Old Testament’s repeated link between kikkar and stewardship prepares readers for Messiah’s call to invest entrusted resources for the kingdom.

The Jordan plain, initial stage for Israel’s entry into Canaan, prefigures the baptism of Jesus in the same river valley (Matthew 3:13-17). A land once cursed by fire now witnesses the heavens opened and the Spirit descending, declaring the Beloved Son who will bear the fiery wrath for sinners.

Prophetic Echoes and Eschatological Hints

Zechariah’s vision of the flying scroll, whose dimensions suggest a rolled-up kikkar, pronounces judgment on thieves and perjurers (Zechariah 5:1-4). The image merges weight and circumference: sin carries heavy liability and fills the land. Revelation 16:21 describes hailstones “weighing about a talent each,” borrowing the language of kikkar to convey the severity of final judgment.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Stewardship: As Israel’s offerings were tallied by talents, so modern believers evaluate giving not merely by amount but by weight of obedience (2 Corinthians 8:12).
2. Discernment: Lot’s choice warns ministries against evaluating opportunities solely by surface prosperity.
3. Redemption Narrative: The transformation of the Jordan plain from Sodom to sanctuary bronze encourages confidence that God can repurpose broken places for His glory.
4. Accountability: Gehazi’s two-talent deceit and Haman’s ten-thousand-talent bribe challenge leaders to guard motives in handling resources.
5. Hope in Judgment: The hailstones of Revelation recall the talent, assuring the church that justice will one day be fully measured out by the righteous Judge.

Conclusion

Whether as the heaviest unit of currency or the broadest stretch of land, kikkar accents the magnitude of God’s dealings—His lavish provision, His uncompromising holiness, and His redemptive purpose that transforms both wealth and land for eternal praise.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּכִכְּרַ֣יִם בְּכִכַּ֤ר בככר בככרים הַכִּכָּ֑ר הַכִּכָּ֔ר הַכִּכָּ֖ר הַכִּכָּ֞ר הַכִּכָּֽר׃ הַכִּכָּר֙ הככר הככר׃ וְכִכַּ֥ר וְכִכַּ֨ר וְכִכַּר־ וככר וככר־ כִּכְּר֣וֹת כִּכְּרֵ֥י כִּכְּרֵי־ כִּכְּרַ֨יִם כִּכַּ֣ר כִּכַּ֤ר כִּכַּ֥ר כִּכַּ֫ר כִּכַּר־ כִּכָּ֑ר כִּכָּ֔ר כִּכָּ֛ר כִּכָּ֥ר כִּכָּרִ֑ים כִּכָּרִ֔ים כִּכָּרִ֣ים כִּכָּרִ֤ים כִּכָּרִֽים׃ כִּכָּרִים֙ כִּכָּרָ֑יִם כִכַּר־ כִכָּֽר׃ ככר ככר־ ככר׃ ככרות ככרי ככרי־ ככרים ככרים׃ לְכִכָּרִ֑ים לְכִכָּרִ֖ים לככרים bə·ḵik·kar bə·ḵik·kə·ra·yim bechikKar bechikkeRayim bəḵikkar bəḵikkərayim chikkar hak·kik·kār hakkikKar hakkikkār kik·kā·rā·yim kik·kā·rîm kik·kar kik·kār ḵik·kār kik·kar- ḵik·kar- kik·kə·ra·yim kik·kə·rê kik·kə·rê- kik·kə·rō·wṯ kikkar kikkār ḵikkār kikkar- ḵikkar- kikkaRayim kikkārāyim kikkaRim kikkārîm kikkeRayim kikkərayim kikkərê kikkərê- kikkerei kikkeRot kikkərōwṯ lə·ḵik·kā·rîm lechikkaRim ləḵikkārîm vechikKar wə·ḵik·kar wə·ḵik·kar- wəḵikkar wəḵikkar-
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 13:10
HEB: אֶת־ כָּל־ כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן כִּ֥י
NAS: all the valley of the Jordan,
KJV: and beheld all the plain of Jordan,
INT: and saw all the valley of the Jordan for

Genesis 13:11
HEB: אֵ֚ת כָּל־ כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וַיִּסַּ֥ע
NAS: for himself all the valley of the Jordan,
KJV: chose him all the plain of Jordan;
INT: Lot all the valley of the Jordan journeyed

Genesis 13:12
HEB: יָשַׁב֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיֶּאֱהַ֖ל עַד־
NAS: in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents
KJV: in the cities of the plain, and pitched [his] tent
INT: settled the cities of the valley and moved far

Genesis 19:17
HEB: תַּעֲמֹ֖ד בְּכָל־ הַכִּכָּ֑ר הָהָ֥רָה הִמָּלֵ֖ט
NAS: anywhere in the valley; escape
KJV: neither stay thou in all the plain; escape
INT: stay anywhere the valley to the mountains escape

Genesis 19:25
HEB: וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־ הַכִּכָּ֑ר וְאֵת֙ כָּל־
NAS: and all the valley, and all
KJV: cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants
INT: those and all the valley and all the inhabitants

Genesis 19:28
HEB: פְּנֵ֖י אֶ֣רֶץ הַכִּכָּ֑ר וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה
NAS: the land of the valley, and he saw,
KJV: all the land of the plain, and beheld,
INT: and toward the land of the valley saw and behold

Genesis 19:29
HEB: אֶת־ עָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיִּזְכֹּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים
NAS: the cities of the valley, that God
KJV: the cities of the plain, that God
INT: God the cities of the valley remembered God

Exodus 25:39
HEB: כִּכָּ֛ר זָהָ֥ב טָה֖וֹר
NAS: It shall be made from a talent of pure
KJV: [Of] a talent of pure gold
INT: A talent gold of pure

Exodus 29:23
HEB: וְכִכַּ֨ר לֶ֜חֶם אַחַ֗ת
NAS: and one cake of bread and one
KJV: And one loaf of bread, and one
INT: cake of bread and one

Exodus 37:24
HEB: כִּכָּ֛ר זָהָ֥ב טָה֖וֹר
NAS: its utensils from a talent of pure
KJV: [Of] a talent of pure gold
INT: A talent gold of pure

Exodus 38:24
HEB: תֵּ֤שַׁע וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ כִּכָּ֔ר וּשְׁבַ֨ע מֵא֧וֹת
NAS: was 29 talents and 730
KJV: and nine talents, and seven
INT: and nine was twenty talents and seven hundred

Exodus 38:25
HEB: הָעֵדָ֖ה מְאַ֣ת כִּכָּ֑ר וְאֶלֶף֩ וּשְׁבַ֨ע
NAS: was 100 talents and 1,775
KJV: [was] an hundred talents, and a thousand
INT: of the congregation an hundred talents thousand seven

Exodus 38:27
HEB: וַיְהִ֗י מְאַת֙ כִּכַּ֣ר הַכֶּ֔סֶף לָצֶ֗קֶת
NAS: The hundred talents of silver
KJV: And of the hundred talents of silver
INT: become the hundred talents of silver casting

Exodus 38:27
HEB: אֲדָנִ֛ים לִמְאַ֥ת הַכִּכָּ֖ר כִּכָּ֥ר לָאָֽדֶן׃
NAS: for the hundred talents, a talent
KJV: of the hundred talents, a talent
INT: sockets the hundred talents A talent A socket

Exodus 38:27
HEB: לִמְאַ֥ת הַכִּכָּ֖ר כִּכָּ֥ר לָאָֽדֶן׃
NAS: talents, a talent for a socket.
KJV: talents, a talent for a socket.
INT: the hundred talents A talent A socket

Exodus 38:29
HEB: הַתְּנוּפָ֖ה שִׁבְעִ֣ים כִּכָּ֑ר וְאַלְפַּ֥יִם וְאַרְבַּע־
NAS: was 70 talents and 2,400
KJV: [was] seventy talents, and two thousand
INT: of the offering seventy talents thousand and four

Deuteronomy 34:3
HEB: הַנֶּ֗גֶב וְֽאֶת־ הַכִּכָּ֞ר בִּקְעַ֧ת יְרֵח֛וֹ
NAS: and the Negev and the plain in the valley
KJV: And the south, and the plain of the valley
INT: and the Negev and the plain the valley of Jericho

Judges 8:5
HEB: תְּנוּ־ נָא֙ כִּכְּר֣וֹת לֶ֔חֶם לָעָ֖ם
NAS: give loaves of bread
KJV: Give, I pray you, loaves of bread
INT: give Please loaves of bread to the people

1 Samuel 2:36
HEB: לַאֲג֥וֹרַת כֶּ֖סֶף וְכִכַּר־ לָ֑חֶם וְאָמַ֗ר
NAS: of silver or a loaf of bread
KJV: of silver and a morsel of bread,
INT: A piece of silver A loaf of bread and say

1 Samuel 10:3
HEB: נֹשֵׂ֗א שְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙ כִּכְּר֣וֹת לֶ֔חֶם וְאֶחָ֥ד
NAS: three loaves of bread,
KJV: three loaves of bread,
INT: carrying three loaves of bread and another

2 Samuel 12:30
HEB: רֹאשׁ֜וֹ וּמִשְׁקָלָ֨הּ כִּכַּ֤ר זָהָב֙ וְאֶ֣בֶן
NAS: and its weight [was] a talent of gold,
KJV: the weight whereof [was] a talent of gold
INT: his head weight a talent of gold stone

2 Samuel 18:23
HEB: אֲחִימַ֙עַץ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־
NAS: by way of the plain and passed
KJV: by the way of the plain, and overran
INT: Ahimaaz way of the plain and passed the Cushite

1 Kings 7:46
HEB: בְּכִכַּ֤ר הַיַּרְדֵּן֙ יְצָקָ֣ם
NAS: In the plain of the Jordan the king
KJV: In the plain of Jordan did the king
INT: the plain of the Jordan cast

1 Kings 9:14
HEB: מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים כִּכַּ֥ר זָהָֽב׃
NAS: to the king 120talents of gold.
KJV: to the king sixscore talents of gold.
INT: hundred twenty talents of gold

1 Kings 9:28
HEB: מֵא֥וֹת וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים כִּכָּ֑ר וַיָּבִ֖אוּ אֶל־
NAS: and twenty talents of gold
KJV: and twenty talents, and brought
INT: hundred and twenty talents and brought to

68 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3603
68 Occurrences


bə·ḵik·kar — 2 Occ.
bə·ḵik·kə·ra·yim — 1 Occ.
ḵik·kar- — 6 Occ.
hak·kik·kār — 11 Occ.
kik·kar — 28 Occ.
kik·kā·rā·yim — 1 Occ.
kik·kā·rîm — 7 Occ.
kik·kə·ra·yim — 1 Occ.
kik·kə·rê- — 3 Occ.
kik·kə·rō·wṯ — 2 Occ.
lə·ḵik·kā·rîm — 2 Occ.
wə·ḵik·kar — 4 Occ.

3602
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