3702. kesaph
Lexical Summary
kesaph: Silver

Original Word: כְּסַף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kcaph
Pronunciation: keh-saf'
Phonetic Spelling: (kes-af')
NASB: silver, money
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H3701 (כֶּסֶף - silver)]

1. money, silver

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
money, silver

(Aramaic) corresponding to keceph -- money, silver.

see HEBREW keceph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to keseph
Definition
silver
NASB Translation
money (1), silver (12).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
כְּסַף noun masculineEzra 7:17 silver (see Biblical Hebrew); — absolute ׳כ Ezra 7:15 +, כְּסַ֑ף Daniel 2:32; emphatic כַּסְמָּא Daniel 2:35 +; —

1 as material Daniel 2:32,35,45; Ezra 5:14; Ezra 6:5.

2 as money or its equivalent Ezra 7:17, Ezra 7:15; Ezra 7:16; Ezra 7:18; Ezra 7:22.

כְּעַן, כְּעֶ֫נֶת, כְּעֶת see below ענה.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scope

כְּסַף appears exclusively in the Aramaic passages of Ezra and Daniel. It denotes silver in the forms of bullion, coin, or crafted vessels. In each setting it is tied to worship—either in faithful support of the house of God or in profane misuse that invites divine judgment.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. Ezra 5:14; 6:5 – Cyrus returns “the gold and silver articles of the house of God” plundered by Nebuchadnezzar, commissioning their restoration to Jerusalem.
2. Ezra 7:15-22 – Artaxerxes entrusts Ezra with “silver and gold” from the royal treasury and authorizes purchases for sacrifices: “with this money, therefore, you are to buy bulls, rams, and lambs” (7:17). A fixed ceiling on supplies underscores responsible stewardship: “up to one hundred talents of silver” (7:22).
3. Daniel 2:32-45 – In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream the statue’s chest and arms are of silver, symbolizing the Medo-Persian empire—precious but inferior to the gold of Babylon and destined to be shattered by the kingdom “that will never be destroyed” (2:44-45).
4. Daniel 5:2-23 – Belshazzar drinks from “the gold and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem” (5:2). The desecration provokes the handwriting on the wall and the fall of Babylon that very night.

Role in Temple Worship and Restoration

The return from exile required vast resources. Silver funded sacrifices (Ezra 7:17), enabled the purchase of utensils (7:18), and served as a measurable standard of accountability (7:22). The chronicling of weights and numbers attests to transparent stewardship and to God’s provision through pagan rulers. By recording these details, Scripture affirms that true worship engages the material realm without being ruled by it.

Symbolism in Prophetic Visions

Silver in Daniel 2 ranks below gold yet above bronze and iron, illustrating the descending glory of successive Gentile kingdoms. Its placement in the torso of the statue (between head and legs) visually seats Medo-Persia within the flow of history, reinforcing the sovereign timeline that culminates in the everlasting kingdom of God. The mixed-metal image teaches both historical accuracy—Medo-Persia did succeed Babylon—and theological certainty—no earthly empire endures.

Lessons on Holiness and Stewardship

Ezra portrays silver as consecrated wealth: it is counted, weighed, and delivered “according to the command of the God of Israel” (Ezra 7:21). Daniel contrasts this with sacrilege: Belshazzar “praised the gods of silver” (5:4) while drinking from vessels devoted to Yahweh. The juxtaposition warns that value lies not in the metal itself but in its consecration to God’s purposes. Faithful administration invites blessing; profanation invites judgment.

Christological Reflections

The prophetic image of metals climaxing in a stone “cut out without hands” (Daniel 2:45) anticipates Christ’s kingdom. Silver, though precious, is crushed along with gold when the stone strikes. The passage foreshadows the insufficiency of any human economy—silver included—to inaugurate the reign of God. Redemption is procured “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19), fulfilling the trajectory hinted at in Daniel.

Practical Applications for Ministry Today

• Accountability: Ezra’s meticulous records encourage transparent financial practices in church life.
• Generosity: God can move even unbelieving authorities to supply resources for His work.
• Holiness: Sacred objects—and by extension, ministry resources—must never be commandeered for self-indulgence.
• Hope: World powers rise and fall, yet the Lord’s kingdom stands. Believers steward temporal wealth in light of an eternal inheritance.

Related Themes and Passages

Exodus 30:11-16; 38:25-28 – silver as atonement money

1 Kings 10:21-27 – the abundance of silver in Solomon’s reign

Acts 3:6 – apostolic ministry transcending silver and gold

James 5:1-3 – judgment on hoarded silver

כְּסַף therefore serves Scripture as a tangible measure of value, a test of fidelity, and a prophetic marker pointing beyond itself to the unshakable reign of God.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּכַסְפָּ֣א בכספא וְכַסְפָּ֔א וְכַסְפָּ֛א וְכַסְפָּא֒ וכספא כְּסַ֣ף כְּסַף֮ כְסַ֑ף כַּסְפָּ֣א כַּסְפָּ֥א כַסְפָּֽא־ כסף כספא כספא־ bə·ḵas·pā bechasPa bəḵaspā chaspa cheSaf kas·pā ḵas·pā- kasPa kaspā ḵaspā- kə·sap̄ ḵə·sap̄ keSaf kəsap̄ ḵəsap̄ vechasPa wə·ḵas·pā wəḵaspā
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ezra 5:14
HEB: דִּ֣י דַהֲבָ֣ה וְכַסְפָּא֒ דִּ֣י נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֗ר
NAS: the gold and silver utensils
KJV: gold and silver of the house
INT: whom the gold and silver whom Nebuchadnezzar

Ezra 6:5
HEB: דִּ֣י דַהֲבָ֣ה וְכַסְפָּא֒ דִּ֣י נְבֽוּכַדְנֶצַּ֗ר
NAS: let the gold and silver utensils
KJV: let the golden and silver vessels
INT: which the gold and silver which Nebuchadnezzar

Ezra 7:15
HEB: וּלְהֵיבָלָ֖ה כְּסַ֣ף וּדְהַ֑ב דִּֽי־
NAS: and to bring the silver and gold,
KJV: And to carry the silver and gold,
INT: bring the silver and gold which

Ezra 7:16
HEB: וְכֹל֙ כְּסַ֣ף וּדְהַ֔ב דִּ֣י
NAS: with all the silver and gold which
KJV: And all the silver and gold
INT: all the silver and gold which

Ezra 7:17
HEB: אָסְפַּ֨רְנָא תִקְנֵ֜א בְּכַסְפָּ֣א דְנָ֗ה תּוֹרִ֤ין ׀
NAS: with this money, therefore,
KJV: with this money bullocks,
INT: shall diligently buy money this bulls

Ezra 7:18
HEB: יִיטַ֗ב בִּשְׁאָ֛ר כַּסְפָּ֥א וְדַהֲבָ֖ה לְמֶעְבַּ֑ד
NAS: to do with the rest of the silver and gold,
KJV: with the rest of the silver and the gold,
INT: good the rest of the silver and gold may do

Ezra 7:22
HEB: עַד־ כְּסַף֮ כַּכְּרִ֣ין מְאָה֒
NAS: talents of silver, 100
KJV: talents of silver, and to an hundred
INT: Unto of silver talents an hundred

Daniel 2:32
HEB: וּדְרָע֖וֹהִי דִּ֣י כְסַ֑ף מְע֥וֹהִי וְיַרְכָתֵ֖הּ
NAS: and its arms of silver, its belly
KJV: and his arms of silver, his belly
INT: arms forasmuch of silver belly thighs

Daniel 2:35
HEB: חַסְפָּ֨א נְחָשָׁ֜א כַּסְפָּ֣א וְדַהֲבָ֗א וַהֲווֹ֙
NAS: the bronze, the silver and the gold
KJV: the brass, the silver, and the gold,
INT: the clay the bronze the silver and the gold and became

Daniel 2:45
HEB: נְחָשָׁ֤א חַסְפָּא֙ כַּסְפָּ֣א וְדַהֲבָ֔א אֱלָ֥הּ
NAS: the clay, the silver and the gold,
KJV: the clay, the silver, and the gold;
INT: the bronze the clay the silver and the gold God

Daniel 5:2
HEB: לְמָאנֵי֙ דַּהֲבָ֣א וְכַסְפָּ֔א דִּ֤י הַנְפֵּק֙
NAS: the gold and silver vessels
KJV: the golden and silver vessels
INT: vessels the gold and silver which had taken

Daniel 5:4
HEB: לֵֽאלָהֵ֞י דַּהֲבָ֧א וְכַסְפָּ֛א נְחָשָׁ֥א פַרְזְלָ֖א
NAS: of gold and silver, of bronze,
KJV: of gold, and of silver, of brass,
INT: the gods of gold and silver of bronze iron

Daniel 5:23
HEB: בְּהוֹן֒ וְלֵֽאלָהֵ֣י כַסְפָּֽא־ וְ֠דַהֲבָא נְחָשָׁ֨א
NAS: the gods of silver and gold,
KJV: the gods of silver, and gold,
INT: have been drinking the gods of silver and gold of bronze

13 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3702
13 Occurrences


bə·ḵas·pā — 1 Occ.
ḵas·pā- — 1 Occ.
ḵə·sap̄ — 1 Occ.
kas·pā — 3 Occ.
kə·sap̄ — 3 Occ.
wə·ḵas·pā — 4 Occ.

3701
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