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Proverbs 21:18

“The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.” (KJV)

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Lexical meaning

כֹּפֶרkôpher · ko'-fer
H3724 · Hebrew

Definition: 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
Derivation: from H3722 (כָּפַר);
KJV renderings: bribe, camphire, pitch, ransom, satisfaction, sum of money, village.
Grammar: כֹּ֣פֶר — common noun, masculine, singular, absolute
Code HNcmsa
Usage: Occurs 17 times in the Hebrew Bible.Genesis 6:14 Exodus 21:30 Exodus 30:12 Numbers 35:31 Numbers 35:32

Theological interpretation (AI)

The card on the left shows lexical data from published sources. Interpretation is separate: ask the Companion to explain how traditions read כֹּפֶר here.

Verse 17 Verse 19

Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain). Morphology & lemmas: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, CC BY 4.0 (hb.openscriptures.org). Lexicon: Strong's Hebrew Dictionary (1894, public domain; JSON edition © Open Scriptures, CC BY-SA). Verse numbers follow the Hebrew text, which occasionally differs from English Bibles.