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Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Kohath


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Kohath Kohath

Kohath is a son of Levi and brother of Gershon, Merari and Jochebed. He is the father of Amram, who marries his aunt Jochebed. Their children, Moses, Aaron and Miriam are thus grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Levi. The descendants of Kohath are the Kohathites. Their special charge is care for the holy items and furnishings when the tabernacle is dismantled and Israel is underway (Num 4:15).

Some commentators (NOBSE) seem to relate this name to the verb qahal (qahal 1991), to assemble, which would make this name kindred to the name Qoheleth. Nobody, however, cares to explain where the letter lamed might have gone off to.

Others rumor about an unused root that means allegiance, or relations with the verb qaha (qaha 1990.1), be blunt or dull, as used in Jer 31:29 or Ecc 10:10.

Jones points towards Gen 49:10, one of two places in the Bible where the word Kohath occurs not in the meaning of the name Kohath, the other being Prov 30:17. The meaning of this word however is somewhat disputed, reveals TWOTOT. Most popular translations derive it from the noun yqh (yiqha, 902a) from the assumed root yqh (yqh 902), obedience. The LXX, however, and with it some modern translations, connect this word to qawa (qawa 1994), to wait for, hope, expect, and translate this word with expectation. The contexts of both occurrences seem to favor the meaning of obedience, which would also makes the most sense as meaning of the name of this famous Levite.




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