𐤊𐤄𐤍

Phoenician

Etymology

Compare Ugaritic 𐎋𐎅𐎐 (khn), Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kōhēn), Aramaic כָּהֲנָא (kāhǎnā), Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin).

Noun

𐤊𐤄𐤍 (khn /kōhen/)

1. priest
   • 5th century BCE, sarcophagus inscription of Tabnit of Sidon:

     𐤀𐤍𐤊 𐤕𐤁𐤍𐤕 𐤊𐤄𐤍 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤕 𐤌𐤋𐤊 𐤑𐤃𐤍𐤌 𐤁𐤍
     𐤀𐤔𐤌𐤍𐤏𐤆𐤓 𐤊𐤄𐤍 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤕 𐤌𐤋𐤊 𐤑𐤃𐤍𐤌 𐤔𐤊𐤁 𐤁𐤀𐤓𐤍 𐤆

     ʾnk tbnt khn ʿštrt mlk ṣdnm bn
     ʾšmnʿzr khn ʿštrt mlk ṣdnm škb bʾrn z

     I, Tabnit, priest of Astarte, king of Sidon, the son
     of Eshmunazar, priest of Astarte, king of Sidon, am lying in this sarcophagus.

     (literally, “I Tabnit priest [of] Astarte king [of] Sidon son
     [of] Eshmunazar priest [of] Astarte king [of] Sidon [am] lying in-sarcophagus this”)

Related terms

• 𐤊𐤄𐤍𐤕 (khnt)