The word “Kohen” in ancient society, a linguistic study

[kwrandolph]

This is largely a repeat of an earlier post. I noticed almost nobody looked at my previous post, which makes me think that I had a poor choice of title—most people assuming from the title that I intended it to be a theological study when I intended it to be a historical / linguistic study.

In modern speech, we’re used to limiting the role of “Kohen”, a priest, to ceremonial activities connected with temple worship. But was this always the case?

Below are some of my thoughts:

In ancient societies, the emperor was both the civic top leader as well as the religious high priest. This seems to have been true in most societies of the world, East to West. The relatives who were excluded from being the top dude were given the sop of being lesser “priests”, i.e. government officials, over other areas of government or as rulers over provinces. They were still required to carry out “religious” functions as well as their “civic” functions, there being no distinction between the two.

So when Pharaoh married Joseph to Asanath, the daughter of the “priest of On”, she was very likely Pharaoh’s cousin. This was part of making Joseph part of the ruling family, beholden to the Pharaoh.

We see this also in Deuteronomy 17:8–13 where the priest of the temple was to be the Supreme Court of the land as a judge also in civic matters, not just a “religious” leader.

Now this would explain 2 Samuel 8:18 where David’s sons became “priests”—they were not priests in the sense of leading services in the temple, rather they were “priests”, i.e. government officials who had the authority to stand in for the king in official functions.

These are my 2¢, what do y’all think?

Karl W. Randolph.

[Isaac Fried]

Appears to me that the ending -EN in KOHEN is הינו HIYNO, 'he is'. The fraction כה KOH is a muffled כוח KOAX, 'strength'. Thus, כוהן = כוחן KOHEN = KOXEN. The root כח KX is a variant of גח GX, 'surge, sally come out forcefully', as in Judges 20:33
וארב ישראל מגיח ממקמו
KJV: "and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places"

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[SteveMiller]

Karl,
2Sam 8:18 is a strange verse. It actually says that not only David's sons, but Benaiah and the Cherethites and the Pelethites as well became kohanim.

Kohen does not necessarily mean an Aaronic priest as in the priest of On and Jethro being kohens. It seems to always mean a religious leader.

I think it means that David's sons as well as Benaiah and the others became worship leaders.

The parallel verse 1Chr 18:17 supports your view.

[SteveMiller]

Here's an additional thought. Levites who are not of the sons of Aaron are often called kohens. (Deu 17:9, 18; 18:1; 24:8; 27:9; Josh 3:3; 8:33; 18:7; Jud 17:10, 12-13; 2Chron 5:5; 11:14; 30:27). They are not kohens of the order of Aaron, but as leaders of service to God they are kohens in a different sense.

In the same way those mentioned in 2Sam 8:18 served God, but not in the functions reserved to Aaronic and Levitical priests.