First occurrence
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Gen 13:2
The primitive root
Strong’s H3513 כבד kabad, a primitive root meaning, “to be heavy.” The positive spin on the verb is “numerous, weighty, glorious;” the negative spin is “burdensome, severe.” The ancient pictographs are kaph + bet + dalet.
kaph כ, ך = the open palm, thus bend, open, allow, tame
bet ב = the house, thus house, household, family, in, within
dalet ד = the door, thus enter, move, hang
In ancient days, the covering (kaph, as the father’s open palm covers the head of his son when he blesses him) of the tent (bet) was made from a black goat hair fabric. It allowed for some light to come through, “giving the appearance of stars overhead,” according to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon. Thus a related word to this root is the concrete noun for “stars.” As there is no end to the abundance of the stars overhead (Gen 15:5), the kaph + bet combination can signify “a great abundance” as it does here. So, a great abundance (kaph + bet) which hangs (dalet, as a door hangs from its frame) about a person. Thus to honor someone or something is to treat it respectfully according to the weight of glory which covers and surrounds it.
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