Wildbranch Hebrew Word of the Week: DKENAN

This section will be devoted to Scriptural words and their meaning. We will not only establish the etymological roots of these words, but we will reveal how many English words are actually Hebrew words. Everything and anything you might want to know about the Hebrew language will be discussed and presented in this section.
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KENAN

Most of the Hebrew meanings of the names of the generations from Adam to Noach can be found in a Strong's Concordance or most books on Hebrew names. However, there are two names in B'reshiyth chapter five that can only be found in a good Hebrew etymological dictionary. The name of Kenan is one of those. The name qeynan can mean to possess and it can mean to mourn, lament or sorrow after.

Yechezk'el 27:32
"And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation (qiynah) for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyre, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?"

'Amos 8:10
"And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; (qiynah) and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day."

Qiynan and qiynah both find their roots in the word qun, which is a qof, vav and nun. As you may be able to detect so far, we have already seen the unfortunate beginning of the good news proclaimed in these names. Mankind is appointed mortal sorrow ...

Shalom Alecheim!