3649. komer

Lexical Summary

komer: Priest, idolatrous priest

Original Word: כָּמָר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kamar
Pronunciation: koh'-mer
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-mawr')
KJV: Chemarims (idolatrous) priests
NASB: idolatrous priests
Word Origin: [from H3648 (כָּמַר - stirred)]

1. (properly) an ascetic (as if shrunk with self-maceration), i.e. an idolatrous priest (only in plural)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Chemarims idolatrous priests

From kamar; properly, an ascetic (as if shrunk with self-maceration), i.e. An idolatrous priest (only in plural) -- Chemarims (idolatrous) priests.

see HEBREW kamar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as makmor
Definition
a priest (in idol worship)
NASB Translation
idolatrous priests (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[כֹּ֫מֶר] noun masculine (idol-)priest (so Late Hebrew כּוּמָר; Aramaic , כּוּמְרָא, is also priest of God; Nerab כמר Hal^{Rev. Semitic 1896, 280, 282}; Nabataean כמר priest CIS^{ii, No. 170, Teima} כמרא id. CIS^{ii, No. 113 a, b, b} bis; so כמר Neo-Punic Eut^{ZMG. 1875, 238, 239} Berger^{JAs Apr.-June, 1887, 465}; perhaps Tel Amarna kamiru Bez^{BM.:Tabl, xxvi; Or. Dipl. 92}; Wkl^{TA. 1, 15, 33 leaves untranslated}); — plural absolute, in O.T. only of idol-priests; הַכְּמָרִים 2 Kings 23:5, כְּמָרָיו Hosea 10:5, עִםהַֿכֹּהֲנִים ׳הַכּ Zephaniah 1:4. In Hosea 4:4 Beck (in Wü¹⁴²) We proposes וְעַמִּי כִּכְמָרָיו (for ᵑ0 וְעַמְּךָ כִּמְרִיבֵי).

כמת (√ of following, meaning unknown).

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Concept

כָּמָר designates an idolatrous priest—men who conducted ritual service for pagan deities within Israel and Judah. The word evokes images of zealously devoted officiants clothed in distinctive dark garments, a stark contrast to the linen attire prescribed for the Levitical priesthood. Their existence testifies to the spiritual syncretism that plagued the covenant community whenever loyalty to the LORD was abandoned.

Occurrences in Scripture

2 Kings 23:5; Hosea 10:5; Zephaniah 1:4.

Historical Background

After the division of the monarchy, northern Israel (Samaria) institutionalized calf worship at Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28–31). Hosea speaks of the impending collapse of that system: “Its people will mourn for it, and so will its idolatrous priests rejoicing over its glory, because it has departed from them” (Hosea 10:5). By the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., even Jerusalem tolerated syncretistic shrines. The office of כָּמָר emerged alongside state-sponsored Yahwistic priests, creating a two-tier religious structure in which true and false clergy operated side by side.

Josiah’s Reformation

King Josiah’s sweeping purge provides the clearest narrative window: “He did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense on the high places” (2 Kings 23:5). The king’s action illustrates godly leadership confronting theological corruption. It also reveals that earlier monarchs had not merely tolerated but actually installed וְאֶת־הַכְּמָרִים, embedding apostasy in the nation’s official worship.

Prophetic Denunciation

Zephaniah stands in the line of earlier prophets, promising final removal: “I will stretch out My hand against Judah… and cut off every remnant of Baal from this place—the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests” (Zephaniah 1:4). The pairing of כָּמָר with כֹּהֵן (“priest”) highlights that empty ritualism, whether pagan or nominally orthodox, invites equal judgment.

Theological Significance

1. Holiness of Worship: The priesthood was meant to reflect God’s holiness (Leviticus 10:3). The presence of כָּמָר polluted the sanctuary, making clear that form without truth is offensive to God.
2. Spiritual Leadership: Those who shape public devotion wield enormous influence, for good or ill (James 3:1). Israel’s slide into idolatry was accelerated when counterfeit clergy gained institutional footholds.
3. Covenant Accountability: The LORD’s willingness to remove both idols and their priests demonstrates His commitment to preserve a faithful remnant and fulfill redemptive purposes (Romans 11:2–5).

Lessons for Contemporary Ministry

• Guard the Pulpit: Congregations must examine doctrine and character, ensuring that teachers align with the apostolic faith (1 Timothy 4:16).
• Reform Requires Courage: Like Josiah, modern leaders may need to confront entrenched systems that mix cultural idols with biblical language.
• Hope of Restoration: After judgment, the LORD raised up a purified priesthood (Ezekiel 44:15). Today every believer in Christ is “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), called to worship in spirit and truth and to resist the resurgence of any modern כָּמָר—voices that would redirect devotion away from the living God.

Forms and Transliterations

הַכְּמָרִ֖ים הַכְּמָרִ֗ים הכמרים וּכְמָרָיו֙ וכמריו hak·kə·mā·rîm hakkemaRim hakkəmārîm ū·ḵə·mā·rāw uchemaRav ūḵəmārāw

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 23:5
HEB: וְהִשְׁבִּ֣ית אֶת־ הַכְּמָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָֽתְנוּ֙
NAS: He did away with the idolatrous priests whom
KJV: And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings
INT: did the idolatrous whom had appointed

Hosea 10:5
HEB: עָלָ֜יו עַמּ֗וֹ וּכְמָרָיו֙ עָלָ֣יו יָגִ֔ילוּ
NAS: will mourn for it, And its idolatrous priests will cry
KJV: thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof [that] rejoiced
INT: over people idolatrous Over will cry

Zephaniah 1:4
HEB: אֶת־ שֵׁ֥ם הַכְּמָרִ֖ים עִם־ הַכֹּהֲנִֽים׃
NAS: [And] the names of the idolatrous priests along
KJV: [and] the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
INT: of Baal the names of the idolatrous along the priests

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3649
3 Occurrences

hak·kə·mā·rîm — 2 Occ.
ū·ḵə·mā·rāw — 1 Occ.