כֶּלֶב

n.m. 1 S 24:15 dog (NH id.; Ph. כלב; Aramaic כַּלְבָּא, ܟܰܠܒܳܐ; Arabic كَلْبٌ; Ethiopic ከልብ: Assyrian kalbu DlHWB 328)—abs. כ׳ Ju 7:5 + 16 times, כָּ֑לֶב ψ 59:7, 15; pl. כְּלָבִים 1 K 14:11 + 12 times; cstr. כַּלְבֵי Jb 30:1; sf. כְּלָבֶיךָ ψ 68:24;—dog: lit. 1 K 14:11; 16:4; 21:19(×2), 23, 24; 22:38; 2 K 9:10, 36 (all of fierce, hungry dogs, devouring dead bodies and licking blood); cf. Je 15:3 and (לְשׁוֹךָ כְּלָבֶיךָ) ψ 68:24; eating torn flesh, Ex 22:30 (E), כַּלְבֵי צֹאנִי = my sheep-dogs, only Jb 30:1 (in both these with implied inferiority); dog-sacrifice was a heathen rite Is 66:3 (Di al.); v. especially RSSem i. 273 (291), 325 (343); in various sim. Ju 7:5; Pr 26:11, 17 ψ 59:7, 15; in proverbial sayings: לֹא יֶחֱרַץ־כ׳ לִשֹׁנוֹ Ex 11:7 (v. I. חרץ); לְכ׳ חַי הוּא טוֹב מִן־הָאַרְיֵה הַמֵּת Ec 9:4. applied, fig., to men, in contempt 1 S 17:43, so of psalmist’s enemies ψ 22:17, 21, or in excessive humility 2 K 8:13; still more emphatically כ׳ מֵת a dead dog, הַכּ׳ הַמֵּת 2 S 9:8; 16:8; also רֹאשׁ כ׳ 3:8; כְּלָבִים אִלְּמִים Is 56:10 (of misleading prophets), הַכּ׳ עַזֵּי נֶפֶשׁ v 11 (id.); כ׳ was name given to male temple-prostitutes Dt 23:19 (v. Dr; cf. קָדֵשׁ).