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John 18:13


115b

Strongs NT #2533 Καϊάφα. Caiaphas. The Depresser

"supposed by many to be the same as כֵּפָא, a stone, a rock; others more correctly equivalent to כָּיְפָא, depression, Targ. on Proverbs 16:26 (according to Delitzsch (Brief and. Röm. ins Hebrew etc., p. 28) קַיָפָא)"

Thayers Greek Lexicon

In the Targum, specifically on Proverbs 16:26, the word appears to be associated with the latter meaning, signifying a "depression."

Proverbs 16:26 says "for he has pressed/drove down upon himself the mouth." The Hebrew for "pressing/driving" is אכף (akaph). The verb אכף is only found in this verse. In Arabic it came to mean "saddle". Cf. Strongs Hebrew #404. 

The Targumim are ancient Aramaic translations and interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, originating during the Second Temple period to provide explanations and translations for Aramaic-speaking Jewish communities. These oral traditions were eventually codified into written texts, with Targum Onkelos and Targum Jonathan among the most well-known, believed to have been standardized around the early centuries CE but reflecting much earlier origins.