What does the Hebrew word “kohen” (priest) mean?
The word kohen comes from the root ken. Ken is spelled kaph-nun, the kaph is a picture of the open hand and means open, the nun is a picture of a seed. ken then means an opening of a seed. When the seed opens the roots come out to form the base for the plant and provides the support. The stalk then rises up straight and stiff. The word Ken is the word for “yes,” in other words, if you ask me to do something, I will say “ken” or “yes, I will be firm in this.” A kohen is one who will stand firm with a strong base on the earth (could represent the people) and the stalk will rise up (could represent God). The kohen was one who stood as the mediator between man and God, he was the firm base of the people and the stalk that stood tall for the people to God.
