Grafted Biblical Concept · Concept

Kosher

כָּשֵׁר · kâshêr · H3787

Kosher is a later Jewish term meaning fit or proper, commonly used for food that conforms to Jewish dietary requirements.

3 Scripture references1 lexical sources0 supporting resources

Primary Study

Grafted Bible Dictionary

Definition

Kosher is a later Jewish term meaning fit or proper, commonly used for food that conforms to Jewish dietary requirements.
The Torah itself more commonly speaks in terms of clean and unclean animals rather than using kosher as the standard dietary label.

Torah Foundation

Primary passages include:
• Leviticus 11
• Deuteronomy 14
These distinguish animals permitted and forbidden for food.

Biblical Categories

Examples of clean land animals generally include those that both:
• chew the cud
• have a divided hoof
Aquatic creatures permitted as food have:
• fins
• scales
The Torah also identifies permitted and forbidden birds and swarming creatures.

Later Jewish Practice

Rabbinic kosher law includes additional detailed regulations involving:
• slaughter
• meat and dairy separation
• utensils
• food preparation
• certification
These later systems should be distinguished from what is explicitly written in Torah.

New Testament Debate

Passages often discussed include:
• Mark 7
• Acts 10
• Romans 14
• 1 Timothy 4
Each should be interpreted in context rather than assuming the question being addressed.
Editorial source: Grafted Bible Dictionary · Entry 53

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Hebrew Word Study

כָּשֵׁר

kâshêr · H3787

Unified Lexical Definition

by implication, to be acceptable also to succeed or prosper

Related Words

Lexical Sources

STRONG'SStrong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

by implication, to be acceptable also to succeed or prosper

View original lexicon entry
{
    "strongs": "H3787",
    "language": "hebrew",
    "lemma": "כָּשֵׁר",
    "transliteration": "kâshêr",
    "pronunciation": "kaw-share'",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "glosses": [
        "direct, be right, prosper."
    ],
    "definitions": [
        "by implication, to be acceptable",
        "also to succeed or prosper"
    ],
    "administrator_commentary": "",
    "source": {
        "dataset": "Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon",
        "provider": "Open Scriptures",
        "url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
        "license": "CC BY-SA"
    },
    "version": 1,
    "updated_at": "2026-08-05T10:41:38-05:00",
    "strong": "H3787"
}

Hebrew Bible Usage

3 occurrences

View All Hebrew Occurrences

Sources: Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Biblical Usage

Concordance and Scripture Usage

3Exact Lemma6Conceptual Relationship
Prophets / Historical Books · 1
Writings / Wisdom · 2

Context

Historical and Jewish Context

Historical context

Rabbinic kosher law includes additional detailed regulations involving:
• slaughter
• meat and dairy separation
• utensils
• food preparation
• certification
These later systems should be distinguished from what is explicitly written in Torah.

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