🔼The name Cohen: Summary
- Meaning
- Priest, Scientist
- Etymology
- From the noun כהן (kohen), priest.
🔼The name Cohen in the Bible
The name Cohen is not a Biblical name in the strictest sense, but a function; that of priest.
🔼Etymology of the name Cohen
The word כהן (kohen) means priest:
כהן
The noun כהן (kohen) means priest but the word's origin is as unclear as the origin of the actual office. Most probably, the word for priest stems from the idea of being dedicated, and since the Biblical wisdom tradition focused solely on the understanding and ultimately the responsible mastery of creation, Biblical priests were proto-scientists — they were not religious in the modern sense of the word.
The verb כהן (kahan) means to minister as a priest, which comes down to both studying creation and serving the people. Noun כהנה (kehunna) refers to priesthood.
🔼Cohen meaning
The name Cohen means Priest, which in turn comes down to what today we call a Scientist: someone dedicated to both the service to humanity and the study of observable reality (Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:16), who doesn't simply believe whatever he's told or handed down from tradition (Proverbs 26:25, Matthew 24:23) but rather tests everything and holds on to the good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).