כהן (√ of foll; mng. dub., v. Dr 28 6, 18; Ar. vb. Arabic is divine, and Arabic (Qor 52:29) is a seer, the organ (mostly) of a jinn, rarely of a god: the Arabic and the כֹּהֵן must have been orig. identical (both alike being guardians of an oracle, at a sanctuary); but their functions diverged: the Arabic gradually lost his connexion with the sanctuary, and sank to be a mere diviner; the כהן acquired fuller sacrif. functions: v. RS Enc. Brit. ed. 9, xix, 727; We Skizzen iii. 130f., 167; Now Arch ili. 89f.; Ph כהן is priest כהנת priestess).
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