כומר
kómer
The Hebrew word for pastor is כומר (kómer). Wiktionary also lists כֹּמֶר (kómer).
Meaning: minister or priest (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| כומר | kómer | |
| כֹּמֶר | kómer | masculine |
In modern Hebrew, כומר is specifically used to refer to a Christian minister or priest, rather than a Jewish rabbi.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is כֹּמֶר.
How do you pronounce it?
kómer
When do people say it?
Some Messianic Jewish communities in Israel may adopt the English term 'pastor' directly.
Did you know?
- The word כומר is a linguistic cousin to the Old Church Slavonic word коумиръ, which originally meant 'idol' or 'image'.
- In some historical contexts, כומר was used to describe a pagan priest, which explains its distance from the Jewish term כהן.
- While כומר refers to a Christian minister, the Hebrew word for a Jewish religious leader, 'רַב', comes from a root meaning 'great' or 'master'.
Examples in context
- אביו של תום היה כומר.Tom's father was a pastor.This sentence shows how to describe someone's father as a כומר.Tatoeba #5556019 by fekundulo, translation #5265484 by CK
- אדם אל לו להיות כומר עד שיגיע לגיל ארבעים.A man shouldn't be a pastor until he's in his forties.This sentence illustrates a requirement regarding the age of a כומר.Tatoeba #5996810 by fekundulo, translation #72620 by CM
- בוב נהיה כומר.Bob became a pastor.This sentence is useful for stating that someone became a כומר.Tatoeba #1644945 by MrShoval, translation #464693 by blay_paul
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pastor” translations and entries כומר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries כומר, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
