Katheph means shoulder — the physical body part used for carrying heavy loads — but also extends to mean the side of a building, a hillside slope, or the lateral edge of a structure. It appears 67 times, in architectural descriptions of the Tabernacle and Temple as well as in personal and military imagery.
The shoulder is the place of burden-bearing in Scripture. To put something on someone's shoulder is to give them responsibility. The government of the Messianic King rests "upon his shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6). The Good Shepherd carries the lost sheep "on his shoulders" (Luke 15:5). High priests bore the names of the twelve tribes on their shoulders (Exodus 28:12) — carrying Israel before God. Katheph connects to the deep biblical truth that those who lead serve by carrying others, not the reverse.