Lexical Summary labat: To fall, to fail, to be cast down Original Word: לָבַט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fall A primitive root; to overthrow; intransposed, to fall -- fall. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to thrust down, out, or away NASB Translation ruined (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs [לָבַט] verb thrust down, out, or away (Late Hebrew id.; Arabic  strike the ground with a person, i.e. throw one down; Syriac Pa`el  incitavit, stimulavit); — only Niph`al Imperfect be thrust down, away, i.e. ruined; עָם לֹא יָבִין יִלָּבֵט Hosea 4:14; אֱוִיל שְׂפָתַיִם יִלָּבֵט Proverbs 10:8,10. לְבִי, לָבִיא לְבִיָּא see below לבא. לֻבִים see לוּבִים. Topical Lexicon Overview The verb conveyed by Strong’s Hebrew 3832 pictures a person or community sliding into calamity through its own misguided speech, conduct, or worship. Though it appears only three times, each setting portrays an inevitable undoing that follows rejection of divine wisdom. Literary Distribution • Wisdom Collection: Proverbs 10:8; Proverbs 10:10 Usage in Proverbs In the twin aphorisms of Proverbs 10, the word sets the destiny of “a babbling fool” in stark contrast to the secure path of the wise. Proverbs 10:8—“The wise in heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” Proverbs 10:10—“He who winks the eye causes grief, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.” Here, reckless talk and covert scheming unravel life. The fool’s very lips become the instrument of his downfall, underscoring the book’s larger theme that words have moral weight (compare Proverbs 18:7). The wise listener is invited to adopt a posture of humble obedience, receiving commands instead of resisting them. Usage in Hosea Hosea 4:14 laments Israel’s syncretistic worship: “For the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.” The prophet connects spiritual infidelity with national collapse. When discernment is abandoned, societal structures disintegrate. The verb therefore functions as a judicial verdict—Israel’s ruin is not random but the consequence of covenant breach. Themes of Moral Collapse 1. Self-inflicted Disaster: In all three texts the subject’s choices precipitate the downfall; no external enemy is named. Historical Setting Proverbs arose in the monarchic period, training court officials and households to fear the LORD. The warning shows that social status cannot shield a fool from collapse. Hosea ministered during the northern kingdom’s final decades (eighth century B.C.), exposing how Baal worship eroded national stability. In both contexts the verb captures the tipping point where unfaithfulness becomes irreversible loss. Intertextual Echoes The motif of ruin through stubborn folly echoes earlier Torah warnings (Deuteronomy 32:28–29) and anticipates later prophetic indictments (Isaiah 5:13). In the New Testament, Jesus’ parable of the two builders (Matthew 7:24–27) reprises the same contrast between hearing wisdom and collapsing under self-made catastrophe. Practical and Pastoral Lessons • Submission to God’s commands safeguards life; persistent chatter that ignores instruction invites ruin. Homiletical Suggestions • Sermon Series: “Words that Build, Words that Break” (Proverbs 10) Summary Strong’s Hebrew 3832 serves as a sobering anchor point: every departure from divine wisdom—whether through careless speech or idolatrous practice—sets life on a trajectory toward irreversible ruin. The remedy is the same in every age: humble acceptance of God’s instruction and an undivided heart of understanding. Forms and Transliterations יִלָּבֵֽט׃ ילבט׃ yil·lā·ḇêṭ yillāḇêṭ yillaVetLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Proverbs 10:8 HEB: וֶאֱוִ֥יל שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִם יִלָּבֵֽט׃ NAS: But a babbling fool will be ruined. KJV: but a prating fool shall fall. INT: fool A babbling will be ruined Proverbs 10:10 Hosea 4:14 3 Occurrences |
    |