3835. laban

Lexicon

laban: To be white, to make white, to purify

Original Word: לָבַן
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: laban
Pronunciation: lah-VAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (law-ban')
Definition: To be white, to make white, to purify
Meaning: to be, white, to make bricks

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

make brick, be made, make whiter

A primitive root; to be (or become) white; also (as denominative from lbenah) to make bricks -- make brick, be (made, make) white(-r).

see HEBREW lbenah

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[לָבֵן] verb be white (on ֵ֯ see Ba^{NB 166}; Lag^{BN 33}, compare 53, 54 infers לָבֹן ֗֗֗ from לְבֹנָה; Late Hebrew id., Pi`el Hiph`il, and derivatives; Phoenician לבן white; Arabic milk; also be white, dialect of Yemen, Maltzan^{ZMG xxvii, 1873, 247}; apparently √ of following fourteen words, but this dubious especially in case of II. III. לָבָן, לְבָנָא, לִבְנָה, II. לְבוֺנָה, I. II. לִבְנִי); —

Hiph`il Perfect3plural הִלְבִּינוּ Joel 1:7; Imperfect1singular אַלְבִּין Psalm 51:9; 3plural יַלְבִּינוּ Isaiah 1:18; Infinitive construct וְלַלְבֵּן (= וּלְהַלְבֵּן) Daniel 11:35; —

1 make white = purify (ethical) Daniel 11:35 (no object expressed, "" צָרַף, בָּרֵר).

2 shew whiteness, grow white, of fig-tree, stripped by locusts, Joel 1:7; figurative of moral purity, ׳כַּשֶּׁלֶג יַלְב Isaiah 1:18; ׳מִשֶּׁלֶג אַלְב Psalm 51:9.

Hithpa`el Imperfect יִתְלַבְּנוּ Daniel 12:10 be purified (ethical, "" יִתְבָּֽרֲרוּ). — לָבַן, make brick, see below

[לָבַן] verb denominative make brick (as Assyrian labânu fromlibittu Dl^{HWB 370}); —

Qal Imperfect1pluralנִלְבְּנָה Genesis 11:3 (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb); Infinitive construct לִלְבֹּן Exodus 5:7 (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb), Exodus 5:14 (absolute)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: A primitive root

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • G3021: λευκαίνω (leukainō) • This Greek term is used in the New Testament to describe the process of making something white or bright. It appears in contexts such as the transfiguration of Jesus, where His garments become exceedingly white (Mark 9:3), symbolizing divine purity and glory.

The Hebrew root לָבַן (lāḇan) and its Greek counterpart λευκαίνω (leukainō) both emphasize the transformative process of becoming white, whether in a literal or metaphorical sense, underscoring themes of purity, cleansing, and divine transformation throughout the biblical narrative.

Usage: • The verb לָבַן (lāḇan) is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe the process of becoming white or making something white. It is also used in the context of making bricks, which involves a process of whitening or purifying the clay.

Context: • The root לָבַן (lāḇan) appears in various contexts within the Hebrew Scriptures. It primarily conveys the idea of whiteness, which can symbolize purity or cleansing. This is evident in passages where the term is used metaphorically to describe the purification of garments or the cleansing of sin.
• In Genesis 30:37, Jacob uses rods of poplar, almond, and plane trees, peeling white stripes in them, which is a direct application of the root לָבַן in the sense of making something white.
• The term is also associated with the process of brick-making, as seen in Exodus 5:7-8, where the Israelites are tasked with making bricks without straw. The connection between brick-making and whiteness may relate to the drying and hardening process, which gives the bricks a lighter appearance.
• The concept of whiteness in the Hebrew Bible often carries connotations of purity and righteousness, as seen in Isaiah 1:18, where sins are described as being made "white as snow."

Forms and Transliterations

אַלְבִּֽין׃ אלבין׃ הִלְבִּ֖ינוּ הלבינו וְיִֽתְלַבְּנ֤וּ וְלַלְבֵּ֖ן ויתלבנו וללבן יַלְבִּ֔ינוּ ילבינו לִלְבֹּ֥ן לִלְבֹּן֙ ללבן נִלְבְּנָ֣ה נלבנה ’al·bîn ’albîn alBin hil·bî·nū hilBinu hilbînū lil·bōn lilBon lilbōn nil·bə·nāh nilbeNah nilbənāh velalBen veyitlabbeNu wə·lal·bên wə·yiṯ·lab·bə·nū wəlalbên wəyiṯlabbənū yal·bî·nū yalBinu yalbînū

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 11:3
HEB: רֵעֵ֗הוּ הָ֚בָה נִלְבְּנָ֣ה לְבֵנִ֔ים וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה
NAS: Come, let us make bricks and burn
KJV: Go to, let us make brick,
INT: another Come make brick and burn

Exodus 5:7
HEB: תֶּ֧בֶן לָעָ֛ם לִלְבֹּ֥ן הַלְּבֵנִ֖ים כִּתְמ֣וֹל
NAS: straw to make brick as previously;
KJV: straw to make brick,
INT: straw the people to make brick before

Exodus 5:14
HEB: כִלִּיתֶ֨ם חָקְכֶ֤ם לִלְבֹּן֙ כִּתְמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם
NAS: today in making brick as previously?
KJV: your task in making brick both yesterday
INT: completed your required making yesterday before that time

Psalm 51:7
HEB: תְּ֝כַבְּסֵ֗נִי וּמִשֶּׁ֥לֶג אַלְבִּֽין׃
NAS: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than
KJV: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
INT: wash snow shall be whiter

Isaiah 1:18
HEB: כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג יַלְבִּ֔ינוּ אִם־ יַאְדִּ֥ימוּ
NAS: are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow;
KJV: be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
INT: scarlet snow white Though are red

Daniel 11:35
HEB: בָּהֶ֛ם וּלְבָרֵ֥ר וְלַלְבֵּ֖ן עַד־ עֵ֣ת
NAS: purge and make them pure until
KJV: them, and to purge, and to make [them] white, [even] to the time
INT: to refine purge and make until time

Daniel 12:10
HEB: יִ֠תְבָּֽרֲרוּ וְיִֽתְלַבְּנ֤וּ וְיִצָּֽרְפוּ֙ רַבִּ֔ים
NAS: will be purged, purified and refined,
KJV: shall be purified, and made white, and tried;
INT: will be purged purified and refined Many

Joel 1:7
HEB: חֲשָׂפָהּ֙ וְהִשְׁלִ֔יךְ הִלְבִּ֖ינוּ שָׂרִיגֶֽיהָ׃
NAS: Their branches have become white.
KJV: the branches thereof are made white.
INT: bare and cast have become their branches

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3835
8 Occurrences

’al·bîn — 1 Occ.
hil·bî·nū — 1 Occ.
lil·bōn — 2 Occ.
nil·bə·nāh — 1 Occ.
wə·lal·bên — 1 Occ.
wə·yiṯ·lab·bə·nū — 1 Occ.
yal·bî·nū — 1 Occ.