3860. lahen

Lexical Summary

lahen: Therefore, for this reason, on account of this

Original Word: לָהֵן
Part of Speech: Conjunction
Transliteration: lahen
Pronunciation: lah-hen
Phonetic Spelling: (law-hane')
KJV: for them (by mistake for prepositional suffix)
NASB: therefore
Word Origin: [from the prepositional prefix meaning to or for and H2005 (הֵן - behold)]

1. popularly for if
2. (hence) therefore

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

for them by mistake for prepositional suffix

From the prepositional prefix meaning to or for and hen; popularly for if; hence, therefore -- for them (by mistake for prepositional suffix).

see HEBREW hen

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from a preposition prefix and hen
Definition
on this account, therefore
NASB Translation
therefore (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

לָהֵן conjunction on this account, therefore, Ruth 1:13 (twice in verse) (either from לְ and הֵן (see below הֵ֫מָּה); or the Aramaic לָהֵן Daniel 2:6,9; Daniel 4:24: see the Aramaic Lexicon)

I. לָהֵן conjunction therefore (Biblical Hebrew לָהֵן Ruth 1:13 (twice in verse), Aramaic of Têma להן CIS^{ii. 113} = Cooke¹⁹⁵), Daniel 2:6,9; Daniel 4:24 (Lambert^{RÉJ. 1904. 273} denies I. לָהֵן, taking Biblical Aramaic always as = רַק).

Topical Lexicon

Occurrences and Literary Setting

לָהֵן appears twice in the same verse, Ruth 1:13, functioning as an inferential particle that signals Naomi’s chain of reasoning. Set in the liminal dialogue on the road from Moab to Bethlehem, its dual usage binds Naomi’s rhetorical questions to her final, poignant conclusion that “the hand of the LORD has gone out against me” (Ruth 1:13). The word thus frames both Naomi’s logic and her lament, highlighting the tension between human reasoning and divine providence that permeates the opening chapter of Ruth.

Semantic and Narrative Function

Rather than merely introducing a causal clause, לָהֵן presses the listener toward an unavoidable conclusion. By repeating the particle, Naomi intensifies her argument: if her widowed daughters-in-law were to wait for new sons to be born and mature, they would surrender all hope of remarriage and security—“therefore… therefore.” The particle’s insistence underscores the severity of the circumstances, magnifying Naomi’s perceived hopelessness while preparing the reader for Ruth’s radical pledge of covenant loyalty in verses 16–17.

Historical Background

In ancient Israelite society widows depended on male kin for legal protection and economic survival. Naomi’s reasoning (framed by לָהֵן) reflects the custom of levirate marriage, where a male relative might raise up offspring for a deceased brother (Deuteronomy 25:5–10). Her argument assumes that without such provision her daughters-in-law would be left vulnerable. Thus לָהֵן links social custom with theological reflection: Naomi recognizes both the cultural reality of widowhood and the unseen sovereignty of God in her suffering.

Theological Implications

1. Human logic versus divine plan: Naomi’s double “therefore” appears airtight, yet the narrative shortly overturns her despair through Ruth’s faith and Boaz’s redemption (Ruth 2–4). Scripture here warns against absolutizing our deductions when God’s redemptive purposes remain in motion.
2. Suffering within covenant: לָהֵן highlights Naomi’s honest lament while still addressing God as “LORD” (YHWH), implicitly affirming His covenant character even in bitterness.
3. Instrument of providence: The particle’s role in Naomi’s speech becomes the pivot that propels Ruth to cling to her, setting the stage for the lineage leading to David and ultimately Messiah (Matthew 1:5–6, 16). Human conclusions, though logical, yield to God’s larger narrative.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Counseling lament: Naomi’s reasoning shows that believers may articulate apparently unanswerable “therefores” without forfeiting faith.
• Hope in hidden providence: Preachers can contrast Naomi’s twofold לָהֵן with the “therefore” of Paul in Romans 8:1, demonstrating how divine justification supplants human despair.
• Covenant community: The church, like Ruth, is called to step into the gap created by others’ logical dead-ends, embodying loyal-love that reflects Christ’s redemption.

Intertextual Echoes

Though לָהֵן is rare, its force resonates with other inferential markers that pivot biblical narratives:
• Genesis 45:8—Joseph’s “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God,” reframes suffering through providence.
• Isaiah 1:18—“Come now, let us reason together,” invites Israel to follow a divine logic that surpasses human guilt.

The layered usage across Scripture forms a tapestry in which God overturns expected outcomes, revealing salvation where despair seemed justified.

Summary

לָהֵן, modest in frequency yet weighty in effect, punctuates Naomi’s reasoning, crystallizes the crisis of Ruth 1, and serves as a catalyst for the book’s unfolding redemption. Its theological depth lies in exposing the limits of human inference while ushering readers to trust the unseen purposes of the covenant LORD whose ultimate “therefore” is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

הֲלָהֵ֣ן ׀ הֲלָהֵן֙ הלהן hă·lā·hên halaHen hălāhên

Englishman's Concordance

Ruth 1:13
HEB: הֲלָהֵ֣ן ׀ תְּשַׂבֵּ֗רְנָה עַ֚ד
NAS: would you therefore wait until
KJV: Would ye tarry for them till they were grown?
INT: therefore wait against

Ruth 1:13
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִגְדָּ֔לוּ הֲלָהֵן֙ תֵּֽעָגֵ֔נָה לְבִלְתִּ֖י
NAS: they were grown? Would you therefore refrain
KJV: would ye stay for them from having husbands?
INT: after grown therefore refrain because

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3860
2 Occurrences

hă·lā·hên — 2 Occ.