Lexical Summary luach: Tablet, board, plank Original Word: לוּח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance board, plate, table Or luach {loo'-akh}; from a primitive root; probably meaning to glisten; a tablet (as polished), of stone, wood or metal -- board, plate, table. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a tablet, board or plank, a plate NASB Translation planks (4), plates (1), tablet (4), tablets (34). Brown-Driver-Briggs לוּחַ noun masculine tablet, board or plank, plate (Late Hebrew id., Aramaic לוּחָא,  ; Arabic  ; (modern pronunciation lûµ, lôµ, compare e.g. SpiroArab.-Eng. Vocab. Buhl), Ethiopic  , but Assyrian li±û (as if from לחה) in DlHWB 366; see, however, lêjum (lêyum) JägerBAS i, 486); — ׳ל absolute Isaiah 30:8; construct Proverbs 3:3 4t.; dual לֻחֹתָ֑יִם Ezekiel 27:5; plural לוחֹת (לֻחוֺת, לֻחֹת) absolute Exodus 32:16 17t.; construct Deuteronomy 4:13 16t.; — 1 chiefly of stone tablets on which ten words were written Exodus 24:12; Exodus 31:18b; Exodus 32:16 (twice in verse); Exodus 32:19 (all E), Exodus 34:1 (3 t. in verse); Exodus 34:4 (twice in verse); Exodus 34:28 (all J), Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 5:19; Deuteronomy 9:9,10,11,17; Deuteronomy 10:1,2(twice in verse); Deuteronomy 10:3 (twice in verse); Deuteronomy 10:4,5; 1 Kings 8:9; 2Chronicles 5:10; הָעֵדֻת ׳ל Exodus 31:18a; Exodus 32:15; compare Exodus 34:29 (all P); הַבְּרִית ׳ל Deuteronomy 9:9,11,15; tablet for writing prophecy Isaiah 30:8 ׅ "" (סֵפֶר, Habakkuk 2:2, and figurative, b>לוּחַ לָבְּךָ Proverbs 3:3; Proverbs 7:3 (for writing wise counsel), compare Jeremiah 17:1 (inscribing sin of Judah); (verb mostly כָּחַב Exodus 31:18b; Exodus 32:15; Deuteronomy 9:10; עַל ׳כ Exodus 34:1,28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 5:19; Deuteronomy 10:2,4; Proverbs 3:3; Proverbs 7:3; Isaiah 30:8; חָרַשׁ עַל Jeremiah 17:1; כָּרַת followed by accusative Deuteronomy 9:9 compare 1 Kings 8:9 2Chronicles 5:10; חָרַת עַל Exodus 32:16; בֵּאֵר עַל Habakkuk 2:2). 2 wooden boards, composing altar of tabernacle Exodus 27:8; Exodus 38:7; planks composing ship (figurative of Tyre) Ezekiel 27:5; cf, נָצוּר עָלָיהָ לוּחַ אָ֑רֶז Songs 8:9, of door. 3 (metal) plates on bases of lavers in Solomon's temple 1 Kings 7:36. Topical Lexicon Definition and ScopeThe noun לֻחַ (luach) denotes a flat surface fashioned for writing or construction. Scripture applies the term both to the covenant “tablets” of stone received by Moses and to wooden “boards” or planks used in sacred or secular structures. Approximately forty-three occurrences span the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets, creating a unified testimony to God’s self-revelation, covenant order, and call to internalize His word. Covenantal Tablets at Sinai 1. Origin and divine authorship Exodus 31:18 records, “He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.” The phrase underscores direct, unmediated revelation. Exodus 24:12 links the tablets to “law and commandment, which I have written.” The tablets are repeatedly styled “the tablets of the covenant” (Deuteronomy 9:11, 9:15) or “tablets of the Testimony” (Exodus 32:15), emphasizing their legal status as a perpetual witness between YHWH and Israel. After the replacement set is hewn (Exodus 34:1-4) God again inscribes His words, then commands their placement in the Ark (Deuteronomy 10:1-5). Boards and Planks in Cultic Construction When the bronze altar is built, it is made “hollow with boards” (Exodus 27:8; echoed in Exodus 38:7). The same term appears for planks in Ezekiel’s lament over Tyre’s ships: “They fashioned all your planks of juniper from Senir” (Ezekiel 27:5). Here luach supplies imagery of structure and stability, paralleling its covenantal function—God’s word forms the framework of true worship. Wisdom and Prophetic Usage 1. Inscription on the heart Proverbs 3:3; 7:3 urge, “Write them on the tablet of your heart,” transferring the locus of revelation from stone to the inner life. Jeremiah 17:1 reverses the image: sin itself is “engraved…on the tablet of their hearts,” revealing obstinate rebellion. Habakkuk 2:2: “Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.” The prophetic message must be both permanent and accessible. Isaiah 30:8 commands Isaiah to record a witness “on a tablet,” ensuring accountability for future generations. Theology of Inscription • Permanence: Stone signifies unalterable authority; God’s words are not subject to revision (Deuteronomy 4:2). Christological and Practical Ministry Applications 1. Spirit-written hearts Paul employs the imagery: “not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3). The Spirit accomplishes what Sinai pictured—law and grace joined in Christ. Ministers write truth upon hearers’ hearts through Scripture-saturated proclamation, trusting the Spirit to engrave. Like ancient Israel storing the tablets in the Ark, families safeguard God’s word at the center of home life (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Habakkuk’s command to make the vision plain invites clear, accessible communication of biblical truth in every era. Intertextual Links • Exodus 24–34 and Deuteronomy 4–10 present the foundational narrative. Historical Background Ancient Near Eastern treaties often included inscribed tablets stored before a deity; Israel’s tablets fit this milieu yet are unique in divine authorship. Stone durability ensured covenant longevity, while placement within the Ark—beneath the atoning cover—foreshadowed mercy triumphing over judgment. Modern Ministry Implications 1. Uphold Scripture’s written form as God’s authoritative, preserved revelation. Thus the luach motifs converge to proclaim an unchanging, covenant-making God who both inscribes His standards and supplies the grace to obey them, culminating in Christ and the Spirit’s heart-work in the people of God. Forms and Transliterations הַלֻּח֑וֹת הַלֻּח֔וֹת הַלֻּחֹ֔ת הַלֻּחֹ֖ת הַלֻּחֹ֗ת הַלֻּחֹ֜ת הַלֻּחֹ֥ת הַלֻּחֹֽת׃ הַלֻּחֹת֙ הלחות הלחת הלחת׃ וְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת והלחת ל֛וּחַ ל֣וּחַ ל֥וּחַ לֻֽחֹתָ֑יִם לֻח֣וֹת לֻח֥וֹת לֻחֹ֖ת לֻחֹ֗ת לֻחֹ֣ת לֻחֹ֤ת לֻחֹ֥ת לֻחֹ֨ת לוּחֹ֣ת לוּחֹ֤ת לוח לוחת לחות לחת לחתים hal·lu·ḥō·wṯ hal·lu·ḥōṯ halluChot halluḥōṯ halluḥōwṯ lū·aḥ lu·ḥō·ṯā·yim lu·ḥō·wṯ lu·ḥōṯ lū·ḥōṯ Luach lūaḥ luChot luchoTayim luḥōṯ lūḥōṯ luḥōṯāyim luḥōwṯ veHalluChot wə·hal·lu·ḥōṯ wəhalluḥōṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 24:12 HEB: לְךָ֜ אֶת־ לֻחֹ֣ת הָאֶ֗בֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה֙ NAS: you the stone tablets with the law KJV: and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, INT: there will give tablets the stone the law Exodus 27:8 Exodus 31:18 Exodus 31:18 Exodus 32:15 Exodus 32:15 Exodus 32:16 Exodus 32:16 Exodus 32:19 Exodus 34:1 Exodus 34:1 Exodus 34:1 Exodus 34:4 Exodus 34:4 Exodus 34:28 Exodus 34:29 Exodus 38:7 Deuteronomy 4:13 Deuteronomy 5:22 Deuteronomy 9:9 Deuteronomy 9:9 Deuteronomy 9:10 Deuteronomy 9:11 Deuteronomy 9:11 Deuteronomy 9:15 43 Occurrences |
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