Lexical Summary luwa': To swallow, to gulp down, to devour Original Word: לוּעַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance swallow down up A primitive root; to gulp; figuratively, to be rash -- swallow down (up). Brown-Driver-Briggs [לוּעַ, or לָעַע] verb swallow, swallow down (Syriac  ,  lap or lick up Judges 7:5-7); — Qal Perfect3plural וְלָע֫וּ consecutive Obadiah 16 (Ges§ 67 R. 12); — absolute, figurative of nations drinking (cup of judgment). — Hi De talk wildly, see II.לוע; We Now נָעוּ reel, totter (compare Isaiah 24:20; Isaiah 29:9). II. [לוּע, or לָעַע] verb talk wildly (ᵑ0 לָ֑עוּ יָ֫לַע perhaps better would be לָעוּ֫, יִ֫לַע (√ לעה), compare Thes and Arabic Qal Perfect3masculine plural לָ֑עוּ Job 6:3, subject דברים (see Di); Imperfect מוֺקֵשׁ אָדָם יָ֫לַע קֹדֶשׁ Proverbs 20:25 it is a snare to a man that he should rashly cry, Holy ! (construction unusual, and perhaps text, error, compare Frankenberg; on form see Ol§ 243 a Anm; Böi. 296 Köi. 375 f. derive from לעע; Str., Hiph`il from לעע). לוץ see ליץ. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 3886 לוּעַ pictures the violent act of swallowing or gulping down. Its two Old Testament appearances occur in intensely emotional or judgment–laden passages, giving the verb a vivid, almost visceral quality. The imagery moves from the personal anguish of Job to the cosmic reckoning announced by Obadiah, linking private suffering and public justice through a common metaphor of being “swallowed up.” Occurrences and contexts Job 6:3—In the depth of his affliction, Job exclaims, “For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been rash”. The Hebrew literally states that Job’s words have been “swallowed,” conveying the notion that his speech is engulfed and overpowered by grief. The verb intensifies the sense that sorrow has consumed both his thoughts and his expressions. Obadiah 1:16—Addressing hostile nations who violated Mount Zion, the prophet declares, “they will drink and gulp down, and they will be as though they had never been”. Here the verb illustrates the nations’ drunken, reckless defiance, which in turn becomes the measure of the wrath they will themselves be forced to swallow. The picture of guzzling judgment anticipates complete obliteration. Literary imagery 1. Overwhelming quantity—Both passages deal with something immeasurable: grief heavier than “the sand of the seas” and judgment that erases nations “as though they had never been.” The verb underscores the impossibility of containing such magnitude. Historical significance Job’s lament predates Israel’s monarchy, providing one of the earliest windows into human wrestling with innocent suffering. The lone appearance of לוּעַ in Job highlights the extremity of his ordeal. Meanwhile, Obadiah’s oracle, directed primarily against Edom after Jerusalem’s fall (586 B.C.), uses the same verb to announce that Edom’s gloating participation in Judah’s calamity will be met with an even more devastating fate. The shared vocabulary bridges patriarchal-era distress with exilic-era prophecy, emphasizing the unchanging moral order of God across centuries. Theological significance • Divine justice is symmetrical: those who swallow down sinfully (Obadiah) will be forced to swallow down judgment. Intertestamental echoes Second Temple literature extends the “cup” and “swallow” imagery to eschatological judgment (e.g., 1 Enoch 53). By the time of the New Testament, the figure is internalized in Jesus’ prayer, “take this cup from Me” (Luke 22:42), where He voluntarily drinks the wrath reserved for sinners. Application for ministry 1. Pastoral care—Job 6:3 validates believers who feel their speech has been engulfed by sorrow. Ministers can encourage lament as legitimate worship, trusting that the Lord hears even “swallowed” words. Homiletical insights • Contrast Job’s involuntary swallowing (passive grief) with the nations’ voluntary gulping (active rebellion). Both require divine intervention, yet the outcomes diverge—comfort for the righteous sufferer, destruction for the unrepentant oppressor. In sum, לוּעַ is a small yet potent verb that links personal lament and cosmic judgment, reminding readers that nothing—neither pain nor pride—escapes the purview of God, who alone determines what will ultimately be swallowed and what will stand forever. Forms and Transliterations וְלָע֔וּ ולעו לָֽעוּ׃ לעו׃ lā‘ū lā·‘ū Lau velaU wə·lā·‘ū wəlā‘ūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 6:3 HEB: כֵּ֝֗ן דְּבָרַ֥י לָֽעוּ׃ NAS: Therefore my words have been rash. KJV: therefore my words are swallowed up. INT: after that my words have been Obadiah 1:16 2 Occurrences |
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make mistakes in talking, BaZMG xii. 1887, 605, 614); —