Lexical Summary lush: knead, kneaded, kneading Original Word: לוּשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance knead A primitive root; to knead -- knead. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to knead NASB Translation knead (2), kneaded (2), kneading (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs לוּשׁ verb knead (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic לוּשׁ,  , Eth  : or  ); — Qal Imperfect3feminine singular וַּתָּ֫לָשׁ 1 Samuel 28:24; 2 Samuel 13:8 Qr (Kt ושׁ-); Imperative feminine singular ל֫וּשִׁי Genesis 18:6; Infinitive construct מִלּוּשׁ Hosea 7:4; Participle feminine plural לָשׁוֺת Jeremiah 7:18; — knead (object not expressed = קֶמַח סֹלֶת) Genesis 18:6 (J), compare 1 Samuel 28:24; object בָּצֵק dough Hosea 7:4; Jeremiah 7:18 compare 2 Samuel 13:8. Topical Lexicon Everyday Life in Ancient IsraelThe verb לוּשׁ is embedded in the ordinary rhythm of an agrarian culture where women customarily transformed freshly‐ground wheat or barley into daily bread. Kneading required strength, patience, and a seasoned touch; it brought together flour, water, oil, and often leaven, initiating fermentation and creating the staple that sustained households. Because bread making happened at dawn and in plain sight, the action became an expressive symbol for hospitality, domestic virtue, quick obedience, and, negatively, the silent spread of corruption when leavened with idolatry. Scenes of Kneading in the Narrative Texts Genesis 18:6 introduces Sarah’s hurried obedience when Abraham entertains the three mysterious visitors: “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and bake some bread.” In this pivotal moment the kneading bowl becomes the stage on which covenant hospitality toward the divine messengers is enacted—a picture later echoed in New Testament admonitions to “show hospitality without complaining” (1 Peter 4:9). In 1 Samuel 28:24 the medium at Endor kneads unleavened bread for Saul during his final night of desperation. The same hands that consult the dead also prepare a last meal for the doomed king, underscoring how common tasks can be co-opted into disobedience. Tamar’s act in 2 Samuel 13:8 (“she took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked them”) supplies the tragic setting for Amnon’s violation. What should have nourished family fellowship becomes a prelude to treachery, reminding readers that external acts of service cannot mask inward sin. Prophetic Uses: Kneading Turned Toward Idolatry Jeremiah 7:18 denounces families who “knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven,” exposing the full household’s complicity in pagan ritual. Kneading here reveals a perversion of daily bread into an offering that provokes divine wrath. Hosea 7:4 extends the image: “They are all adulterers, burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.” The silent, steady leavening within Israel mirrors how unchecked lust and idolatry ferment unseen until judgment breaks forth. Moral and Spiritual Symbolism 1. Silent Influence: Just as leaven permeates dough during kneading, so sin—or conversely, the Kingdom (Matthew 13:33)—works invisibly yet decisively. The prophetic passages use kneading to visualize how spiritual compromise begins subtly in the “mixing” stage. 2. Whole-of-Household Accountability: Genesis, Jeremiah, and Hosea portray women and children actively involved. Biblical holiness demands that the entire family consecrate ordinary labors to God (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). 3. Hospitality and Covenant Blessing: Sarah’s haste prefigures the covenant meal at Sinai and the Last Supper, where bread again mediates fellowship with God. Kneading thus speaks of tangible readiness to serve the Lord’s purposes at any hour. Historical Background Archaeological discoveries of grinding stones, kneading troughs, and baking ovens from Bronze and Iron Age Israel confirm the centrality of bread production. The quantity “three seahs” of Genesis 18 approximates 22 liters of flour—enough to feed a sizable entourage—highlighting the scale of generosity expected of covenant bearers. Ministry Implications • Discipleship in the Home: Encouraging believers to view routine tasks—cooking, cleaning, manual labor—as arenas of worship reinforces the priesthood of all believers (Colossians 3:17). • Guarding Against Subtle Corruption: Leaders must address quiet, fermenting sins before they rise, applying church discipline early (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). • Practicing Biblical Hospitality: Like Abraham and Sarah, households can prepare abundant, fresh bread (literal or figurative) for strangers and saints, anticipating the Messianic banquet. Echoes in Redemptive History The unseen transformation of dough anticipates Jesus’ parable of the leaven, which assures that the Kingdom spreads irresistibly despite humble beginnings. Conversely, Paul’s warning that “a little leaven leavens the whole batch” (Galatians 5:9) matches Jeremiah’s and Hosea’s rebukes, showing Scripture’s consistent metaphorical logic from Torah through Prophets to Epistles. In sum, לוּשׁ threads through Scripture as a homely yet potent image. Whether revealing the warmth of covenant grace or exposing the ferment of rebellion, the simple act of kneading calls every generation to consecrate its daily work, guard its inner motives, and extend the bread of life to a waiting world. Forms and Transliterations וַתָּ֔לָשׁ וַתָּ֙לָשׁ֙ ותלש ל֖וּשִׁי לָשׁ֣וֹת לושי לשות מִלּ֥וּשׁ מלוש lā·šō·wṯ laShot lāšōwṯ lū·šî Lushi lūšî mil·lūš millūš milLush vatTalosh wat·tā·lāš wattālāšLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 18:6 HEB: קֶ֣מַח סֹ֔לֶת ל֖וּשִׁי וַעֲשִׂ֥י עֻגֽוֹת׃ NAS: flour, knead [it] and make KJV: meal, knead [it], and make INT: meal of fine knead and make bread 1 Samuel 28:24 2 Samuel 13:8 Jeremiah 7:18 Hosea 7:4 5 Occurrences |
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