Lexical Summary Lush: To knead Original Word: לוּשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Laish From luwsh; kneading; Lush, a place in Palestine -- Laish (from the margin). Compare Layish. see HEBREW luwsh see HEBREW Layish NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originthe same as Layish, q.v. Brown-Driver-Briggs לושׁ (Kt) proper name, masculine, לַ֫יִשׁ see לישׁ. לָז, לָזֶה, לֵזוּ see הַלָּז etc. לְזוּת see לוז above. לַח see below לחח. לחה (√ of following, possibly from smoothness, compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Overview The entry indexed as Strong’s Hebrew 3889 designates a verb whose fundamental action is the working of dough. Although that precise verbal form never surfaces in the extant Old Testament text, its concept saturates the biblical narrative through cognate forms and related nouns. The motion of pressing, folding, and blending dough supplied Israel with its daily bread, provided offerings for the altar, and furnished enduring metaphors for spiritual reality. Cultural and Historical Background Bread making in ancient Israel began at dawn. A woman would measure flour, pour in water or oil, add leaven when appropriate, and work the mass until smooth. Kneading bowls (Exodus 12:34) and troughs (Exodus 8:3) were standard utensils. Three seahs—about twenty-two liters—of flour constituted a generous batch (Genesis 18:6), befitting hospitality customs that prized lavish provision for guests and strangers. Because dough spoiled quickly in the desert climate, kneading was performed daily, linking the action to the rhythms of manna (“Give us today our daily bread,” Matthew 6:11) and reinforcing dependence on the LORD for sustenance. Related Hebrew Terms and Forms Other verbal roots in the same semantic field (for example, the form that appears in Judges 6:19; 1 Samuel 28:24; 2 Samuel 13:8) share consonants with Strong’s 3889 and confirm the antiquity of the word-picture. Derivative nouns denote “kneading bowl,” “mortar,” or “mixed flour,” demonstrating how the linguistic family grows outward from the core action of working dough. Imagery of Kneading in Scripture Hospitality Genesis 18:6 recounts Abraham’s urgency: “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and bake some bread.” The patriarch’s immediate recourse to kneading underscores the practice as the first tangible expression of welcoming the divine visitors. Deliverance At the Exodus, Israel left Egypt with bowls still wrapped in cloth, dough unrisen on their shoulders (Exodus 12:34). Kneading had begun but was halted by God’s summons to liberty, imbuing the act with eschatological overtones—redemption interrupts ordinary labor. Domestic Tragedy and Intrigue Narratives such as Tamar’s service to Amnon (2 Samuel 13:8) or the medium of Endor feeding Saul (1 Samuel 28:24) situate kneading in scenes charged with moral tension, illustrating how everyday tasks can unfold within accounts of covenant faithfulness or failure. Sacrificial and Liturgical Context Grain offerings often required the mixture of fine flour with oil, then baking on a griddle or in an oven (Leviticus 2:4-5). Though the verb form 3889 is absent, the procedure mirrors kneading and highlights themes of purity—no leaven, no honey—befitting the holiness of Yahweh. In Temple worship the “bread of the Presence” (Leviticus 24:5-9) demanded exact quantities and careful preparation, reinforcing the sacred dimension of common food. Prophetic and Wisdom Motifs Prophets drew on household crafts to make their point. Hosea compares Israel to “a cake not turned” (Hosea 7:8), the result of negligent kneading or baking. Ezekiel’s enacted siege bread (Ezekiel 4:12-17) dramatizes the coming scarcity; even when one can knead dough, the ingredients will be rationed. Proverbs extols the virtuous wife who “rises while it is still night” to prepare food for her household (Proverbs 31:15), implying the early-morning knead. New Testament Echoes While Greek terminology replaces the Hebrew, the conceptual backdrop remains. Jesus’ parable of the leaven pictures a woman who “took leaven and mixed it into fifty pounds of flour until it was all leavened” (Luke 13:21). Paul repurposes the image ethically: “Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). The unseen transformation within kneaded dough becomes an emblem of both the hidden advance of God’s kingdom and the pervasive danger of sin. Theological Significance 1. Dependence and Provision: Daily kneading testifies to the Creator’s ongoing supply (Psalm 104:14-15). Ministry and Devotional Applications • Hospitality Ministry: Kneading invokes tangible service; modern believers can embody Abrahamic generosity by providing fresh bread for guests or the needy. Conclusion Though Strong’s Hebrew 3889 never appears in canonical verses, its underlying action is woven through the fabric of biblical life and revelation. From patriarchal tents to prophetic warnings and apostolic teaching, kneading dough embodies God’s provision, illustrates His transformative work, and beckons His people to daily, diligent participation in His purposes. Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance lê·ṣîm — 1 Occ.mê·lîṣ — 1 Occ. mə·lî·ṣay — 1 Occ. tiṯ·lō·w·ṣā·ṣū — 1 Occ. ū·mə·lî·ṣe·ḵā — 1 Occ. wə·laṣ·tā — 1 Occ. wə·lêṣ — 1 Occ. wə·lê·ṣîm — 1 Occ. yā·lîṣ — 3 Occ. lā·šō·wṯ — 1 Occ. mil·lūš — 1 Occ. wat·tā·lāš — 2 Occ. lə·wā·ṯāḵ — 1 Occ. ū·lə·zūṯ — 1 Occ. laḥ — 3 Occ. la·ḥîm — 3 Occ. lê·ḥōh — 1 Occ. bil·ḥū·mōw — 1 Occ. ū·lə·ḥu·mām — 1 Occ. bal·le·ḥî — 1 Occ. |
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peel off; Syriac 
strip off, erase).