H3828 H3828
Frankincense — the white aromatic resin burned in Israelite worship, grain offerings, and sacred incense
The white aromatic resin harvested from Boswellia trees, named from the Hebrew root for 'white' on account of its pale color. Frankincense was a required component of the sacred incense blend (Exod 30:34) and accompanied grain offerings in the tabernacle and temple (Lev 2:1-16). It also appears in poetic imagery: the beloved in Song of Songs is associated with a hill of frankincense (4:6), and the prophets both celebrate and critique its ritual use (Isa 43:23; Jer 6:20). Cross-linguistic evidence is remarkably consistent, with cognates in Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic all pointing to the same resin.
Senses
1. frankincense (aromatic resin for incense) — The fragrant white resin of Boswellia trees, integral to Israelite cultic practice. Prescribed as one of four ingredients in the holy incense (Exod 30:34), it was placed on grain offerings (Lev 2:1, 15) and beside the showbread (Lev 24:7). Translations across languages converge: incienso (Spanish), encens (French), Weihrauch (German), لُبان (Arabic) — all pointing to the same aromatic substance. In Song of Songs 3:6 and 4:6, 14 it serves as a luxurious perfume image alongside myrrh. 21×
AR["-اللُبانِ", "الْ-لُبَانَ", "لُبانًا", "لُبانِهَا", "لُبَانًا", "لُبَانٍ", "لُبْانٌ", "لِبُونَه", "هَ-لْبُونَه", "وَ-لُباناً", "وَ-لُبَانًا", "وَ-لُبَانٌ", "وَاللُّبَان", "وَاللُّبَانَ", "وُ-لِبُونَه"]·ben["-এবং-ধূপ", "-কুন্দুরু", "-লোবানের", "-লোবানের।", "আর-কুন্দুর", "আর-কুন্দুরু", "এবং-কুন্দুর", "এবং-লেবোনা", "এবং-লোবানে", "ও-কুন্দুরের", "কুন্দুর", "কুন্দুরু", "তার-লবান", "ধূপ", "লবান"]·DE["Weihrauch", "[והלבונה]", "[ולבונה]", "[לבונה]", "[לבנה]", "der-Weihrauch", "sein-Weihrauch", "und-Weihrauch"]·EN["and-frankincense", "and-the-frankincense", "frankincense", "its-frankincense", "the-frankincense"]·FR["[הלבונה]", "[והלבונה]", "d'encens,", "de-l'encens.", "encens", "et-d'encens,", "et-encens", "le-encens", "son-encens"]·heb["ה-לבונה", "ו-ה-לבונה", "ו-לבונה", "לבונה", "לבונתה"]·HI["और-लोबान", "और-लोबान-से", "लोबान", "लोबान-उसके", "लोबान-की", "लोबान-के", "लोबान-को"]·ID["-kemenyan", "dan-kemenyan", "dan-kemenyan-itu", "kemenyan", "kemenyannya"]·IT["[הלבונה]", "[והלבונה]", "a-costrui", "e-incenso", "il-incenso", "incenso", "suo-incenso"]·jav["lan-menyan", "menyan", "menyanipun"]·KO["그-유향-의", "그-유향과", "그-유향을", "그것-의-유향", "그리고-그-유향", "그리고-그-유향을", "그리고-유향-으로", "그리고-유향을", "그리고-유향이", "유향", "유향-을", "유향-의", "유향을", "유향이"]·PT["e-incenso", "e-incenso,", "e-o-incenso", "e-olíbano", "incenso", "o-incenso", "olíbano", "seu-incenso"]·RU["и-ладан", "и-ладаном", "ладан", "ладана", "ладана.", "ладаном-её"]·ES["e-incienso", "el-incienso", "incienso", "incienso-suyo", "y-el-incienso", "y-olíbano"]·SW["Lbnh", "cha-ubani", "na-ubani", "ubani", "ubani-wake", "ya-ubani"]·TR["-günlük", "gunlukun", "günlük", "günlüğü", "günnlük", "ve-gunluk", "ve-günlük", "ve-günlüğü", "ve-günlüğün"]·urd["اور-لبان", "اور-لوبان", "اور-لوبان-سے", "اُس-کے-لوبان", "لبان", "لوبان", "لوبان-کو", "لوبان-کی", "لوبان-کے"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. לְבֹנָה, לְבוֹנָה n.f. frankincense (from white colour, cf. LagBN 33; NH id.; Aramaic id., לְבוּנְתָּא, ܠܒܽܘܢܬܳܐ; Ph. לבנת; Arabic لُبَانٌ (Lane 3007); Ethiopic ሊባኖስ is from λιβανος);—ל׳ Ex 30:24 + 18 times; לְבֹנָתָהּ Lv 2:2, 16;—used in prep. of holy incense Ex 30:34 (‖ סַמִּים); used as incense Je 6:20, on meal-offering Lv 2:1, 2, 15, 16; 6:8, cf. 5:11 Nu 5:15; also Je 17:26; 41:5; Is…