H3835a H3835a
To be white, become white; to make white or purify, used both of physical whiteness and ethical cleansing.
A Hebrew verb meaning 'to be or become white,' extending figuratively to moral purification. In its Hiphil causative form it spans a remarkable range: God promises that sins 'though they are like scarlet, shall become white as snow' (Isa 1:18), and the psalmist pleads to be cleansed until 'I shall be whiter than snow' (Ps 51:7). Daniel uses it for eschatological purification—'many shall purify themselves and make themselves white' (Dan 11:35; 12:10). Even nature participates: Joel 1:7 describes a locust plague stripping bark until branches 'show white.' Spanish 'blanquearon' (they whitened) and 'seran blancos' (they shall be white) nicely distinguish the accomplished and promised states.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To become white, show whiteness, or make white—encompassing physical whiteness and metaphorical moral purification. The Hiphil in Isa 1:18 and Ps 51:7 describes the divine promise to make sins white as snow, a powerful image of forgiveness. In Dan 11:35 and 12:10 the Hithpael reflexive conveys self-purification in an eschatological refining process, paralleled with 'refine' and 'purge.' Joel 1:7 uses it concretely: locusts strip fig trees until their branches gleam white. Spanish 'seran blancos' (they shall be white) for the promissory sense versus 'blanquearon' (they whitened) for the physical captures this dual register effectively. 5×
AR["أَبْيَضَ", "ابْيَضَّتْ", "تَبيَضُّ", "وَ-لِـ-يُبَيِّضُوا", "وَ-يَبْيَضُّونَ"]·ben["ও-শুভ্র-করতে", "ও-শুভ্র-হবে", "শ্বেত-হব-আমি", "সাদা-হবে", "সাদা-হয়েছে"]·DE["[הלבינו]", "[ויתלבנו]", "[וללבן]", "[ילבינו]", "ich-wird-sein-weiss"]·EN["I-will-be-white", "and-be-made-white", "and-to-make-white", "have-turned-white", "they-shall-be-white"]·FR["[ויתלבנו]", "[וללבן]", "[ילבינו]", "blanchir", "ils-ont-blanchi"]·heb["אלבין", "הלבינו", "ו-יתלבנו", "ו-ל-לבן", "ילבינו"]·HI["उज्जवल-होऊंगा", "और-उजले-किए-जाएँगे", "और-सफ़ेद-करने-को", "वे-हो-जाएंगे-सफेद", "सफेद-हो-गईं"]·ID["akan-menjadi-putih", "dan-akan-diputihkan", "dan-untuk-memutihkan", "memutihkan"]·IT["[אלבין]", "[הלבינו]", "[ויתלבנו]", "[וללבן]", "[ילבינו]"]·jav["badhé-pethak", "lan-dipun-murnekaken", "lan-kangge-nucekaken", "ngandheg", "putih"]·KO["그리고-에-희게-하려고", "그리고-희게-되리라", "희게-되리라", "희게-하소서", "희어졌으니라"]·PT["e-para-embranquecer", "e-serão-embranquecidos", "embranqueceram", "embranquecerão", "serei-branco"]·RU["и-убелятся", "и-чтобы-убелить", "побелели", "побелеют", "убелюсь"]·ES["blanquearon", "serán-blancos", "seré-blanco", "y-para-blanquear", "y-serán-emblanquecidos"]·SW["na-kung'arisha", "na-watafanywa-weupe", "nitakuwa-mweupe", "yamekuwa-meupe", "zitakuwa-nyeupe"]·TR["beyazlayacaklar", "beyazlaştı", "daha-beyaz-olayım", "ve-beyazlatılacaklar", "ve-le-beyazlatmak"]·urd["اور-سفید-کرنے-کے-لیے", "اور-سفید-ہوں-گے", "سفید-ہو-گئیں", "سفید-ہوں-گا", "وہ-سفید-ہوں-گے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [לָבֵן] vb. be white (onֵ v. BaNB 166; v. LagBN 33, cf. 53, 54 infers לָבֹן from לִבֹנָה; NH id., Pi. Hiph., and deriv.; Ph. לבן white; Arabic لَبَنٌ milk; لبن also be white, dial. of Yemen, MaltzanZMG xxvii, 1873, 247; appar. √ of foll. fourteen words, but this dub. especially in case of ii. iii. לָבָן, לְבָנָא, לִבְנָה, ii. לְבוֹנָה, i. ii. לִבְנִי);— Hiph. Pf. 3 pl. הִלְבִּינוּ Jo 1:7; Impf.…