H3844 H3844
Lebanon -- the forested mountain range north of Israel, famed for cedars and snow-capped cliffs
Lebanon (Levanon) names the prominent mountain range running along Israel's northern border, renowned in the ancient world for its towering cedars, lush forests, and gleaming white limestone cliffs -- indeed the name likely derives from lavan ('white'), referring either to the snow or the pale rock. Across its 71 occurrences the word appears with the article (ha-Levanon, 51 times) in prose and without it in poetry and late texts (Hos 14:8; Nah 1:4; Song 4:8). Its cedars supply timber for the temple (1 Kgs 5), and prophets invoke Lebanon as a symbol of grandeur, fertility, and fragrance. Spanish Libano, French Liban, and German Libanon all preserve the toponym with minimal adaptation.
Senses
1. Lebanon (geographical region) — The geographic proper noun designating the mountain range north of Israel, employed both as a literal place name (Deut 1:7; Josh 1:4; 1 Kgs 5:13) and as a poetic symbol of majesty, fertility, and fragrance (Ps 29:6; Song 4:11, 15; Isa 35:2). The etymological link to lavan ('white') evokes either snow-covered peaks or pale limestone cliffs. All target languages -- Spanish Libano, French Liban, German Libanon -- render it as a single undifferentiated toponym across all 71 occurrences. 71×
AR["لُبنان", "لُبنانَ", "لُبْنانَ", "لُبْنَان", "لُبْنَانَ", "لُبْنَانُ", "يا-لُبْنَانُ"]·ben["-লেবাননের", "লিবানোন", "লেবানন", "লেবাননকে", "লেবাননের", "লেবাননের-", "সেই-লেবানোনের"]·DE["Libanon", "der-Libanon"]·EN["Lebanon", "Levanon", "of-Levanon", "the-Lebanon"]·FR["Liban", "le-Liban"]·heb["ה-לבנון", "לבנון"]·HI["लबनोन-का", "लबानोन", "लबानोन-का", "लबानोन-की", "लबानोन-के", "लबानोन-को", "लेबानोन", "लेबानोन-के"]·ID["Lebanon", "Libanon", "Libanon,"]·IT["Libano", "il-Libano"]·jav["Libanon", "Libanon?", "Libànon", "Lébanon", "ing-Lébanon", "kidul"]·KO["그-레바논", "그-레바논에서", "그-레바논의", "레바논", "레바논-을", "레바논-의", "레바논아", "레바논을", "레바논의", "레바논이"]·PT["Levanon", "Levanon?", "Líbano", "do-Levanon", "do-Líbano", "o-Levanon", "o-Líbano"]·RU["Леванон", "Леванона", "Ливан", "Ливана", "над-Ливаном"]·ES["Líbano", "al-Líbano", "del-Líbano", "el-Líbano"]·SW["-Lebanoni", "Lebanoni", "ha-Lebanoni", "vya-Lebanoni", "ya-Lebanoni", "za-Lebanoni"]·TR["-Lübnan'ın", "Lubnan", "Lubnan'in", "Lujbnan", "Lübnan", "Lübnan'n", "Lübnan'ı", "Lübnan'ın"]·urd["لبنان", "لبنان-کا", "لبنان-کو", "لبنان-کی", "لبنان-کے"]
Deut 1:7, Deut 3:25, Deut 11:24, Josh 1:4, Josh 9:1, Josh 11:17, Josh 12:7, Josh 13:5, Josh 13:6, Judg 3:3, Judg 9:15, 1 Kgs 4:33 (+38 more)
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† לְבָנוֹן (Dt 3:25 הַלְּבָנֹן Van d. H.)71 n.pr.mont. Lebanon (Ph. לבנן; Assyrian Labnanu, etc., SchrCOT on 1 K 5:13, DlPar. 103 ff.; Egyptian Ra-ma n-n WMMAsien u. Europa, 197 ff.; Arabic لُبْنَانٌ; cf. further RobBR ii, 435 ff. 493 GASmGeogr. 45 ff. BuhlGeogr. 110 and reff.; name prob. from whiteness of its cliffs RobBR ii, 493)—wooded mountain-range on northern border of Isr. [usually c. art.…