H3852 H3852
Flame or blaze of fire, whether literal or figurative; also the gleaming blade of a weapon.
Lehabah is fire made visible — the luminous tongue of flame that leaps, devours, and dazzles. It appears in some of Scripture's most vivid scenes: the burning bush where God appeared to Moses in a 'flame of fire' (Exod 3:2), the fire that consumed Korah's rebels (Ps 106:18), and hailstones mingled with flame-fire raining on Egypt (Ps 105:32). In prophetic judgment imagery, lehabah becomes the instrument of divine wrath — consuming chaff (Isa 5:24), devouring like a forest fire (Joel 2:3), and burning without rescue (Isa 47:14). German 'Flamme' and Spanish 'llama' both carry the same elemental force. In one remarkable extension (1 Sam 17:7), the word describes the gleaming blade of Goliath's spear — the flash of polished metal that resembles a tongue of fire.
Senses
1. flame, blaze — Flame or blaze in its primary sense — fire as a visible, luminous phenomenon. This covers 18 of the 19 occurrences, spanning literal fire, theophany, and judgment imagery. The burning bush (Exod 3:2) and lightning mixed with hail (Ps 105:32) represent literal flame; the 'flame of fire' devouring forests (Ps 83:14; Joel 2:3) and consuming chaff (Isa 5:24) serve as metaphors for divine judgment. Spanish 'llama' and German 'Flamme' consistently render this core sense. Psalm 29:7 — 'the voice of the LORD divides flames of fire' — links flame directly to theophanic power. 18×
amh["ነበልባል"]·AR["اللَّهَبُ", "اللَّهِيبِ", "لهيباً", "لَهيب", "لَهيبًا", "لَهيبٌ", "لَهيبٍ", "لَهَبَ", "لَهِيبًا", "لَهِيبٍ", "لَهِيبَ", "لِـ-لَهِيبٍ", "مُلتَهِبَةٍ", "وَ-اللَّهيبُ", "وَ-بِـ-لَهَبٍ", "وَاللَّهِيبُ", "وَكَاللَّهَبِ", "وَلَهَبٌ"]·ben["-শিখা", "অগ্নির-শিখাকে", "এবং-জ্বালা", "এবং-শিখা", "এবং-শিখার-মতো", "ও-শিখায়", "জ্বলন্ত", "জ্বালা", "শিখা", "শিখায়", "শিখার"]·ces["plamen"]·dan["flamme,"]·DE["Flamme", "[ובלהבה]", "[ולהבה]", "[להבה]", "[להבת]", "flames", "flames-von", "und-Flamme", "und-wie-ein-Flamme", "zu-Flamme"]·ell["φλόγα,"]·EN["and-a-flame", "and-as-a-flame", "and-by-flame", "and-flame", "flame", "flame-of", "flames", "flames-of", "for-flame", "of-flame", "the-flame"]·FR["et-flamme", "flamme", "flamme,", "à-flamme"]·guj["જ્વાળા"]·hat["flanm"]·hau["harshen-wuta"]·heb["ו-ב-להבה", "ו-כ-להבה", "ו-להבה", "ל-להבה", "להבה", "להבות", "להבת"]·HI["और-लपट", "और-लपट-की-तरह", "और-लौ", "ज्वाला", "ज्वाला-की", "ज्वाला-के-लिए", "लपट", "लपटों-की", "लपटों-को", "लौ", "लौ-की"]·hun["láng"]·ID["dan-nyala-api", "dan-oleh-api", "dan-seperti-nyala-api", "menyala", "nyala", "nyala-api", "nyala-api;", "oleh-nyala-api", "sebagai-nyala-api", "yang-bernyala-nyala"]·IT["[ובלהבה]", "[ולהבה]", "[להבה]", "[להבת]", "e-fiamma", "fiamma"]·jav["lan-déning-urubing-latu", "lan-kados-urubing-latu", "lan-urubing-geni", "lan-urubing-latu", "murub", "urub-urub", "urubing", "urubing-geni", "urubing-latu"]·JA["炎"]·KO["그리고-불꽃-이", "그리고-불꽃이", "그리고-에-불꽃과", "불꽃-을", "불꽃-이", "불꽃-처럼", "불꽃들-을", "불꽃의", "불꽃이", "불꽃이라", "화염-에", "화염-의", "화염의", "화염이-되어"]·mar["ज्वाळा।"]·mya["မီးလှံ"]·nld["vlam"]·nor["flamme"]·pnb["لاٹ"]·pol["płomieniem"]·PT["a-chama", "chama", "chama-de", "de-chama", "de-labaredas", "e-chama", "e-como-a-chama", "e-pela-chama", "labaredas", "para-chama"]·ron["flacără,"]·RU["и-как-пламя", "и-от-пламени", "и-пламя", "пламена", "пламенем", "пламенеющего", "пламени", "пламенный", "пламя", "погаснет"]·ES["de-llamas", "llama", "llama-de", "llamas-de", "llameante", "por-llama", "y-como-llama", "y-llama", "y-por-llama"]·SW["miali", "miali-ya", "mwali", "mwali-wa", "mwali-wa-moto", "na-kama-mwali", "na-kwa-moto", "na-mwali", "na-mwali-wa-moto", "wa-miali"]·swe["låga"]·tam["ஜுவாலை"]·tel["జ్వాల"]·tgl["liyab"]·TH["เปลวไฟ"]·TR["alev", "alev-icin", "alevde", "alevi", "alevin", "alevler", "alevlerini", "alevli", "ve-alev", "ve-alev-gibi", "ve-alevler", "ve-be-alevle"]·ukr["полум'ям"]·urd["اور-جیسے-شعلہ", "اور-سے-آگ", "اور-شعلہ", "اور-شعلے-نے", "بھڑکتی", "شعلوں", "شعلہ", "شعلہ-کی", "شعلے", "شعلے-میں", "شعلے-نے", "شعلے-کی", "شعلے-کے", "شعلے-کے-لیے"]·VI["ngọn-lửa"]·yor["ọ̀wọ́-iná,"]·yue["火焰"]·ZH["火焰"]
2. blade of a weapon — The gleaming blade of a weapon, a metaphorical extension from the flash and shimmer of flame to the bright surface of polished metal. This sense appears only in 1 Samuel 17:7, describing the shaft or blade of Goliath's spear. English 'blade' and Spanish 'hoja' (leaf/blade) both reflect the conceptual leap from fire to metallic flash — a semantic development attested across many languages where 'flame' and 'blade' share a visual metaphor of bright, cutting light. 1×
AR["وَ-سِنَانُ"]·ben["এবং-ফলক"]·DE["und-blade-von"]·EN["and-blade-of"]·FR["et-blade-de"]·heb["ו-להבת"]·HI["और-फल"]·ID["dan-mata"]·IT["e-blade-di"]·jav["lan-mata-tumbak"]·KO["그리고-날"]·PT["e-ponta-de"]·RU["и-остриё"]·ES["y-hoja-de"]·SW["na-ncha"]·TR["ve-temren"]·urd["اور-پھل"]
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
† לֶהָבָה n.f. id.;—ל׳ Nu 21:28 + 13 times, לַהֶ֫בֶת cstr. 1 S 17:7; Ez 21:3; לַבַּת Ex 3:2 (= לַהְבַּת; Sam. להבת, v. Di); pl. לֶהָבוֹת ψ 105:32; cstr. לַהֲבוֹת ψ 29:7;— 1. flame, poet. (‖ or + אֵשׁ, except ψ 29:7 Dn 11:33); of fire consuming (לָהַט) Dathan, etc. ψ 106:18 (cf. Nu 16:35); wasting (לָהַט) mts. 83:15; consuming (אָכַל, בָּעֵר) chaff (in sim.) Is 5:24; of lightning (with hail) אשׁ…