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
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)
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…