לִהְלֵהַּ H3856b
act madly, behave as a madman (quadriliteral verb of mental disturbance)
This rare Hithpalpel participle describes someone acting like a madman or behaving in a deranged manner. The Syriac cognate means to confuse or stupefy. In Proverbs 26:18, it describes a person shooting deadly arrows while pretending to be joking—like a madman wielding dangerous weapons. Spanish "enloquecido" (maddened) captures the sense of one who has lost rational control. The quadriliteral root suggests an intensive or repetitive action.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Proverbs 26:18 compares the deceiver to "a madman shooting firebrands, arrows, and death." The Spanish "Como-enloquecido" (like one driven mad) emphasizes the dangerous unpredictability. This participial form functions as a substantive, describing the type of person rather than a single act, highlighting the ongoing danger of those who jest with serious harm. 1×
AR["كَ-مَجْنُونٍ"]·ben["পাগলের-মতো"]·DE["[כמתלהלה]"]·EN["like-a-madman"]·FR["comme-כמתלהלה"]·heb["כ-מתלהלה"]·HI["जैसा-पागल"]·ID["Seperti-orang-gila"]·IT["come-like-un-madman"]·jav["kados-tiyang-kang-édan"]·KO["같으니라-미친-자"]·PT["Como-louco"]·RU["как-безумный"]·ES["Como-enloquecido"]·SW["kama-mwendawazimu"]·TR["deli-gibi"]·urd["جیسے-پاگل"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
[לִהְלֵהַּ] vb.quadril. amaze, startle (cf. Syriac Palp. ܠܰܗܠܶܗ confudit, obstupefecit; Ethpalp. stupore percussus est; ܠܘܽܗܠܳܗܳܐ consternatio, all in Lexx., PS1891)— Hithpalp. Pt. מִתְלַהְלֵהַּ as subst. = madman, sq. הַיֹּרֶה זִקִּים Pr 26:18 (v. Now).