H3888 H3888
To knead dough; working flour and water into a mass for baking bread.
A simple, concrete verb meaning to knead dough, appearing in domestic scenes of food preparation throughout the Hebrew Bible. Sarah kneads cakes for the three visitors at Mamre (Gen 18:6), the medium at Endor kneads bread for the exhausted Saul (1 Sam 28:24), and Tamar kneads dough before Amnon (2 Sam 13:8). The prophets employ it to indict false worship: women knead dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven (Jer 7:18), and Hosea compares corrupt Israel to a baker who ceases stirring 'from the kneading of the dough' (Hos 7:4). The cognates are remarkably stable across Semitic -- Aramaic, Syriac, and Ethiopic all preserve nearly identical forms.
Senses
1. knead (work dough) — To work flour and liquid into dough by hand for baking. Appears in hospitality narratives: Sarah kneading cakes for Abraham's angelic visitors (Gen 18:6), the medium at Endor preparing bread for Saul (1 Sam 28:24), and Tamar making cakes before Amnon (2 Sam 13:8). Hosea 7:4 uses the infinitive construct 'from the kneading of the dough' in a baker metaphor for Israel's corrupt ferment, while Jeremiah 7:18 condemns women kneading dough for pagan cakes offered to the Queen of Heaven. Spanish amasa and English 'kneaded' consistently render this straightforward culinary action. The verb's Semitic cognates (Aramaic lush, Syriac lash, Ethiopic lose) are remarkably uniform, reflecting a universal domestic activity. 6×
AR["(وَعَجَنَت)", "[وَعَجَنَت]", "اعْجِنِي", "مِن-عَجنِ", "وَعَجَنَتهُ", "يَعْجِنَّ"]·ben["(এবং-মাখল)", "[এবং-মাখল]", "এবং-মাখলেন", "মাখ", "মাখছে", "মাখা-"]·DE["[and-sie-kneaded]", "[לשות]", "[מלוש]", "knete", "und-kneaded"]·EN["[and-she-kneaded]", "and-kneaded", "and-she-kneaded", "are-kneading", "from-kneading", "knead"]·FR["[and-elle-kneaded]", "[לשות]", "et-elle-kneaded", "et-kneaded", "knead", "pétrir"]·heb["(ו-תלש)", "[כתיב]", "ו-לשה", "לושי", "לשות", "מ-לוש"]·HI["[और-गूंधा]", "और-गुन्दध", "और-गूंधा", "गुनध", "गूंधती-हैं", "गूंधने-से"]·ID["[dan-menguleni]", "dan-mengadoninya", "dan-menguleni", "dari-menguleni", "menguleni", "ramaslah"]·IT["[and-ella-kneaded]", "[לשות]", "[מלוש]", "e-ella-kneaded", "e-kneaded", "knead"]·jav["(lan-ngluluh)", "[lan-ngluluh]", "adonan", "lan-piyambakipun-nguli", "nguli", "ulena"]·KO["(그리고-떄다)", "그리고-떄다", "그리고-반죽하였다", "반죽임의", "반죽하고-있다", "반죽하여"]·PT["[e-amassou]", "amassa", "amassam", "de-amassar", "e-amassou"]·RU["[кетив]", "замеси", "и-замесила", "и-месила", "месят", "от-замешивания"]·ES["(y-amasó)", "[y-arrancó]", "amasa", "amasan", "desde-amasar", "y-amasó"]·SW["(na-akakanda)", "[na-akakanda]", "kanda", "kutoka-kukanda", "na-akaukanda", "wanakanda"]·TR["ve-yoğurdu", "yoğur", "yoğurmadan", "yoğuruyorlar"]·urd["[اور-گوندھا]", "اور-گوندھا", "گوندھ", "گوندھتی-ہیں", "گوندھنے-سے"]
Related Senses
H8081 1. oil (substance) (180×)H3196 1. wine (fermented grape juice) (141×)H1706 1. honey (54×)H4682 1. unleavened bread/cakes (53×)H2461 1. milk (42×)H8492 1. new wine / must (38×)H0400 1. food, nourishment (36×)G3631 1. wine (34×)H3978 1. food, nourishment (30×)H1314 1. spice / perfume / balsam (29×)H7416 1. pomegranate (fruit/ornament) (28×)H3323 1. fresh oil, olive oil (23×)H2964 1. prey, torn flesh (19×)H3899 2. food, sustenance (19×)G1033 1. food (17×)G5160 1. food (16×)H5561 1. spices, aromatic substances (16×)H0402 1. food, nourishment (14×)G2219 1. leaven (13×)H4478a 1. manna (13×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† לוּשׁ vb. knead (NH id.; Aramaic לוּשׁ, ܠܳܫ, Ethiopic ሎሠ: or ሎሰ: );— Qal Impf. 3 fs. וַּתָּ֫לָשׁ 1 S 28:24; 2 S 13:8 Qr (Kt ושׁ-); Imv. fs. ל֫וּשִׁי Gn 18:6; Inf. cstr. מִלּוּשׁ Ho 7:4; Pt. fpl. לָשׁוֹת Je 7:18;—knead (obj. not expr. = קֶמַח סֹלֶת) Gn 18:6 (J), cf. 1 S 28:24; obj. בָּצֵק dough Ho 7:4; Je 7:18 cf. 2 S 13:8.