H3897 H3897
To lick or lick up; used of animals consuming and of nations humbled to 'lick the dust.'
A verb meaning to lick or lick up, used both of literal animal consumption and as a powerful metaphor for humiliation and submission. Balak fears Israel will 'lick up' the surrounding land as an ox licks up grass (Num 22:4), and Elijah's altar sacrifice is dramatically validated when fire from heaven 'licked up' the water in the trench (1 Kgs 18:38). The expression 'lick the dust' becomes a prophetic idiom for abject submission: desert tribes shall bow before the Messianic king and his enemies shall lick the dust (Ps 72:9), kings and queens shall bow with faces to the earth (Isa 49:23), and nations shall crawl like serpents licking dust (Mic 7:17).
Senses
1. lick, lick up — To lick or lick up, used both literally and figuratively. Literally: an ox licking up grass as a metaphor for Israel consuming Moab's territory (Num 22:4), and fire from heaven licking up the water around Elijah's altar (1 Kgs 18:38). Figuratively: the idiom 'lick the dust' (aphar) expresses total humiliation and submission before a conqueror -- enemies of the Messianic king shall lick dust (Ps 72:9), nations shall bow with faces to the ground and lick dust (Isa 49:23), and peoples shall crawl from their strongholds like serpents licking earth (Mic 7:17). Spanish lamer and the Arabic cognate lahika both preserve this concrete, visceral image of abject submission. 6×
AR["كَ-لَحْسِ", "لَحَسَتْ", "يَلْحَسونَ", "يَلْحَسُ", "يَلْحَسُونَ"]·ben["চাটবে", "চাটবে।", "চাটার-মত", "চেটে-ফেলল।", "তারা-চাটবে", "তারা-চেটে-নেবে"]·DE["[ילחכו]", "licked-hinauf", "wie-licks-hinauf", "wird-lick", "wird-lick-hinauf"]·EN["They-will-lick", "as-licks-up", "licked-up", "they-will-lick", "will-lick", "will-lick-up"]·FR["[ילחכו]", "comme-licks-en-haut", "fera-lick-en-haut", "licked-en-haut", "lécher"]·heb["ילחכו", "כ-כלחך", "ליחכה"]·HI["चाटा", "चाटेंगे", "चाटेगी", "जैसे-चाटता-है", "वे-चाटेंगे"]·ID["Mereka-akan-menjilat", "akan-menjilat", "dijilat", "mereka-akan-menjilat", "seperti-menjilat"]·IT["[ילחכו]", "come-licks-su", "fara-lick-su", "leccò-su"]·jav["badhé-dilat", "badhé-ndilat", "badhé-sami-ndilati", "dipunilat", "kados-ndilati"]·KO["처럼-할키는-것-의", "할키-것이다", "핥았다", "핥으리라", "핥으리이다", "핵으리라"]·PT["Lamerão", "como-lamber-de", "laberão", "lambeu", "lamerão", "lamão"]·RU["Будут-лизать", "будут-лизать", "да-лижут", "как-слизывает", "лизнул", "слижет"]·ES["Lamerán", "como-lame", "lamerá", "lamerán", "lamió"]·SW["kama-kuramba-kwa", "uliyaramba", "watalamba", "wataramba"]·TR["Yalayacaklar", "yaladı", "yaladığı-gibi-", "yalasınlar", "yalayacak", "yalayacaklar"]·urd["جیسے-چاٹتا-ہے", "چاٹ-جائے-گی", "چاٹ-گئی", "چاٹیں-گے"]
Related Senses
H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)H5337 1. deliver, rescue, save (Hifil) (188×)H7901 1. lie down, rest, sleep (183×)G1525 1. enter a place physically (179×)H7812 1. prostrate oneself, bow down, worship (173×)H3318 2. Hifil: bring out, lead out, take out (persons) (172×)H7725 2. to bring back, restore (Hifil) (151×)H5674a 2. Qal: cross over (134×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [לָחַךְ] vb. lick (NH id.; so Aramaic לְחַךְ, ܠܚܰܟ; Arabic لَحِكَ );— Qal Inf. cstr. כִּלְחֹךְ Nu 22:4 (E), sq. acc.; of ox licking up grass. Pi. Pf. 3 fs. לִחֵ֑כָה 1 K 18:38; Impf. 3 mpl. יְלַחֲכוּ Nu 22:4; Mi 7:17; יְלַחֵ֑כוּ ψ 72:9 Is 49:23; lick up (sq. acc.), fire from heaven the water in trench 1 K 18:38; of Isr. consuming produce of land Nu 22:3 (E); especially ל׳ עָפָר lick the dust, sign of humiliation Mi 7:17 ψ 72:9 Is 49:23.