H3909 H3909
Secrecy, mystery: used adverbially as 'secretly, in secret'; of Egyptian magicians' 'secret arts' or enchantments.
The noun lat (also spelled la'at) means 'secrecy' or 'mystery' and occurs only with the preposition be- in two sharply different contexts. In three narrative passages it functions as an adverb meaning 'secretly, in stealth' — Jael approaching Sisera quietly to drive the tent-peg through his temple (Judg 4:21), Ruth slipping to the threshing floor unnoticed (Ruth 3:7), and Jonathan's men whispering to David on Saul's behalf (1 Sam 18:22; 24:4). Spanish en secreto, French secretement/en secret, and German heimlich all render this straightforwardly. But in Exodus, the same root takes on an entirely different coloring: the plural with suffix, belateihem, describes the 'secret arts' or 'enchantments' by which Pharaoh's magicians replicated Moses' signs (Exod 7:22; 8:7, 18). Spanish con sus encantamientos and French avec leur secret arts shift from stealth vocabulary to occult-magic vocabulary, confirming a genuine semantic split between human secrecy and supernatural mystery.
Senses
1. with their secret arts — Secret arts, enchantments, or occult mysteries — the hidden techniques by which the Egyptian magicians (chartummim) replicated or attempted to replicate the divine signs through Moses. All three occurrences appear in the Exodus plague narrative: they turned water to blood 'with their secret arts' (Exod 7:22), produced frogs 'with their secret arts' (Exod 8:7), but could not produce gnats 'with their secret arts' (Exod 8:18). The parallel expression belahateihem (Exod 7:11) uses a related noun from the root lahat ('flame, enchantment'), reinforcing the occult register. Spanish encantamientos and French secret arts capture the supernatural dimension. 3×
AR["بِسِحْرِهِمْ"]·ben["তাদের-গুপ্ত-কলায়", "তাদের-গুপ্ত-বিদ্যায়"]·DE["mit-ihr-secret-arts"]·EN["with-their-secret-arts"]·FR["avec-leur-secret-arts"]·heb["ב-לאטיהם", "ב-לטיהם"]·HI["अपने-जादू-से"]·ID["dengan-ilmu-gaib-mereka"]·IT["con-loro-secret-arts"]·jav["kanthi-sihir-ipun"]·KO["그들의-비법들로"]·PT["com-encantamentos-deles"]·RU["чарами-своими"]·ES["con-sus-encantamientos"]·SW["kwa-uchawi-wao"]·TR["gizli-sanatlarıyla"]·urd["چالوں-اپنی-سے"]
2. secretly — Secretly, in secret, by stealth — the adverbial use of ballat/balla'at describing covert human action. Three occurrences in narrative contexts where someone approaches or acts without being detected: Jael came to Sisera 'softly/secretly' with the tent-peg (Judg 4:21), Ruth came 'secretly' and uncovered Boaz's feet at the threshing floor (Ruth 3:7), and Saul's servants spoke 'secretly' to David about marrying the king's daughter (1 Sam 18:22; cf. 24:4). Spanish en secreto, French en secret/secretement, and German heimlich/in secret converge on ordinary stealth vocabulary, clearly distinct from the Exodus enchantment sense. 3×
AR["بِ-خُفْيَةٍ", "سِرًّا"]·ben["গোপনে", "চুপে-চুপে"]·DE["[בלט]", "in-secret", "secretly"]·EN["in-secret", "secretly"]·FR["dans-secret", "en-secret", "secrètement"]·heb["ב-לאט", "ב-לט"]·HI["चुपके", "चुपके-से"]·ID["dengan-diam-diam", "diam-diam", "secara-rahasia"]·IT["in-segreto", "secretly", "segretamente"]·jav["alon-alon", "ing-dhedhemitan", "kanthi-diam-diam"]·KO["남몰래", "에서-몰래", "은밀히-"]·PT["em-segredo"]·RU["тайно", "тихо"]·ES["en-secreto"]·SW["kimya-kimya", "kwa-siri"]·TR["gizlice"]·urd["چپکے-سے", "چھپ-کر۔", "چھپکے"]
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×)H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)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×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† לָט, לָאט n.[m.] secrecy, mystery;—abs. לָט 1 S 18:22 + 2 times, לָאט Ju 4:21; pl. sf. לָטֵיהֶם Ex 7:22 + 2 times; לַהֲטֵיהֶם Ex 7:11;—always c. בְ: 1. בַּלָּט = secretly 1 S 18:22; 24:5; Ru 3:7; so בַּלָּאט Ju 4:21. 2. בְּלָטֵיהֶם with their mysteries = enchantments (i.e. of חַרְטֻמֵּי מִצְרַיִם) Ex 7:22; 8:3, 14 = בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶם 7:11 (all P). S. p. 31 for לְאַט gently.