H3956 H3956
Tongue; the physical organ of speech, and by extension language, a tongue-shaped bay of the sea, or a bar/wedge of gold
In its most basic sense, lashon refers to the physical tongue in the mouth, but Hebrew employs this word across a remarkable semantic range. The tongue is the instrument of both blessing and cursing, eloquence and deceit (Ps 34:13, Job 5:21). By natural metonymy it comes to mean an entire language or speech, as when Genesis 10 catalogs the nations 'according to their tongues.' The same shape-metaphor extends to geography -- a tongue-shaped bay of the Dead Sea (Josh 15:2) -- and even to objects, as in the famous 'tongue of gold' Achan coveted at Jericho (Josh 7:21). Arabic lisan and Aramaic lishan preserve the same primary sense across Semitic.
4. bar, tongue-shaped wedge — A tongue-shaped solid object, specifically a bar or wedge of precious metal. Both occurrences describe the 'tongue of gold' Achan took from Jericho (Josh 7:21, 24). The shape metaphor is transparent: Korean 혀 모양 ('tongue-shape') captures the logic, while Swahili kipande ('piece, bar') moves to the material rather than the shape. 2×
AR["لِسانِ","وَ-لِسانَ"]·ben["এবং-একটি-জিভ","জিভ"]·DE["der-bar-von","und-ein-bar-von"]·EN["and-a-bar-of","the-bar-of"]·FR["et-un-bar-de","le-bar-de"]·heb["ו-לשון","לשון"]·HI["और-जीभ","जीभ"]·ID["batang","dan-batang"]·IT["e-un-bar-di","il-bar-di"]·jav["batangan","lan-batangan"]·KO["그리고-혀-모양을","혀-모양의"]·PT["e-língua-de","língua-de"]·RU["и-слиток","слиток"]·ES["lengua-de","y-lengua-de"]·SW["kipande-cha","na-kipande-cha"]·TR["dilini","ve-dil"]·urd["اور-زبان","زبان"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. tongue, physical organ of speech — The literal organ in the mouth, extended figuratively as the instrument of speech -- praise, prayer, slander, and cunning all operate through it. Exodus 4:10 records Moses protesting he is 'heavy of tongue,' while 2 Samuel 23:2 places God's word upon David's tongue. Arabic لِسَان and Ethiopic ልሳን share this primary meaning across Semitic, and virtually every target language (Korean 혀, Swahili ulimi, Hindi जीभ) renders it with the basic anatomical term. 98×
AR["بِلِسان","لِسانَ","لِسانُ","لِسانُ-","لِسانِ","لِسَانًا","لِسَانٌ","لِسَانٍ","لِسَانَ","لِسَانُ","لِسَانِ","يَا-لِسَانَ"]·ben["জিভ","জিহ্বা","জিহ্বা-","জিহ্বাকে","জিহ্বার"]·DE["Zunge","Zunge-","der-Zunge","der-Zunge-","ein-Zunge-"]·EN["O-tongue-of","a-tongue","a-tongue-of","is-a-tongue-of","is-the-tongue-of","the-tongue","the-tongue-of","tongue","tongue-of"]·FR["langue"]·heb["לשון","לשון-"]·HI["जीभ","जीभ-","जीभ-की","जीभ-को"]·ID["Lidah","lidah","oleh-lidah"]·IT["lingua"]·jav["ilat","ilat-saking","kados","lan-nyurak"]·KO["혀-","혀-가","혀-는","혀-를","혀-여","혀-의","혀가","혀는","혀는-","혀를","혀이","혀이니라","혈를"]·PT["Língua-de","Língua-de-","a-língua","com-língua","língua","língua-de","ó-língua","ó-língua-de"]·RU["язык","язык-","языка","языком","языку"]·ES["Lengua-de","Lengua-de-","con-lengua-de","la-lengua","la-lengua-de","lengua","lengua-de"]·SW["ghuba","ni-ulimi-wa","ulimi","ulimi-wa"]·TR["dil","dil-","dile-","dili","dili-","dilini","dilini-","dilinin","diliyle"]·urd["زبان","زبان-","زبان-سے","لپٹ"]
2. language, speech of a people — By metonymy the tongue stands for the language a people speaks, appearing characteristically in the Table of Nations (Gen 10:5, 20, 31) and in Esther's decree sent to each province 'according to its tongue' (Esth 1:22). Spanish lengua, French langue, and German Zunge all preserve this same organ-to-language shift, confirming a near-universal cognitive path. 14×
AR["أَلْسِنَةِ","بِ-أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ","بِ-لِسَانِهِ","كَ-لِسَانِ","كَ-لِسَانِهِ","لُغَتَهَا","وَ-بِـ-لِسَانٍ","وَ-كَ-لُغَةِ","وَ-كَ-لِسَانِهِمْ","وَالْأَلْسِنَةِ"]·ben["-এবং-ভাষা","-ভাষায়","আর-ভাষার-অনুসারে","ও-তাদের-ভাষা-অনুসারে","ও-ভাষায়-","তাদের-ভাষায়","তার-ভাষা","তার-ভাষা-অনুসারে","তার-ভাষায়","ভাষার"]·DE["Zunge","nach-ihren-Sprachen","nach-seiner-Sprache","sein-language","und-Zunge","und-in-Zunge","und-wie-Zunge","wie-Zunge"]·EN["according-to-his-language","according-to-its-language","according-to-language-of","according-to-their-languages","and-according-to-their-language","and-as-language-of","and-the-tongues","and-with-another","its-language","tongues-of"]·FR["et-dans-langue","et-langue","langue","selon-leurs-langues","selon-sa-langue","son-language"]·heb["ו-ב-לשון","ו-ה-לשונות","ו-כ-לשון","ו-כ-לשון-ם","כ-לשון","כ-לשון-ו","ל-לשון-ו","ל-לשון-ם","לשונו","לשונות"]·HI["अपनी-भाशा-मेइन","अपनी-भाशाओन-मेइन","उनकी-अपनी-भाषा-में","उनकी-भाषा-में","और-भाषा-में","और-भाषाओं-को","और-से-भाषा","परन्तु-बोलते-थे-भाषा-के-अनुसार","भाषा-उसकी","भाषा-उसकी।","भाषा-में","भाषाओं"]·ID["bahasa","bahasanya","dan-bahasa-bahasa","dan-dengan-bahasa","dan-menurut-bahasa","dan-menurut-bahasanya","menurut-bahasa","menurut-bahasa-bahasa-mereka","menurut-bahasanya"]·IT["e-in-lingua","e-lingua","lingua","secondo-a-loro-languages","secondo-a-suo-language","suo-language"]·jav["basa","basa-nipun","basanipun","lan-basa","lan-kalayan-basa","lan-miturut-basa","lan-miturut-basa-nipun","miturut-basa","miturut-basa-basanipun","miturut-basa-nipun","miturut-basanipun"]·KO["그-언어를","그들의-언어들대로","그리고-그-언어들을","그리고-대로-그들의-언어로","그리고-에-따라-언어","그리고-에-혀로","그의-언어대로","그의-언어를","대로-그들의-언어로","방언의","처럼-언어"]·PT["conforme-língua-de","conforme-língua-sua","e-as-línguas","e-com-língua","e-conforme-língua-de","e-conforme-língua-sua","línguas-das","para-língua-dele","para-línguas-deles","sua-língua"]·RU["и-hа-языки","и-по-языку","и-по-языку-их","и-языком","по-языкам-их","по-языку-его","по-языку-своему","язык-его","языка-его","языков","языком","языком-его"]·ES["conforme-a-su-lengua","lenguas-de","según-lengua-de","según-su-lengua","según-sus-lenguas","su-lengua","y-como-lengua-de","y-conforme-a-su-lengua","y-en-lengua","y-las-lenguas"]·SW["kama-lugha-ya","kwa-lugha-yake","kwa-lugha-zao","la-mfalme","lugha-yake","lugha-zote-za","mwanaume","na-kama-lugha-yao","na-kwa-Wayahudi","na-kwa-lugha","na-kwa-lugha-ya","na-lugha"]·TR["dilinde-","diline-göre","diline-göre-","dilini","dilini-onun","dillerinden-","dillerine-göre","ve-diline-göre","ve-diliyle","ve-dilleri","ve-dillerine-göre-"]·urd["اس-کی-زبان-میں","اور-ان-کی-زبان-میں","اور-زبان-سے","اور-زبان-کے-موافق","اور-زبانوں","زبان","زبان-اُس-کی","زبان-اپنی-کے-مطابق","زبانوں","زبانوں-اپنی-کے-مطابق","میں-زبان"]
3. bay, tongue of the sea — A tongue-shaped geographic feature, specifically a bay or inlet of the sea. All three occurrences appear in boundary descriptions in Joshua (15:2, 15:5, 18:19), referring to the southern tongue of the Dead Sea. Hindi खाड़ी ('bay') and Swahili ghuba ('gulf') render this as a distinct topographic term rather than a body part. 3×
AR["اللِّسانِ","لِسانِ","مِنْ-لِسانِ"]·ben["কাছে-","জিহ্বা","জিহ্বা-থেকে"]·DE["der-tongue","tongue-von","von-tongue-von"]·EN["from-tongue-of","the-tongue","tongue-of"]·FR["de-tongue-de","le-tongue","tongue-de"]·heb["ה-לשון","לשון","מ-לשון"]·HI["खाड़ी","खाड़ी-से","जीभ"]·ID["dari-teluk","teluk"]·IT["da-lingua-di","il-lingua","lingua-di"]·jav["pucuk","saking-pucuk"]·KO["그-혀에서","에서-혀에서","혀"]·PT["a-língua","de-língua-de","língua-de"]·RU["от-языка","языка","языку"]·ES["desde-la-lengua-de","la-lengua","la-lengua-de"]·SW["ghuba","ghuba-ya","kutoka-ghuba-ya"]·TR["dil","dilinden","diline"]·urd["زبان","زبان-سے","کھاڑی"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† לָשׁוֹן n.m. Jos 7:21 and (more often) f. Is 28:11 tongue (NH id.; also Assyrian lišânu; Arabic لِسَانٌ; Ethiopic ልሳn; Aramaic לִשָּׁן, לִיּשָּׁן, ܠܶܫܳܢܳܐ (all li-); Zinj. לשן DHMSendsch. 59);—abs. ל׳ Ex 4:10 +; הַלָּשֹׁן Jos 15:2; cstr. לְשׁוֹן Jos 7:21 +; sf. לְשׁוֹנִי 2 S 23:2; לְשֹׁנוֹ Ex 11:7 + 2 times; לְשׁוֹנוֹ Ju 7:5; Est 1:22; לְשׁוֹנְךָ ψ 34:14; לְשׁוֹנְכֶם Is 59:3, etc.; pl.…