H3961 H3961
Aramaic noun meaning tongue or language, used in Daniel to denote linguistic groups among the nations
An Aramaic noun cognate to Hebrew lashon, used exclusively in the book of Daniel in the recurring formula 'peoples, nations, and languages.' Rather than referring to the physical organ, it consistently denotes a spoken language or the linguistic community that speaks it. The repeated pairing with 'peoples' and 'nations' underscores the universality of Nebuchadnezzar's and later Darius's decrees. Spanish 'lengua' and English 'language' both capture the metaphorical extension from physical tongue to spoken idiom.
Senses
1. tongue / language (Aramaic) — A tongue in the sense of a spoken language or linguistic group, appearing in the stock Aramaic formula 'peoples, nations, and languages' (Dan 3:4, 7, 29; 4:1; 5:19; 6:25; 7:14). The word never refers to the physical organ in its biblical attestations; it always denotes a language community. The Syriac cognate confirms this semantic range, and multilingual renderings (Spanish 'lenguas,' German 'Sprache') uniformly select the 'language' sense over the anatomical one. 7×
AR["وَ-الأَلْسِنَةُ", "وَ-الأَلْسِنَةِ", "وَ-الْأَلْسِنَةِ", "وَ-لِسَانٍ"]·ben["এবং-ভাষা", "এবং-ভাষাদের", "এবং-ভাষারা"]·DE["und-Sprache", "und-Sprachen"]·EN["and-language", "and-languages"]·FR["et-langue"]·heb["ו-לשון", "ו-לשונות"]·HI["और-भाषा", "और-भाषाएँ", "और-भाषाएं", "और-भाषाओं"]·ID["dan-bahasa", "dan-bahasa-bahasa"]·IT["e-lingua", "e-lingue"]·jav["lan-basa", "lan-basa-basa", "lan-para-basa"]·KO["과-언어들-에게", "그리고-언어가", "그리고-언어들-에게", "그리고-언어들-이", "그리고-언어들아", "그리고-언어들이"]·PT["e-as-línguas", "e-língua", "e-línguas"]·RU["и-язык", "и-языкам", "и-языки"]·ES["y-las-lenguas", "y-lengua", "y-lenguas"]·SW["na-lugha"]·TR["ve-dil", "ve-diller", "ve-dillere"]·urd["اور-زبان", "اور-زبانوں", "اور-زبانوں-نے", "اور-زبانوں-کو", "اور-زبانیں"]
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
† לִשָּׁן n.m. Dn 3:7 tongue (𝔗 Syriac; v. BH לָשׁוֹן, √ לשׁן);—tongue = language, fig. for people: abs. עַם אֻמָּה וְל׳ Dn 3:29; pl. emph. ע׳ א׳ וְלִשָּׁנַיָּא v 4, 7, 31; 5:19; 6:26; 7:14 (cf. BH לָשׁוֹן 2, Is 66:18).