Lexical Summary laban: White Original Word: לָבָן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance white Or (Gen. 49:12) laben {law-bane'}; from laban; white -- white. see HEBREW laban NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom laben Definition white NASB Translation white (24), white ones (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. לָבָן adjective white; — ׳ל absolute Genesis 30:35 13t.; construct לְבֶןֿ Genesis 49:12 (compare Ges§ 93, 2, R. 1 KöLgb ii, 74 BaNb 166); feminine לְבָנָה Leviticus 13:4 6t.; plural לְבָנִים Zechariah 1:8 3t.; לְבָנוֺת Genesis 30:37 2t.; — white, of wood under bark Genesis 30:37 (twice in verse) (compare Joel 1:7); of spots on goats Joel 1:35 (all J); of manna Exodus 16:31 (P); garments Ecclesiastes 9:8 (sign of cheerfulness and joy); of teeth וּלְבֶןשִֿׁנַּיִם מֵחָלָב Genesis 49:12 (poem in J; "" חַכְלִילִי עֵינַיִם מִיָּ֑יִן) of Judah (on interpretations see Di and, differently, Marc. JastrJBL xi. (1892), 128); of horses Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:3,6 (in vision); chfly. of diseased skin or flesh on body (בַּהֶרֶת Leviticus 13:4,19,24,25,26,38) Leviticus 13:4; Leviticus 13:10; Leviticus 13:13; Leviticus 13:16; Leviticus 13:17; Leviticus 13:19; Leviticus 13:24; Leviticus 13:38; and of hair on such spots Leviticus 13:3,4,10,20,21,25,26; + אֲדַמְדֶּ֫מֶת Leviticus 13:19,24,43; compare Leviticus 13:42; + כֵּהָה Leviticus 13:39 (all P). Topical Lexicon Essential Sense and Distribution לָבָן appears about twenty-nine times and consistently denotes the color “white” or “whiteness.” The occurrences fall into three main spheres—pastoral life in Genesis, the wilderness narrative in Exodus, and priestly legislation in Leviticus—giving the word pastoral, historical, and ritual dimensions. Pastoral and Familial Contexts (Genesis 30–31; 49:12) 1. Animal husbandry. Jacob repeatedly uses the presence or absence of לָבָן in the coats of sheep and goats to distinguish his wages from Laban’s flocks (Genesis 30:35, 37, 40; 31:8, 10, 12). The term identifies the streaked or spotted areas that marked God’s providential multiplication of Jacob’s portion. These texts root לָבָן in daily life, livestock economics, and patriarchal blessing, showing God’s involvement in ordinary affairs and covenant promises. Provision in the Wilderness (Exodus 16:31) “Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.” The pure color of manna reflects its heavenly source. לָבָן visually links the bread of God with ceremonial purity, anticipating later associations between white, holiness, and divine provision. Ritual Diagnosis and Community Health (Leviticus 13) Nearly two-thirds of the appearances occur in Leviticus 13, where לָבָן serves as a diagnostic term for skin disease: The same color can signify both contamination and restoration, depending on context. Scripture thereby trains Israel to discern holiness with precision, reinforcing that righteousness and uncleanness cannot coexist even when they look similar. Symbolic and Theological Significance 1. Purity. White garments, manna, and cleansed skin symbolize holiness. לָבָן participates in this motif, foreshadowing promises such as Isaiah 1:18 (“though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool”) where the root ל-ב-ן is used for divine cleansing. Christological Foreshadowing Manna’s whiteness anticipates Jesus, “the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32). The leprosy legislation, saturated with לָבָן, prefigures the cleansing ministry of Christ who touched lepers and remained undefiled (Mark 1:40–45). The final vision of the redeemed in “white robes” (Revelation 7:14) gathers up the Old Testament resonance of לָבָן, declaring that the Lamb has accomplished perfect purification. Practical Ministry Applications • Shepherding: God cares for vocational and economic matters, as seen in Jacob’s flocks. Believers can trust Him in business ethics and provision. In every appearance לָבָן points beyond mere color to the character of God—pure, faithful, and able to transform what is defiled into something radiant for His glory. Forms and Transliterations הַלָּבָ֔ן הלבן וְהַלְּבָנִ֔ים וּלְבֶן־ וּלְבָנִֽים׃ והלבנים ולבן־ ולבנים׃ לְבָנ֔וֹת לְבָנִ֑ים לְבָנָ֔ה לְבָנָ֣ה לְבָנָ֥ה לְבָנָ֨ה לְבָנָֽה׃ לְבָנָה֙ לְבָנֹ֑ת לְבָנֹֽת׃ לְלָבָ֑ן לָבָ֑ן לָבָ֔ן לָבָ֖ן לָבָ֗ן לָבָ֜ן לָבָ֣ן לָבָן֙ לבן לבנה לבנה׃ לבנות לבנים לבנת לבנת׃ ללבן hal·lā·ḇān hallāḇān hallaVan lā·ḇān lāḇān laVan lə·ḇā·nāh lə·ḇā·nîm lə·ḇā·nō·wṯ lə·ḇā·nōṯ lə·lā·ḇān ləḇānāh ləḇānîm ləḇānōṯ ləḇānōwṯ ləlāḇān lelaVan levaNah levaNim levaNot ū·lə·ḇā·nîm ū·lə·ḇen- ūləḇānîm ūləḇen- ulevaNim uleven vehallevaNim wə·hal·lə·ḇā·nîm wəhalləḇānîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 30:35 HEB: כֹּ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־ לָבָן֙ בּ֔וֹ וְכָל־ NAS: one with white in it, and all KJV: and spotted, [and] every one that had [some] white in it, and all the brown INT: every with white one the black Genesis 30:37 Genesis 30:37 Genesis 49:12 Exodus 16:31 Leviticus 13:3 Leviticus 13:4 Leviticus 13:4 Leviticus 13:10 Leviticus 13:10 Leviticus 13:13 Leviticus 13:16 Leviticus 13:17 Leviticus 13:19 Leviticus 13:19 Leviticus 13:20 Leviticus 13:21 Leviticus 13:24 Leviticus 13:24 Leviticus 13:25 Leviticus 13:26 Leviticus 13:38 Leviticus 13:39 Leviticus 13:42 Leviticus 13:43 29 Occurrences |
    |