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H3867 · Hebrew · Old Testament
לָוָה
Lavah
Verb (Qal, Niphal, Hiphil)
Join / Lend / Borrow / Cling to

Definition

The Hebrew verb lavah has a range of meanings: to join or attach oneself to, to lend (in Hiphil), and to borrow (in Qal). The concept of joining or clinging together is its core sense, from which both financial (lending) and relational (joining) meanings derive.

Usage & Theological Significance

The covenant people of God are called to be joined to Him — the Levites' very name may derive from this root, symbolizing those who are attached to God's service. In Numbers 18:2, Aaron's tribe is to 'join' (lavah) the Levites in service. The financial aspect of lending is governed by the law's concern for the poor: 'You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow' (Deuteronomy 28:12) — a promise of blessing for obedience.

Key Bible Verses

Numbers 18:2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law.
Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.
Isaiah 56:3 Let no foreigner who is bound to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.' And let no eunuch complain, 'I am only a dry tree.' Let him join himself to the LORD.
Proverbs 22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
Genesis 29:34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, 'Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.' So he was named Levi — Attached.

Related Words

External Resources

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