Bible Word Study
לְבוֹנָה
Lᵉbôwnâh · Lebonah, a place in Palestine
לְבוֹנָה
Lebonah, a place in Palestine
Definition
Lebonah is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine, mentioned only once in the Old Testament. It is identified as a place north of Bethel and south of Shiloh, within the territory of Ephraim. The name itself is identical to the Hebrew word for 'frankincense' (H3828), suggesting the location may have been associated with the production or trade of this aromatic resin. Its sole biblical reference is in Judges 21:19, where it serves as a geographical marker in the narrative about the Benjaminites finding wives.
Biblical Usage
The word לְבוֹנָה (Lebonah) is used only once in the Old Testament, in Judges 21:19. It functions strictly as a place name, providing a specific location in the hill country of Ephraim. The context is the story following the civil war against the tribe of Benjamin, where the other tribes direct the surviving Benjaminite men to the annual festival at Shiloh, noting it is 'north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.' Its usage is purely geographical, with no symbolic or metaphorical application in the biblical text.
Etymology
The word לְבוֹנָה (Lebonah) as a place name is derived directly from the common noun לְבוֹנָה (lᵉbôwnâh, H3828), meaning 'frankincense.' This noun comes from the root לָבַן (lāḇan, H3835), meaning 'to be white,' referring to the white, milky color of fresh frankincense resin. The place was likely named for this substance, indicating it was either a source, a processing center, or a trade post for frankincense, a valuable aromatic used in worship and incense.
Semantic Range
As a place name identical to 'frankincense,' Lebonah's cultural context connects it to the ancient incense trade and ritual practices. Frankincense was a highly prized commodity used in religious ceremonies, anointing oils, and as a perfume. A town bearing this name would have been culturally understood as a significant location within the economic and possibly religious landscape of ancient Israel, associated with a sacred and valuable material. Its mention in Judges 21:19 relies on the original audience's familiarity with its general location. לְבוֹנָה (lᵉbôwnâh, H3828) — This is the common noun for 'frankincense,' the aromatic resin from which the place Lebonah derives its name.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]