לַח (lach)
lach
fresh
H:AQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:A
Word Overview
The Hebrew adjective lach describes something that is moist, fresh, or new. It carries a sense of vitality and recentness, often applied to living things like plants that retain their juice, or to materials such as cords and sinews that are supple and strong rather than dried out or brittle.
This word appears in four verses across Genesis, Numbers, and Judges. In these contexts, it highlights the quality of freshness, whether referring to green vegetation or the sturdy condition of new ropes. The term emphasizes physical state and readiness, distinguishing what is alive and pliable from what is old and decayed.
Its usage underscores a tangible reality: freshness is not just an idea but a visible, tactile condition. By focusing on moisture and newness, lach paints a picture of things in their prime, full of potential and strength before wear sets in.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word lach points to that specific state of being moist, supple, and full of life. In the ancient world, a fresh rope or a green branch was not just visually appealing; it was functionally superior. It held strength and flexibility in a way that dried, brittle materials simply could not. This physical reality serves as a quiet reminder that vitality often comes from being connected to a source of life.
When we look at the story of Jacob or the tension surrounding Samson, we see how this freshness played out in real events. For Jacob, these fresh rods were tools in a larger narrative of provision. For Samson, their untamed strength was both his shield and his downfall. The word invites us to consider what keeps our own spirits pliable and ready, rather than hardened by weariness or old habits.
There is a gentle encouragement here for anyone feeling worn down. Just as fresh wood retains its juice and strength, we are invited to seek the sources that keep us spiritually moist and resilient. It is not about striving for perfection, but about remaining open to the vitality that sustains us through every season of life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- fresh3×
- freshly cut1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לַחִ֖ים2×
- לַחִ֥ים1×
- לַ֖ח1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 30:37
Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
This verse shows the word applied to tree rods used in a specific agricultural practice, highlighting their fresh, living state.
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Judges 16:7
Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
Samson identifies these green cords as uniquely capable of binding him because they have not yet dried and hardened.
-
Numbers 6:3
he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.
The Nazirite vow prohibits eating fresh grapes, distinguishing this moist state from dried fruit to maintain ritual separation.