לַעֲנָה (la.a.nah)
la.a.nah
wormwood
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun la’anah refers to the wormwood plant, a bitter herb known for its sharp, unpleasant taste. In Scripture, it appears six times, primarily in Lamentations, Amos, and Proverbs. The word carries a literal meaning but is most often used metaphorically to describe bitterness or suffering.
When applied to human experience, la’anah represents the harsh reality of divine judgment or personal anguish. For example, the prophet Amos uses it to depict the consequences of Israel’s disobedience (Amos 6:12), while Lamentations employs it to express the deep grief over Jerusalem’s destruction (Lamentations 3:15). In Proverbs, it serves as a warning against the destructive path of folly (Proverbs 5:4).
This word highlights how physical bitterness mirrors spiritual or emotional pain. It reminds readers that choices have consequences, and that wisdom leads to life while rebellion brings suffering. The imagery of wormwood underscores the seriousness of turning away from God’s ways.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word for wormwood in Hebrew carries a sharp, unpleasant taste that serves as a vivid picture of life’s bitterest moments. When Scripture uses this image, it is not speaking about a simple bad day, but rather the profound sorrow and spiritual dryness that comes from turning away from God’s wisdom. It reminds us that our choices have real consequences, and that rejecting truth leads to a harvest of pain rather than peace.
Yet this imagery also highlights the depth of human suffering. In Lamentations, the prophet describes being filled with wormwood after the destruction of Jerusalem, capturing a grief so deep it feels like poison in the soul. This honest expression of anguish shows us that God can hold our deepest pain without asking us to hide it. It is a reminder that even in our darkest seasons, our feelings are seen and known.
Ultimately, this word points us toward the need for divine wisdom. While folly leads to bitterness, walking with God offers a path of life and restoration. We do not have to face these bitter realities alone, for He invites us to seek His guidance before we find ourselves in places where justice has been turned into poison.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- wormwood3×
- into/ wormwood2×
- like <the>/ wormwood1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לַעֲנָֽה\׃\ \ס1×
- לַעֲנָ֥ה1×
- לַֽעֲנָ֔ה1×
- לְ/לַעֲנָֽה\׃1×
- לְ/לַעֲנָ֖ה1×
- כַֽ/לַּעֲנָ֑ה1×
Key Verses
-
Lamentations 3:15
He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
This verse uses the word to describe a personal experience of being filled with bitterness, showing how the term captures deep emotional anguish rather than just physical taste.
-
Amos 5:7
You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!
Here the metaphor is applied to social injustice, illustrating how corrupt leadership can twist what should be sweet and just into something harmful and bitter for the people.
-
Proverbs 5:4
but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.
The word warns that the end result of following a destructive path is not pleasure, but a sharp and painful bitterness that leaves one regretful.