Word Study for H3836 (לָבָן) | Strong's Concordance

lâbân /law-bawn'/ Ask about this word

Rootor (Genesis 49:12) לָבֵן · from לָבַן

Meaningwhite

KJV usagewhite.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of lâbân — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word lâbân, represented by H3836, is the word for white. It appears 29 times across 24 unique verses in the Bible. Its use is primarily as a literal descriptor of color, applied to a variety of objects including animals, food, clothing, and human skin, often in contexts of physical appearance and diagnosis.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H3836 is used in several distinct contexts. A significant portion of its occurrences is in Leviticus 13, where white spots, hair, or risings on the skin are key diagnostic signs for priests to identify leprosy Leviticus 13:3-4. It is used to describe the appearance of God's provision of manna, which was "like coriander seed, white" Exodus 16:31. The word also appears in Jacob's breeding of livestock, where he pilled white strakes in rods to influence the animals Genesis 30:37 and set aside goats with white in them Genesis 30:35. In prophetic visions, it describes the color of horses (Zechariah 1:8, Zechariah 6:3).

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide contrast and context to the color white:

H7838 shâchôr (black): This word serves as a direct color contrast to white. In Zechariah's vision, chariots are pulled by black horses and white horses, indicating distinct roles or forces Zechariah 6:6.
H1261 bârôd (grisled): Described as "spotted (as if with hail)," this term is used alongside white to describe the varied colors of the horses in Zechariah's prophetic vision Zechariah 6:3 and the coloration of Jacob's goats Genesis 31:10.
H3544 kêheh (somewhat dark, darkish): This term is used in Leviticus 13 to provide a crucial distinction. A spot that is "darkish white" is deemed a harmless freckled spot and declared clean, unlike a pure white spot that could signify leprosy Leviticus 13:39.

Theological Significance

The symbolic weight of H3836 is seen in its varied applications, moving from the physical to the representational.

Ritual Diagnosis: The color white is a central element in the Levitical laws for determining ritual cleanness or uncleanness. Its appearance in skin or hair is a critical sign for a priest's examination, though its meaning can be complex; a body turned entirely white from leprosy, for instance, is pronounced clean (Leviticus 13:13, Leviticus 13:17).
Divine Provision and Vision: Whiteness is associated with divine action. The manna from heaven was white Exodus 16:31, and white horses feature in the prophetic visions of Zechariah, representing agents moving through the earth Zechariah 6:6.
Joy and Blessing: In a poetic context, the word signifies blessing and vitality. One blessing states that teeth will be white with milk Genesis 49:12, and Ecclesiastes advises, "Let thy garments be always white," as a sign of joy and a life well-lived Ecclesiastes 9:8.

Summary

In summary, H3836 is a specific and literal term for the color white, but its importance in Scripture goes beyond simple description. It is a vital diagnostic tool in Old Testament law, a color associated with God's miraculous provision, an element in prophetic symbolism, and a metaphor for joy and vitality. From the skin of a leper to the horses in a vision, lâbân demonstrates how a simple color can carry significant physical and symbolic meaning.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as an adjective across 29 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

לָבָן
לְבָנָה
לְבָנִים
לְבָנֹת
לְבֶן

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 24 verses across 5 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Leviticus (16 verses); never once in the other 34.

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Ecclesiastes

Zechariah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.