English · KJV
H3886

לוּעַ

lûwaʻ /loo'-ah/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root
Meaningto gulp; figuratively, to be rash
KJV usageswallow down (up).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of lûwaʻ — 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 lûwaʻ, represented by H3886, is a primitive root meaning to gulp or swallow down. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. Figuratively, its meaning extends to being rash or utterly consumed, indicating a complete and total action.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H3886 is used to convey a sense of being completely consumed or overwhelmed. The prophet Obadiah uses the term to describe the finality of God's judgment against the heathen, who will drink and then swallow down, ceasing to exist as if they had never been Obadiah 1:16. In a different context, Job expresses the depth of his personal suffering by stating his grief is so heavy that his words are swallowed up Job 6:3.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the action of being "swallowed up":

  • H8354 shâthâh (to imbibe (literally or figuratively); drink): This word is used in direct parallel with lûwaʻ in Obadiah, where the heathen are prophesied to first drink and then swallow down as part of their judgment Obadiah 1:16.
  • H3513 kâbad (to be heavy): Job connects the state of his words being "swallowed up" to the cause, which is that his grief is heavier than the sand of the sea Job 6:3.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H3886 is expressed through its two distinct applications:

  • Annihilating Judgment: The term is used in Obadiah to illustrate the totality of divine judgment. The action of swallowing down implies a final, irreversible consumption, leaving the wicked "as though they had not been" Obadiah 1:16.
  • Overwhelming Grief: Figuratively, lûwaʻ depicts a state of personal anguish so profound that it consumes one's ability to speak. Job's words are "swallowed up" by the sheer weight of his suffering, showing a consumption by sorrow rather than by judgment Job 6:3.

Summary

In summary, H3886 is a potent and descriptive word for being completely consumed. Though it appears only twice, its usage in scripture vividly portrays two different kinds of overwhelming experiences: the finality of divine judgment and the silencing weight of personal suffering. It demonstrates how a single action, swallowing, can be used to express both punitive and experiential finality.

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 a verb across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 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.

  • לָעוּ
  • לָעוּ

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H8354 שָׁתָה a primitive root; to imbibe (literally or figuratively); [idiom] assuredly, banquet, [idiom] certainly, drink(-er, -ing) H3513 כָּבַד or כָּבֵד; a primitive root; to be heavy, i.e. in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, r

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 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Job and Obadiah (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

1
Job
1
Obadiah

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.