Word Study for H3907 (לָחַשׁ)

lâchash /law-khash'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto whisper; by implication, to mumble aspell (as a magician)

KJV usagecharmer, whisper (together).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of lâchash — 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 lâchash, represented by H3907, is a primitive root meaning to whisper. It appears only 3 times in 3 unique verses in the Bible. By implication, its meaning extends to mumbling a spell like a magician, and it can be translated as "charmer" or to "whisper (together)."

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The word H3907 is used in two distinct contexts. First, it describes secretive, conspiratorial speech between people. In Psalms 41:7, enemies whisper together as they devise a plan for harm. Similarly, in 2 Samuel 12:19, David's servants whispered among themselves about the death of his child, which David perceived. Second, it is used in the context of occultic practice, as in Psalms 58:5, which refers to a deaf adder that will not listen to the voice H6963 of charmers H3907.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the meaning of H3907 in its specific contexts:

H2266 châbar (to join... to fascinate; charmer): This word is used alongside H3907 in Psalms 58:5 to describe the act of enchanting, highlighting the magical dimension of whispering.
H2267 cheber (a society; also a spell; enchantment): Appearing with H2266 in Psalms 58:5, this word specifies the nature of the charmer's work as an "enchantment," linking the whispered sound to a magical spell.
H3162 yachad (a unit, i.e. (adverb) unitedly; together): This adverb is paired with H3907 in Psalms 41:7, emphasizing the unified, conspiratorial nature of those who "whisper together" against someone.
H2803 châshab (to plot or contrive... devise): In Psalms 41:7, this word immediately follows the act of whispering, revealing its purpose: to devise hurt against another.

Theological Significance

The uses of H3907 carry significant conceptual weight, illustrating the power of quiet or secret speech.

Conspiracy and Malice: The word is directly associated with malicious intent. Those who whisper together are identified as those who hate H8130 and are actively devising hurt H7451 Psalms 41:7. This connects secretive speech with destructive plotting.
Forbidden Enchantment: In Psalms 58:5, H3907 signifies the muttering of a magician or "charmer." This use points to a form of communication that is occultic and stands in opposition to hearkening to a divine voice H6963.
Secretive Communication: The whispering of David's servants in 2 Samuel 12:19, while not explicitly malicious, demonstrates the nature of speech intended to be kept from a specific person. David's ability to perceive their whispering shows that such secrets are not always kept.

Summary

In summary, H3907 lâchash is a rare but potent term. Though its core meaning is simply "to whisper," its biblical applications are charged with negativity. It describes either the secretive collaboration of enemies plotting harm or the forbidden, low muttering of a charmer casting a spell. In both cases, the word signifies a form of communication that operates in the shadows, whether for human conspiracy or occultic practice.

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 3 occurrences, inflected in 3 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.

יִתְלַחֲשׁוּ
מִתְלַחֲשִׁים
מְלַחֲשִׁים

Related Words

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.

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 3 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms (2 verses); never once in the other 37.

2 Samuel

Psalms

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.