🔼The name Lebanah: Summary
- Meaning
- White, Moon
- Etymology
- From the noun לבנה (lebanah), moon, from the verb לבן (laban), to be white.
🔼The name Lebanah in the Bible
There's only one man named Lebanah in the Bible. He is the patriarch of a family whose members were counted among the Nethinim (temple servants) who returned from the exile in Babylon (Ezra 2:45, Nehemiah 7:48).
🔼Etymology of the name Lebanah
The name Lebanah is the same as the noun לבנה (lebanah), meaning moon, from the verb לבן (laben), meaning to be or become white:
לב לבי כלב לבן להב
The unused verb לבב (labab) probably had to do with having, forming or using the emotional (animal) part of consciousness, in contrast to the rational and word-filled mind that is unique to humans. Nouns לבב (lebab) and לב (leb) both mean heart: the seat of one's sentiments, courage and resolve. The opposite of having a heart is being either ignorant, indifferent or cowardly, but a big heart that's not properly governed by a strong mind may cause more damage than good, and be the source of all sorts of foolish bravery, massive fear or whole-hearted zeal.
One of the few words for lion, namely לבי (lebi), strongly resembles an adjective that would mean "courageous". The Hebrew word for dog, namely כלב (keleb), could be construed as a compound of כל (kal), meaning all, plus the word לב (leb), heart or courage: all-heart, entirely courageous (but not very clever). Noun כלוב (kelub) describes a cage with birds or a basket with fruits, and is perhaps illustrative of the limited rational capacities of a dog who is otherwise "all heart".
Verb לבן (laben) means to be or become white in the sense of a blank slate, meaning that "all-heart" also implies "little rational wisdom" or even "little record of wrong doings". Noun לבנה (lebanah) describes the moon, which in turn signifies roused feelings and very little rational (or solar) enlightenment. Adjective לבן (laban) means white (i.e. blank, un-written upon: stupid). Nouns לבנה (lebonah) and לבונה (lebonah) describe frankincense. Noun לבנה (lebneh) describes the poplar. Noun לבנה (lebenah) means brick, and the denominative verb לבן (laban) means to make bricks.
The unused verb להב (lahab) probably meant to flame or burn. Nouns להב (lahab) and להבה (lehaba) mean flame, but also denoted the blade or a sword or tip of a spear.
🔼Lebanah meaning
For a meaning of the name Lebanah, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads White. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Moon. BDB Theological Dictionary does not interpret this name but does list it under the verb לבן (laben), meaning to be or become white.