🔼The name Lebaoth: Summary
- Meaning
- Lionesses
- Etymology
- From a plural of the noun לבי (lebi), lioness.
🔼The name Lebaoth in the Bible
The name Lebaoth occurs only once in the Bible. It's the name of a city that came to be situated in the territory allotted the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:32). The tribe of Simeon was assigned a number of cities in Judah to occupy, among which Beth-lebaoth (Joshua 19:6). Since a city named Beth-lebaoth isn't listed among the cities of Judah, scholars generally assume that Beth-lebaoth is the same as Lebaoth.
The Chronicler also lists the towns of Simeon but changes the names slightly for reasons we can now only guess at. No Lebaoth or Beth-lebaoth is mentioned in Chronicles but we do find a Beth-biri, which is probably again the same city.
🔼Etymology of the name Lebaoth
The name Lebaoth is a feminine plural of the noun לבי (lebi), meaning lioness:
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.
🔼Lebaoth meaning
The name Lebaoth means Lionesses.