כַֽ/לַּעֲנָ֑ה

𐤊/𐤋𐤏𐤍𐤄

laʻănâh

as wormwood

A bitter and potentially toxic herbaceous plant, specifically 'wormwood,' associated with intense bitterness in taste and by extension used metaphorically to signify bitter experiences, calamity, affliction, or judgment. The term laʿănâh is used both as a literal plant name and as a symbolic representation of severe hardship or moral/spiritual corruption.

H3939

Proverbs 5:4 · Word #3

Lexicon H3939

Lemmaלַעֲנָה
Lemma (Paleo)𐤋𐤏𐤍𐤄
Transliterationlaʻănâh
Strong'sH3939
DefinitionA bitter and potentially toxic herbaceous plant, specifically 'wormwood,' associated with intense bitterness in taste and by extension used metaphorically to signify bitter experiences, calamity, affliction, or judgment. The term laʿănâh is used both as a literal plant name and as a symbolic representation of severe hardship or moral/spiritual corruption.

Morphology HRd/Ncfsa All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender f — Feminine — Feminine
Number s — Singular — Singular
State a — Absolute — The noun stands independently

Common Translation

Phraseas wormwood

SIBI-P1 Translation H3939-01

wormwood

Morphological NotesNoun, feminine singular, absolute state.
Rendering RationaleThe noun לַעֲנָה denotes a specific bitter and potentially toxic plant, wormwood. Since the root is etymologically uncertain and not tied to an attested verbal stem, the most faithful root-aware rendering is the plant name itself in its singular form.

View full lexicon entry for H3939 →

SILEX v2

SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)

like wormwood

Same as P1No — adjusted for context
RationaleChanged 'wormwood' to 'like wormwood' to render the prepositional meaning ('as wormwood,' 'like wormwood'), matching the Hebrew preposition and the comparative context.