לָשׁוֹן
𐤋𐤔𐤅𐤍
lâshôwn
H3956 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The physical tongue, the muscular organ in the mouth of humans and animals used for tasting, licking, eating, and especially for speech; by extension, speech itself (spoken language), utterance, or the special mode or means by which communication occurs. In some contexts, refers to the concept of 'language' (as a spoken system used by a people), and, in rare cases, denotes something resembling a tongue in form, such as a flame, landform, or a metal ingot.
Semantic Range
tongue (organ of speech or taste), language (spoken system), speech, utterance, tongue-shaped object (e.g., flame, landform, metal ingot), bay or cove, manner of speaking, evil-speaking (as in 'evil tongue')
Root / Etymology
From the root לשן (ל-ש-ן), meaning primarily 'to use the tongue; to lick, to slander.' The noun לָשׁוֹן is structurally a basic noun formation indicating the organ or an extension of its function (speech). The root meaning of 'tongue' gives rise to derivative applications: human speech, language, and by analogy, things shaped like a tongue.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, לָשׁוֹן is used both literally, referring to the physical tongue of a human or animal, and figuratively. Its figurative uses include (1) 'speech'—general spoken communication; (2) 'language'—the distinct linguistic systems of different peoples (e.g., Genesis 10:5); (3) 'utterance'—emphasizing the act or character of speaking; and (4) metaphorical applications to describe (a) a flame's appearance ('tongue of fire'), (b) geographic features resembling a tongue, such as a 'bay' or 'cove' (Joshua 15:2), and (c) a bar or ingot of metal, likely because of its elongated, tapering shape. The use of לָשׁוֹן for 'language' anticipates later usage in post-biblical Hebrew and closely parallels the development found in other Semitic languages. Plural forms sometimes have specific, differentiated senses (e.g., tongues = languages; tongues = strips or promontories of land). In legal and wisdom contexts, references to 'evil tongue' (לשון הרע, lashon hara) develop the concept of damaging speech, a notion with broad influence in later tradition but already present in nascent form in biblical passages. English translations often capture the primary meanings ('tongue,' 'language'), but some secondary senses (especially 'bar,' 'bay') are lost or paraphrased. This term is distinct from related terms such as שָׂפָה (safah), which also means 'lip' or 'language,' with nuances of boundary, edge, or communicative vehicle, but לשון emphasizes the organ and act of speech itself. There is no evidence for usage of לָשׁוֹן to mean 'Jew' or a related ethnic designation in any biblical period.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or לָשֹׁן; also (in plural) feminine לְשֹׁנָה; from לָשַׁן; the tongue (of man or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figuratively (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water); [phrase] babbler, bay, [phrase] evil speaker, language, talker, tongue, wedge.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
לשן (l-sh-n) — to use the tongue, to speak, to lick, to slander
Word Forms
35 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3956-08 |
לְשׁ֣וֹן | leshon | HNcbsc |
tongue | tongue-of | 20 |
H3956-07 |
לָשׁ֖וֹן | lashon | HNcbsa |
tongue | tongue | 17 |
H3956-10 |
לְשׁוֹנָ֤/ם | leshonam | HNcbsc/Sp3mp |
their tongue | their tongue | 12 |
H3956-15 |
לְשֹׁנ֔/וֹ | leshono | HNcbsc/Sp3ms |
his tongue | his tongue | 8 |
H3956-14 |
לְשׁוֹנִֽ/י | leshoni | HNcbsc/Sp1cs |
my tongue | my tongue | 8 |
H3956-22 |
וּ/לְשׁ֨וֹן | uleshon | HC/Ncbsc |
and a wedge | and tongue-of | 5 |
H3956-23 |
וּ/לְשׁוֹנָ֖/ם | uleshonam | HC/Ncbsc/Sp3mp |
and their tongue | and their tongue | 4 |
H3956-27 |
וּ/לְשׁוֹנ֖/וֹ | uleshono | HC/Ncbsc/Sp3ms |
and his tongue | and his tongue | 4 |
H3956-02 |
בִּ/לְשֽׁוֹנִ/י | bileshoni | HR/Ncbsc/Sp1cs |
on my tongue | with my tongue | 3 |
H3956-06 |
כִּ/לְשׁוֹנ֑/וֹ | kileshono | HR/Ncbsc/Sp3ms |
according to its language | his tongue | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
117 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3956-18 |
Genesis 10:5 | לִ/לְשֹׁנ֑/וֹ | lileshono | HR/Ncbsc/Sp3ms |
according to his language | to his tongue |
H3956-19 |
Genesis 10:20 | לִ/לְשֹֽׁנֹתָ֑/ם | lileshonotam | HR/Ncbpc/Sp3mp |
according to their languages | their tongues |
H3956-19 |
Genesis 10:31 | לִ/לְשֹׁנֹתָ֑/ם | lileshonotam | HR/Ncbpc/Sp3mp |
according to their languages | their tongues |
H3956-07 |
Exodus 4:10 | לָשׁ֖וֹן | lashon | HNcbsa |
tongue | tongue |
H3956-15 |
Exodus 11:7 | לְשֹׁנ֔/וֹ | leshono | HNcbsc/Sp3ms |
his tongue | his tongue |
H3956-15 |
Deuteronomy 28:49 | לְשֹׁנֽ/וֹ | leshono | HNcbsc/Sp3ms |
its language | his tongue |
H3956-22 |
Joshua 7:21 | וּ/לְשׁ֨וֹן | uleshon | HC/Ncbsc |
and a wedge | and tongue-of |
H3956-08 |
Joshua 7:24 | לְשׁ֣וֹן | leshon | HNcbsc |
wedge | tongue-of |
H3956-15 |
Joshua 10:21 | לְשֹׁנֽ/וֹ | leshono | HNcbsc/Sp3ms |
his tongue | his tongue |
H3956-04 |
Joshua 15:2 | הַ/לָּשֹׁ֖ן | halashon | HTd/Ncbsa |
the bay | the tongue |