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לָשַׁן

𐤋𐤔𐤍

lâshan

H3960 verb

SILEX Entry

Root לשן to use the tongue, to speak, to lick (root-level)

Definition

To slander, speak maliciously, or defame someone, particularly through false or harmful speech; to use the tongue in a negative, injurious manner. The verb denotes the action of delivering verbal attacks, false accusations, or disparaging remarks about an individual or group. Although from a root relating to the tongue, its biblical usage focuses on the negative social and legal consequences of such speech.

Semantic Range

to slander, to accuse falsely, to calumniate, to speak maliciously, to defame, to attack someone's reputation verbally

Root / Etymology

Root: לָשַׁן derives from לָשׁוֹן (lashon, 'tongue'), with the root ל־ש־ן meaning 'tongue, language.' The verb is a denominative formation, meaning it developed from the noun rather than from a broader verbal root. While the underlying sense is 'to use the tongue,' its Hebrew attestation is limited to the negative connotation of malicious or slanderous speech.

Historical & Contextual Notes

This verb is attested only a few times in biblical Hebrew and exclusively in the Piel stem, where it conveys the act of slandering or bringing accusations through the tongue. In its early biblical contexts, notably Psalms, it refers to socially damaging acts—spreading harmful speech, with legal, ethical, and communal implications. The verb itself does not occur with the ancestral sense of 'to lick' (despite the root’s possible basic sense); instead, its usage is restricted to the figurative, negative use of the tongue. In later Hebrew and post-biblical Jewish usage, 'lashon hara‘' (evil speech) develops into a key ethical concept, but that later nuance does not appear as a technical term in the Tanakh. English translations such as 'slander,' 'accuse,' or 'bear tales' generally capture the meaning but may not reflect the social gravity the act held in ancient Israelite law and custom. In contrast to related verbs for speaking (e.g., דִּבֵּר 'to speak,' אָמַר 'to say'), לָשַׁן specifically denotes harmful, calumniating action rather than neutral or positive speech.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to lick; but used only as a denominative from לָשׁוֹן; to wag the tongue, i.e. to calumniate; accuse, slander.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לשן (l-š-n) — tongue, use the tongue, speak, lick

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3956 לָשׁוֹן in tongue-of
H3961 לִשָּׁן and tongue

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3960-03 תַּלְשֵׁ֣ן taleshen HVhj2ms slander may you bring slander 1
H3960-01 מְלָשְׁנִ֬י melasheni HVmrmsc his neighbor malicious slanderer of 1
H3960-02 מלושני mlvshny HVmrmsc slanders slanderer of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3960-02 Psalms 101:5 מלושני mlvshny HVmrmsc slanders slanderer of
H3960-01 Psalms 101:5 מְלָשְׁנִ֬י melasheni HVmrmsc his neighbor malicious slanderer of
H3960-03 Proverbs 30:10 תַּלְשֵׁ֣ן taleshen HVhj2ms slander may you bring slander
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