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מַלְבּוּשׁ

𐤌𐤋𐤁𐤅𐤔

malbûwsh

H4403 noun

SILEX Entry

Root לבש to put on, to wear, to clothe

Definition

An item of clothing; an article of dress. More broadly, attire or apparel, especially as an outward covering worn on the body. Depending on context, may refer to a single garment or collectively to one's overall dress. Used both literally (physical clothing) and sometimes with symbolic connotations (e.g., status, honor).

Semantic Range

garment, article of clothing, clothing (collectively), attire, apparel, (poetically) symbolic clothing or covering, formal or notable dress

Root / Etymology

From the root לָבַשׁ (lavash), meaning 'to put on, wear, clothe oneself.' מַלְבּוּשׁ (malbûsh) is a noun formation typically indicating the thing which is put on — that is, the garment or clothing itself. The form follows a common pattern of noun derivation indicating result or product of an action.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מַלְבּוּשׁ appears primarily in poetry (e.g., Psalms, Isaiah, Job) and later biblical Hebrew. It is less frequently used than כֶּתֶנֶת (ketenet, tunic) or שִׂמְלָה (simlah, garment), which refer to specific items or types of clothing. The term highlights general clothing or attire rather than specific garments and can sometimes be used for formal or notable dress, such as priestly attire or metaphoric descriptions of divine glory. The concept of מַלְבּוּשׁ differs from that of לְבוּשׁ (lebush), which is more commonly used for actual garments in narrative and legal contexts. Later in Second Temple and post-biblical Hebrew, the term broadens further but retains the core meaning of clothing. In English translations, 'garment,' 'clothing,' or 'apparel' are all used, but sometimes do not fully capture the poetic or symbolic nuance in certain contexts. No developed religious or ethnic meaning is attached to the word itself.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or מַלְבֻּשׁ; from לָבַשׁ; a garment, or (collectively) clothing; apparel, raiment, vestment.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לבש (l-b-sh) — to put on, to wear, to clothe

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3830 לְבוּשׁ in garment of
H3831 לְבוּשׁ his garment
H3847 לָבַשׁ I will clothe
H3848 לְבַשׁ you will put on

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4403-05 וּ/מַלְבֻּֽשֵׁי/הֶם֙ umalebusheyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and their apparel and their garments 3
H4403-02 מַלְבּ֥וּשׁ malebush HNcmsa garments garment 2
H4403-01 הַ/מַּלְבּֽוּשׁ hamalebush HTd/Ncmsa the robes the garment 1
H4403-04 וּ/מַלְבּוּשֵׁ/ךְ֙ umalebushekhe HC/Ncmsc/Sp2fs and your clothing your garment 1
H4403-03 מַלְבּוּשַׁ֖/י malebushay HNcmpc/Sp1cs my raiment my garments 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4403-05 1 Kings 10:5 וּ/מַלְבֻּֽשֵׁי/הֶם֙ umalebusheyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and their apparel and their garments
H4403-01 2 Kings 10:22 הַ/מַּלְבּֽוּשׁ hamalebush HTd/Ncmsa the robes the garment
H4403-03 Isaiah 63:3 מַלְבּוּשַׁ֖/י malebushay HNcmpc/Sp1cs my raiment my garments
H4403-04 Ezekiel 16:13 וּ/מַלְבּוּשֵׁ/ךְ֙ umalebushekhe HC/Ncmsc/Sp2fs and your clothing your garment
H4403-02 Zephaniah 1:8 מַלְבּ֥וּשׁ malebush HNcmsa in apparel garment
H4403-02 Job 27:16 מַלְבּֽוּשׁ malebush HNcmsa garments garment
H4403-05 2 Chronicles 9:4 וּ/מַלְבּֽוּשֵׁי/הֶ֗ם umalebusheyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and their apparel and their garments
H4403-05 2 Chronicles 9:4 וּ/מַלְבּ֣וּשֵׁי/הֶ֔ם umalebusheyhem-2 HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and their apparel and their garments
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