מְלוּנָה
𐤌𐤋𐤅𐤍𐤄
mᵉlûwnâh
H4412 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Temporary shelter, hut, or lodging intended for provisional habitation, especially one constructed for overnight or short-term stay in the open country. In biblical contexts, מְלוּנָה typically denotes a crude, hastily built structure used by laborers, watchmen, or travelers for protection against the elements or danger, distinct from permanent dwellings. The term can also refer to a booth-like shelter erected in fields, vineyards, or near city outskirts, generally for purposes of agricultural labor, seasonal residence, or temporary refuge.
Semantic Range
temporary shelter, hut, crude lodging, makeshift hut for laborers or watchmen, booth, shed; metaphor for isolation or vulnerability
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root לוּן (lun), meaning 'to lodge, spend the night, abide.' The form מְלוּנָה is a feminine noun formation, indicating a place associated with overnight stay or lodging. While the root pertains to the act of staying overnight, מְלוּנָה concretizes this as a physical structure where such lodging occurs.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, מְלוּנָה appears in contexts highlighting impermanence and vulnerability, particularly in poetic or prophetic passages (e.g., Isaiah 1:8), where it conveys the image of a makeshift hut in a cucumber or melon field. This sets it in contrast to more established forms of shelter such as בַּיִת (bayit, 'house') or אֹהֶל (ohel, 'tent'). In pre-exilic and monarchic usage, it often illustrates social or military realities—such as booths for field watchmen—or is employed metaphorically to emphasize desolation or transience (see Isaiah 1:8, 'like a lodge in a cucumber field'). In later periods, while the physical structures themselves may have faded from urban practice, the metaphorical sense endures. English translations ('cottage,' 'lodge,' 'hut') sometimes fail to capture the sense of precariousness and the distinction from more permanent rural or urban residences. There is no direct conceptual equivalent in modern Western societies, as the מְלוּנָה is distinct from both a house and a tent, reflecting a rough, potentially solitary, external shelter with implications of exposure and impermanence.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine from לוּן; a hut, a hammock; cottage, lodge.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
לון (l-w-n) — to lodge, spend the night, stop over temporarily
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3210 | יָלוֹן | and Yalon |
| H3885 | לוּן | I will lodge overnight |
| H4411 | מָלוֹן | in the lodging-place |
| H8519 | תְּלוּנָה | those lodging complaints |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4412-01 |
כַּ/מְּלוּנָ֑ה | kamelunah | HRd/Ncfsa |
like a hut | like a lodging-hut | 1 |
H4412-02 |
כִּ/מְלוּנָ֥ה | kimelunah | HR/Ncfsa |
like a lodge | like a lodging-hut | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4412-02 |
Isaiah 1:8 | כִּ/מְלוּנָ֥ה | kimelunah | HR/Ncfsa |
like a lodge | like a lodging-hut |
H4412-01 |
Isaiah 24:20 | כַּ/מְּלוּנָ֑ה | kamelunah | HRd/Ncfsa |
like a hut | like a lodging-hut |