לַעֲנָה
la.a.nah (H3939)
wormwood
AI Word Study
The Hebrew word לַעֲנָה (la.a.nah) has a short, yet evocative definition: "wormwood." Given its semantic domain, "Construction & Crafts," it's likely that la.a.nah is not just referring to a type of plant, but rather a material or tool used in construction. In fact, the Bible mentions la.a.nah eight times, suggesting that it had some significance in ancient Jewish culture. The range of its usage includes a variety of contexts, from describing the taste of bitter waters (Exodus 15:23) to possibly alluding to something toxic or unpleasant. This diverse range implies that la.a.nah may have had a broader meaning or connotation beyond its literal translation. The significance of la.a.nah lies in its ability to evoke strong emotional responses in the hearer or reader, from bitterness and revulsion to perhaps even a sense of unease or danger. The frequency with which la.a.nah appears in the Bible underscores its importance, but we must look beyond the definition of wormwood to understand its true weight and impact. Its use in various contexts suggests a complex symbol or metaphor that went beyond the straightforward meaning of a substance.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
lest there should be among you man, woman, family, or tribe whose heart turns away today from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that produces bitter poison;
but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.
Therefore Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.
Therefore Yahweh of Armies says concerning the prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink poisoned water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”
He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth:
Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness;