What does לְבוֹנָה (lĕbwōnāh) mean in the Bible?
Frankincense is a named aromatic material used in specified offerings, withheld in another offering and described in prophetic or poetic settings. Exodus includes it in the prescribed incense mixture.
Hebrew · H3828
לְבוֹנָה
Frankincense is a named aromatic material used in specified offerings, withheld in another offering and described in prophetic or poetic settings. Exodus includes it in the prescribed incense mixture.
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לְבוֹנָהH3828
Pronunciationlĕbwōnāh
What does לְבוֹנָה (lĕbwōnāh) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for לְבוֹנָה (H3828) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3828?
The BSB source-word alignment has 21 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and frankincense (6), frankincense (5), the frankincense (3), of frankincense (2), is frankincense (1).
Where does לְבוֹנָה (lĕbwōnāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 30:34. Its strongest book concentrations include Leviticus (7), Isaiah (3), Jeremiah (3), Song Of Solomon (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Frankincense is a named aromatic material used in specified offerings, withheld in another offering and described in prophetic or poetic settings. Exodus includes it in the prescribed incense mixture. Leviticus requires it with a grain offering but excludes it from the poor person's sin offering in that passage. Jeremiah rejects the idea that imported frankincense can make disobedient worship acceptable.
Isaiah pictures nations bringing it while proclaiming the Lord's praise, and the Song names it among the beloved garden's aromatic growth. These uses do not give a scent independent power to cleanse, heal or secure divine acceptance. Read which offering or literary setting is present. A congregation should preserve the differences between prescribed inclusion, prescribed exclusion, rejected worship and poetic abundance rather than recommend an aroma as a spiritual technique or make access to costly material a measure of devotion.
How the Bible Uses It
Prescribed incense and grain offering differ from a sin offering that excludes frankincense, rejected worship, nations' praise and garden poetry. The material alone cannot determine acceptance or spiritual effect.
- Exod.30.34
The Lord also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,
Frankincense is one ingredient named in the prescribed incense mixture, whose following instructions restrict its use.
- Lev.2.1
“When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, his offering must consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it,
Frankincense accompanies the grain offering of fine flour and oil under the passage's stated instructions.
- Lev.5.11
But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.
The poor person's flour sin offering excludes oil and frankincense because of the specified offering type.
- Jer.6.20
What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”
The Lord rejects trust in imported frankincense while declaring the addressed offerings unacceptable in this rebuke.
- Isa.60.6
Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.
The announced arrivals bring gold and frankincense while proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
- Song.4.14
With nard and saffron, with calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of frankincense tree, with myrrh and aloes, with all the finest spices.
Frankincense trees are named among aromatics in the beloved garden's poetic description, not a treatment instruction.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itand frankincense6×Leviticus 2:15, Nehemiah 13:9, Song Of Solomon 3:6, Isaiah 60:6
frankincense5×Exodus 30:34, Leviticus 2:1, Leviticus 24:7, Numbers 5:15
the frankincense3×Leviticus 2:2, Leviticus 6:15, Nehemiah 13:5
of frankincense2×Song Of Solomon 4:6, Song Of Solomon 4:14
is frankincense1×Jeremiah 6:20
its frankincense1×Leviticus 2:16
or frankincense1×Leviticus 5:11
whoever offers frankincense1×Isaiah 66:3
you with frankincense1×Isaiah 43:23
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 30:34וּלְבֹנָ֣הtofrankincenseConjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singularLeviticus 2:1לְבֹנָֽה׃tofrankincenseNoun - feminine singularLeviticus 2:2לְבֹנָתָ֑הּtothe frankincenseNoun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singularLeviticus 2:15לְבֹנָ֑הtoand frankincenseNoun - feminine singularLeviticus 2:16לְבֹנָתָ֑הּtoits frankincenseNoun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singularLeviticus 5:11לְבֹנָ֔הtoor frankincenseNoun - feminine singularLeviticus 6:15הַלְּבֹנָ֔הtothe frankincenseArticle | Noun - feminine singularLeviticus 24:7לְבֹנָ֣הtofrankincenseNoun - feminine singularNumbers 5:15לְבֹנָ֔הtofrankincenseNoun - feminine singular1 Chronicles 9:29וְהַלְּבוֹנָ֖הtofrankincenseConjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowExodus 30:34
Aligned rows21
Books represented8
Exodus1Leviticus7Numbers11 Chronicles1Nehemiah2Song Of Solomon3Isaiah3Jeremiah3
Source forms
וּלְבוֹנָה֙2xū·lə·ḇō·w·nāhIsaiah 60:6, Jeremiah 41:5
לְבֹנָ֔ה2xlə·ḇō·nāhLeviticus 5:11, Numbers 5:15
לְבֹנָתָ֑הּ2xlə·ḇō·nā·ṯāhLeviticus 2:2, Leviticus 2:16
בִּלְבוֹנָֽה׃1xbil·ḇō·w·nāhIsaiah 43:23
הַלְּבוֹנָ֜ה1xhal·lə·ḇō·w·nāhNehemiah 13:5
הַלְּבוֹנָֽה׃1xhal·lə·ḇō·w·nāhSong Of Solomon 4:6
הַלְּבֹנָ֔ה1xhal·lə·ḇō·nāhLeviticus 6:15
וְהַלְּבוֹנָ֖ה1xwə·hal·lə·ḇō·w·nāh1 Chronicles 9:29
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular8xLeviticus 2:1, Leviticus 2:15, Leviticus 5:11, Leviticus 24:7
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular5xExodus 30:34, Song Of Solomon 3:6, Isaiah 60:6, Jeremiah 17:26
Article | Noun - feminine singular3xLeviticus 6:15, Nehemiah 13:5, Song Of Solomon 4:6
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular2x1 Chronicles 9:29, Nehemiah 13:9
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular2xLeviticus 2:2, Leviticus 2:16
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular1xIsaiah 43:23
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Examine worship through the passage's stated conduct rather than the cost or aroma of materials.
- Do not pressure people to purchase products as proof of devotion or a path to healing.
Avoid claiming...
- Frankincense cannot independently heal, cleanse guilt or guarantee divine acceptance through its biblical name.
- The material's occurrence cannot require a modern ritual purchase or turn garden poetry into a treatment instruction.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Aromatic resin burned in temple worship; symbolizes prayer's ascent and divine acceptance of offerings.
Source Gloss
frankincense (from its whiteness or perhaps that of its smoke)
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Aromatic resin burned in temple worship; symbolizes prayer's ascent and divine acceptance of offerings.
frankincense (from its whiteness or perhaps that of its smoke) BDB: frankincense Usage: (frank-) incense.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
לְבוֹנָה is built from this root:
Cross-Language Connections
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Frankincense is not a portable guarantee of holiness. Exodus names it within a prescribed mixture and restricts the mixture's use. Leviticus places it in a grain offering but deliberately excludes it, along with oil, from the flour sin offering available to a person who cannot afford the other provision. That difference matters more than a generalized symbolism of scent.
Jeremiah challenges imported frankincense when the addressed people refuse to listen and their offerings are unacceptable. Isaiah's vision joins the material with the arriving peoples' praise of the Lord, while the Song uses aromatic growth in its beloved garden poetry. Teaching should follow these stated purposes. A congregation can value worship and generosity while recognizing that costly objects cannot replace listening or right conduct.
It must not tell a person that buying an aroma will heal illness, cleanse guilt or provide privileged access to God, nor turn poetry into a pharmaceutical instruction.
Anchor passage
Jer.6.20
Doctrinal connections
- Exodus' frankincense ingredient belongs to the prescribed and restricted incense mixture.
- Leviticus includes frankincense in the specified grain offering with flour and oil.
- The poor person's flour sin offering deliberately excludes frankincense in its own instructions.
- Jeremiah's rebuke exposes offerings that cannot compensate for the addressed refusal to listen.
- Isaiah joins arriving gold and frankincense to the nations' proclamation of the Lord's praise.
- The Song's aromatic garden remains a poetic description of the beloved.
The noun names frankincense; offering instructions and literary setting supply its role. Twenty-one direct BSB tokens in twenty-one verses remain separate from canonical twenty-one; artifact transliteration is preserved without deriving spiritual efficacy, medical properties or compulsory modern rituals from a material name.
From Old to New Testament
Matthew 2:1-12 names frankincense among the gifts the visitors offer after seeing the child with Mary and bowing in worship. This is a canonical material comparison within the narrated encounter, not a claim that every earlier frankincense passage predicts one identical event or that the gift prescribes a modern healing practice.