Original Word: לָהַט
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: lahat
Pronunciation: lah-hat
Phonetic Spelling: (law-hat')
KJV: burn (up), set on fire, flaming, kindle
NASB: burns, aflame, breathe forth fire, burned, consumed, flaming, kindles
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to lick
2. (by implication) to blaze

burn up, set on fire, flaming, kindle

A primitive root; properly, to lick, i.e. (by implication) to blaze -- burn (up), set on fire, flaming, kindle.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to blaze up, flame
NASB Translation
aflame (1), breathe forth fire (1), burned (1), burns (2), consumed (1), flaming (1), kindles (1), set him aflame (1), set them ablaze (1), sets on fire (1), sets the on fire (1).

[לָהַט] verb blaze up, flame (Late Hebrew id.; Syriac ; Assyrian la±âtu, in derived forms); —

Qal Participle active אֵשׁ לֹהֵט Psalm 104:4 a flaming fire (so Bae; אֵשׁ וָלַהַט Bi Che, compare Ol), made into ׳יs servants; plural לֹהֲטִים Psalm 57:5 (figurative of enemies, compare לְבָאִם v^a).

Pi`el Perfect3feminine singular וְלִהַט Malachi 3:19; 3feminine singular לִהֲטָה Joel 1:19; Imperfect3feminine singular תְּלַהֵט Joel 2:3 4t.; וַתְּלַהֵט Deuteronomy 32:22; suffix וַתְּלַהֲטֵהוּ Isaiah 42:25; — set ablaze, usually with accusative; — foundation of mountains, Deuteronomy 32:22 (subject אֵשׁ figurative, of ׳יs judgement, "" קָדַח, יָקַד, אָכַל), compare הָרִים ׳תְּל Psalm 83:15 (in simile, subject לֶהָבָה; "" כְּאֵשׁ תִּבְעַריָֿ֑עַר; of flame (לֶהָבָה); consuming trees Joel 1:19 ( of effects of drought; "" אֵשׁ אָֽכְלָה); persons Malachi 3:19 (subject הַיּוֺם הַבָּא "" בָּעַר); compare Psalm 97:3 (subject אֵשׁ), Psalm 106:18 (subject לֶהָבָה "" וַתִּבְעַרֿ אֵשׁ; hyperb of ׳יs wrath (אַמּוֺ וֱעֶזוּז מִלְחָמָה חֵמָה) consuming Jacob Isaiah 42:25; of crocodile (hyperb.), נַפְשׁוֺ גֶּחָלִים תְלַהֵ֑ט Job 41:13 his breath setteth coals ablaze; absolute Joel 2:3, figurative of devastation by locusts (subject לֶהָבָה; "" אָֽכְלָה אֵשׁ).

The Motif of Consuming Flame

The verb לָהַט depicts the fierce, licking advance of fire. It is never a tame hearth-flame; it is wildfire that seizes, devours, and leaves nothing unaffected. In every occurrence Scripture ties this blaze to the presence, judgment, or sovereignty of God, thereby turning a common ancient-Near-Eastern danger into a theological signpost.

Occurrences in Canonical Setting

1. Deuteronomy 32:22 inaugurates the word with Yahweh’s covenant lawsuit: “For fire has kindled in My wrath… it consumes the earth and its produce”. The consuming flame is God’s righteous response to apostasy.
2. Job 41:21 transfers the image to the mythical Leviathan: “His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames pour from his mouth”. The creature embodies untamable power before which humanity is helpless, underscoring the supremacy of the Creator whose wrath can ignite even sea monsters.
3. Five Psalms (Psalm 57:4; 83:14; 97:3; 104:4; 106:18) display לָהַט both literally and metaphorically:
• Psalm 97:3 links it to the theophany: “Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side.”
• Psalm 104:4 highlights ministerial purpose—heavenly messengers become “flames of fire,” servants who execute His will.
• Psalm 57:4 and Psalm 83:14 place the flame on enemies’ tongues and advancing armies, showing that human hostility mirrors the devouring nature of sin.
• Psalm 106:18 recalls Korah’s rebellion, when divine fire “blazed among their assembly.”
4. Isaiah 42:25 portrays national judgment: Judah is “enveloped… in flames, yet [they] did not understand.” The failure to perceive chastening fire warns every generation against spiritual dullness.
5. Joel twice (Joel 1:19; 2:3) uses לָהַט for locust devastation and for the eschatological army whose front devours like Eden-destroying flame.
6. Malachi 4:1 closes the Old Testament with the climactic furnace: the Day of the Lord will “set them ablaze… so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”

Theological Themes

• Divine Judgment: Every usage except Psalm 104:4 is overtly punitive or threatening. לָהַט dramatizes the moral order of the universe—sin draws fire.
• Divine Presence: The fire in Psalm 97:3 and Psalm 104:4 is not merely destructive; it also purifies and serves. Thus the same flame that consumes rebels commissions angelic messengers.
• Covenant Accountability: Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Malachi frame the word inside covenant structures. Israel’s unique privileges do not exempt her from the scorching consequences of disloyalty.
• Eschatological Warning and Hope: Joel and Malachi press לָהַט into service as an end-time alarm. The burning day will eradicate evil, clearing the ground for new creation (Malachi 4:2).

Historical and Literary Background

Ancient Near-Eastern literature often pictures gods with fiery breath or weapons, yet Scripture uniquely roots the flame in the holiness of one covenantal God. The Hebrew poets employ vivid parallelism—fire/laḥat paired with devour, blaze, consume—to reinforce inevitability. Prophets expand the motif, weaving it into national catastrophe and eschaton.

Ministry Implications

1. Preaching on Holiness: לָהַט reminds congregations that divine love is not sentimental; it is a blazing holiness that will not coexist with rebellion (Hebrews 12:29 echoes the same truth).
2. Discipleship and Purification: Believers are refined, not destroyed, by divine fire. The image can encourage self-examination and repentance (1 Peter 1:6-7).
3. Evangelistic Urgency: Malachi 4:1 places a furnace before every unbeliever. The gospel that rescues from wrath becomes more precious when the nature of that wrath is understood.
4. Worship and Awe: Psalm 104:4 invites reflection on the angelic host as “flames of fire,” fostering reverence for the majesty of heavenly worship.

Intertextual Connections

• Genesis 3:24 employs the cognate noun לַהַט for the flaming sword guarding Eden, forming an inclusio with Malachi 4:1: humanity’s exile begins and ends with consuming flame, resolved only in the Messiah who bears judgment (Isaiah 53:5).
• New Testament writers echo the imagery: “flaming fire” in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 and the lake of fire in Revelation 20:15 resonate with לָהַט’s Old Testament palette, affirming canonical continuity.

Summary

לָהַט encapsulates the holy, dynamic energy of God’s wrath and presence. It warns, purifies, and ultimately points to Christ, who both endures the fiery judgment of the cross and baptizes His people with the purging fire of the Spirit. Any faithful exposition of Scripture’s fire imagery must reckon with לָהַט’s relentless portrayal of a God who is light, life, and—when resisted—devouring flame.

וְלִהַ֨ט וַתְּלַהֲטֵ֤הוּ וַתְּלַהֵ֖ט וּתְלַהֵ֖ט ולהט ותלהט ותלהטהו לִהֲטָ֖ה לֹ֫הֲטִ֥ים לֹהֵֽט׃ להט׃ להטה להטים תְּלַהֵ֑ט תְּלַהֵ֣ט תְּלַהֵ֥ט תלהט li·hă·ṭāh lihaTah lihăṭāh lō·hă·ṭîm lō·hêṭ lohaTim lōhăṭîm loHet lōhêṭ tə·la·hêṭ telaHet təlahêṭ ū·ṯə·la·hêṭ utelaHet ūṯəlahêṭ vattelahaTehu vattelaHet veliHat wat·tə·la·hă·ṭê·hū wat·tə·la·hêṭ wattəlahăṭêhū wattəlahêṭ wə·li·haṭ wəlihaṭInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts