Original Word: לָהֵן
Part of Speech: Conjunction
Transliteration: lawhen
Pronunciation: lah-hen
Phonetic Spelling: (law-hane')
KJV: but, except, save, therefore, wherefore
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H3860 (לָהֵן - therefore)]

1. therefore
2. also except

but, except, save, therefore, wherefore

(Aramaic) corresponding to lahen; therefore; also except -- but, except, save, therefore, wherefore.

see HEBREW lahen

Overview

Lāhēn is an adverb that links cause to effect. In Scripture it normally carries the sense of “therefore,” “for this reason,” or, in a question, “why then?” Although rare (nine occurrences), its placement is strategic, guiding the reader from established facts to the inevitable conclusion God wants acknowledged.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. Ezra 5:12 – The exiles explain to Persian officials why the first temple was destroyed and why reconstruction is warranted: “But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar…” The lāhēn frames divine judgment as the logical consequence of covenant violation.
2. Job 30:24 – Job protests that calamity should draw out compassion: “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand? Does he not cry for help in his destruction?” The interrogative lāhēn (“yet… why?”) exposes the friends’ lack of empathy.
3. Daniel 2:11 – The Chaldeans confess human limitation: “The thing the king requests is difficult, and there is no other who can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” Lāhēn introduces their conclusion that earthly wisdom cannot satisfy the king.
4. Daniel 2:30 – Daniel, by contrast, credits God: “As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than any other living man, but so that the interpretation may be made known to the king…” Lāhēn highlights the purpose of revelation—God’s glory, not Daniel’s merit.
5. Daniel 3:28 – Nebuchadnezzar exclaims after the fiery furnace deliverance, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants… therefore they violated the king’s command…” Lāhēn underscores the worshipers’ holy defiance as a reasonable response to God’s supremacy.
6. Daniel 4:27 – Daniel exhorts the king: “Therefore, may my counsel be pleasing to you: break away from your sins by doing what is right…” Here lāhēn drives the prophetic call to repentance.
7. Daniel 6:5; 6:7; 6:12 – Three occurrences in the lions’-den narrative tie accusation to decree and decree to punishment. The satraps reason, “We will never find any basis for complaint against this Daniel unless it is in connection with the law of his God… Therefore, O king, establish the injunction…,” and later, “Did you not sign an injunction…?” Lāhēn structures their legal case, setting up the contrast between earthly law and divine faithfulness.

Theological and Doctrinal Significance

1. Divine justice is rational, not arbitrary. Lāhēn reinforces that God’s actions flow from covenant principles (Ezra 5:12; Daniel 4:27).
2. Revelation demands response. When God explains His purposes (Daniel 2:30), the only logical reaction is humble obedience and worship.
3. Human limitations magnify divine sufficiency (Daniel 2:11). Lāhēn becomes the pivot between confession of inability and acknowledgment of God’s omniscience.
4. Suffering invites compassion (Job 30:24). The interrogative usage shows that withholding mercy defies common sense as well as divine expectation.
5. Civil disobedience is warranted when earthly decrees contradict God’s commands (Daniel 3:28; 6:5-12). The adverb marks the moral necessity of allegiance to God first.

Historical and Linguistic Insights

• Six of the nine occurrences are in the Aramaic sections of Daniel (chapters 2–7), two in Hebrew narrative (Ezra 5; Job 30), showing a shared Semitic rhetorical device across languages.
• In the Persian court accounts (Ezra and Daniel), lāhēn often introduces official statements, pleas, or royal edicts, mirroring legal terminology of the era.
• The word’s conciseness suits the courtroom and royal audience scenes, where precise reasoning was prized.

Ministry and Practical Application

• Preaching: Lāhēn encourages expositors to trace the “therefore” of every text—moving from doctrine to duty, from narrative to necessity.
• Counseling: Like Daniel, believers should frame counsel with a clear “therefore,” helping others see the inevitable outcomes of sin or obedience.
• Apologetics: The Chaldeans’ confession (Daniel 2:11) becomes a bridge to declare the insufficiency of human wisdom and the sufficiency of Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
• Compassion ministries: Job 30:24 reminds the church that need itself is a compelling “therefore” demanding action.

Christ-Centered Reflection

Jesus Christ embodies every “therefore.” Because the Father “so loved the world” (John 3:16), therefore the Son was given. Because the cross fully satisfied justice, therefore “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The sparse appearances of lāhēn foreshadow the New Testament’s abundant “therefores,” culminating in the call to present our bodies “as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1)—the only logical response to redeeming grace.

לָהֵ֕ן לָהֵ֖ן לָהֵ֗ן לָהֵ֣ן לָהֵן֙ לָהֶ֥ן להן lā·hen lā·hên laHen lāhen lāhênInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts