Hebrew word · H3813
לָאַט
la'at
to cover
To wrap tightly, envelop, muffle. BDB treats it as a by-form of lut (H3874), 'to wrap, envelop'. That root describes Goliath's sword 'wrapped in a cloth' (1 Sam 21:9), Elijah who 'wrapped his face in his cloak' (1 Kgs 19:13), and the 'shroud' or 'covering' over all peoples (Isa 25:7).
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
(Qal) to cover
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of 2 Samuel 19:4
- Range of meaning
To wrap tightly, envelop, muffle. BDB treats it as a by-form of lut (H3874), 'to wrap, envelop'. That root describes Goliath's sword 'wrapped in a cloth' (1 Sam 21:9), Elijah who 'wrapped his face in his cloak' (1 Kgs 19:13), and the 'shroud' or 'covering' over all peoples (Isa 25:7). This exact form occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible.
- Against the English
'Covered' is accurate but mild. The root suggests wrapping or muffling, most likely with a garment drawn over the face and head. It is not just putting hands over the eyes.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Covering the head or face is a standard Israelite sign of mourning and shame. David climbs the Mount of Olives 'with his head covered' as he flees Absalom (2 Sam 15:30). Haman hurries home 'mourning and with his head covered' (Esth 6:12). Farmers in a drought 'are ashamed and cover their heads' (Jer 14:3–4). Ezekiel is told not to 'cover his lip' as a mourner would, as a sign (Ezek 24:17, 22).
Where it appears
2 Samuel · 1
-
2 Samuel 19:4 לָאַ֣ט he covered
But the king covered his face and cried out at the top of his voice, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Here: A rare verb, found only here, related to lut, 'to wrap tightly'. It pictures David wrapping or muffling his face, probably drawing his garment over it, a recognised gesture of mourning and of withdrawal from public view.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.