Hebrew word · H3914

לֹיָה

veloyot

wreath

A wreath, garland or festoon, perhaps a spiral or twisted band. It occurs only in 1 Kgs 7:29, 30, 36. It is linked to the root lavah, "to join, attach", and to livyah, "garland" (Prov 1:9; 4:9).

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) wreath, garland

1a) meaning uncertain

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 1 Kings 7:36

Range of meaning

A wreath, garland or festoon, perhaps a spiral or twisted band. It occurs only in 1 Kgs 7:29, 30, 36. It is linked to the root lavah, "to join, attach", and to livyah, "garland" (Prov 1:9; 4:9).

Against the English

KJV and YLT "additions" reflect the root meaning "to join" but suggest extra attachments rather than an ornamental border. "Wreaths" (BSB, WEB and most modern versions) is better.

Used elsewhere in the period

In 7:29 the same wreaths are called "hammered" or "hanging" work (maʿaseh morad), and they hang below the lions and oxen. Twisted-rope and garland borders are standard on Cypriot and Levantine bronze stands of the late second millennium BC.

Where it appears

1 Kings · 3

  1. 1 Kings 7:29 לֹי֖וֹת garlands

    and on the panels between the uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beveled work.

    Here: Decorative bands, probably related to a verb meaning 'join' or 'twine'. They were looped or twisted ornaments like the garland borders common in Phoenician and Cypriot metalwork. The word appears only in this chapter (7:29, 30, 36).

  2. 1 Kings 7:30 לֹיֽוֹת׃ garlands

    Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with wreaths at each side.

  3. 1 Kings 7:36 וְלֹי֖וֹת and garlands

    He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around.

    Here: "And wreaths": twisted or garland-like bands framing the figures. The word is related to the root "to join, twist" and to livyah, the "garland" of Proverbs 1:9 and 4:9.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.