Lexical Summary
luach: Tablet, board, plank
Original Word:לוּח
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:luwach
Pronunciation:loo'-akh
Phonetic Spelling:(loo'-akh)
KJV: board, plate, table
NASB:tablets, planks, tablet, plates
Word Origin:[from a primitive root]
1. probably meaning to glisten
2. a tablet (as polished), of stone, wood or metal
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
board, plate, table
Or luach {loo'-akh}; from a primitive root; probably meaning to glisten; a tablet (as polished), of stone, wood or metal -- board, plate, table.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitiona tablet, board or plank, a plate
NASB Translationplanks (4), plates (1), tablet (4), tablets (34).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew
id., Aramaic ,
; Arabic
; (modern pronunciation
lûµ, lôµ, compare e.g. Spiro
Arab.-Eng. Vocab. Buhl), Ethiopic
, but Assyrian
li±û (as if from ) in Dl
HWB 366; see, however,
lêjum (lêyum) Jäger
BAS i, 486); — absolute
Isaiah 30:8; construct
Proverbs 3:3 4t.; dual
Ezekiel 27:5; plural (, ) absolute
Exodus 32:16 17t.; construct
Deuteronomy 4:13 16t.; —
Exodus 24:12;Exodus 31:18b;Exodus 32:16 (twice in verse);Exodus 32:19 (all E),Exodus 34:1 (3 t. in verse);Exodus 34:4 (twice in verse);Exodus 34:28 (all J),Deuteronomy 4:13;Deuteronomy 5:19;Deuteronomy 9:9,10,11,17;Deuteronomy 10:1,2(twice in verse);Deuteronomy 10:3 (twice in verse);Deuteronomy 10:4,5;1 Kings 8:9; 2Chronicles 5:10;Exodus 31:18a;Exodus 32:15; compareExodus 34:29 (all P);Deuteronomy 9:9,11,15; tablet for writing prophecyIsaiah 30:8 "" ,Habakkuk 2:2, and figurative, b>Proverbs 3:3;Proverbs 7:3 (for writing wise counsel), compareJeremiah 17:1 (inscribing sin of Judah); (verb mostlyExodus 31:18b;Exodus 32:15;Deuteronomy 9:10;Exodus 34:1,28;Deuteronomy 4:13;Deuteronomy 5:19;Deuteronomy 10:2,4;Proverbs 3:3;Proverbs 7:3;Isaiah 30:8;Jeremiah 17:1; followed by accusativeDeuteronomy 9:9 compare1 Kings 8:9 2Chronicles 5:10;Exodus 32:16;Habakkuk 2:2).
boards, composing altar of tabernacleExodus 27:8;Exodus 38:7;planks composing ship (figurative of Tyre)Ezekiel 27:5; cf,Songs 8:9, of door.
(metal)plates on bases of lavers in Solomon's temple1 Kings 7:36.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and ScopeThe noun לֻחַ (luach) denotes a flat surface fashioned for writing or construction. Scripture applies the term both to the covenant “tablets” of stone received by Moses and to wooden “boards” or planks used in sacred or secular structures. Approximately forty-three occurrences span the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets, creating a unified testimony to God’s self-revelation, covenant order, and call to internalize His word.
Covenantal Tablets at Sinai
1. Origin and divine authorship
Exodus 31:18 records, “He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.” The phrase underscores direct, unmediated revelation.Exodus 24:12 links the tablets to “law and commandment, which I have written.”
2. Witness and safekeeping
The tablets are repeatedly styled “the tablets of the covenant” (Deuteronomy 9:11, 9:15) or “tablets of the Testimony” (Exodus 32:15), emphasizing their legal status as a perpetual witness between YHWH and Israel. After the replacement set is hewn (Exodus 34:1-4) God again inscribes His words, then commands their placement in the Ark (Deuteronomy 10:1-5).
3. Symbolic scenes
• Breaking the tablets (Exodus 32:19;Deuteronomy 9:17) dramatizes Israel’s breach of covenant.
• The renewed tablets (Deuteronomy 10:1-5) signal divine mercy and covenant continuity.
•Deuteronomy 5:22 stresses verbal consistency: “He added no more.” The fixed text underlines Scripture’s sufficiency.
Boards and Planks in Cultic Construction
When the bronze altar is built, it is made “hollow with boards” (Exodus 27:8; echoed inExodus 38:7). The same term appears for planks in Ezekiel’s lament over Tyre’s ships: “They fashioned all your planks of juniper from Senir” (Ezekiel 27:5). Here luach supplies imagery of structure and stability, paralleling its covenantal function—God’s word forms the framework of true worship.
Wisdom and Prophetic Usage
1. Inscription on the heart
Proverbs 3:3; 7:3 urge, “Write them on the tablet of your heart,” transferring the locus of revelation from stone to the inner life.
2. Warning of hardened sin
Jeremiah 17:1 reverses the image: sin itself is “engraved…on the tablet of their hearts,” revealing obstinate rebellion.
3. Public proclamation
Habakkuk 2:2: “Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.” The prophetic message must be both permanent and accessible.
4. Historical memorials
Isaiah 30:8 commands Isaiah to record a witness “on a tablet,” ensuring accountability for future generations.
Theology of Inscription
• Permanence: Stone signifies unalterable authority; God’s words are not subject to revision (Deuteronomy 4:2).
• Mediation: Moses acts as covenant mediator, yet the divine “finger” guards inspiration.
• Internalization: The movement from external stone to internal heart anticipates the New Covenant promise (Jeremiah 31:33) and is echoed in2 Corinthians 3:3.
Christological and Practical Ministry Applications
1. Spirit-written hearts
Paul employs the imagery: “not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3). The Spirit accomplishes what Sinai pictured—law and grace joined in Christ.
2. Preaching and discipleship
Ministers write truth upon hearers’ hearts through Scripture-saturated proclamation, trusting the Spirit to engrave.
3. Catechesis and family worship
Like ancient Israel storing the tablets in the Ark, families safeguard God’s word at the center of home life (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
4. Cultural engagement
Habakkuk’s command to make the vision plain invites clear, accessible communication of biblical truth in every era.
Intertextual Links
•Exodus 24–34 andDeuteronomy 4–10 present the foundational narrative.
• Proverbs and Jeremiah develop the metaphor of the heart.
•Isaiah 30,Habakkuk 2, andEzekiel 27 broaden the vocabulary to public testimony and craftsmanship.
• The Greek term πλάξ (plax) in2 Corinthians 3:3 connects the Old and New Testaments, preserving the luach idea in apostolic teaching.
Historical Background
Ancient Near Eastern treaties often included inscribed tablets stored before a deity; Israel’s tablets fit this milieu yet are unique in divine authorship. Stone durability ensured covenant longevity, while placement within the Ark—beneath the atoning cover—foreshadowed mercy triumphing over judgment.
Modern Ministry Implications
1. Uphold Scripture’s written form as God’s authoritative, preserved revelation.
2. Pursue heart transformation through the gospel, not mere external conformity.
3. Employ visible reminders—Scripture art, memorial stones, liturgical readings—to press truth upon memory.
4. Anchor ethical exhortations in the unbroken continuity between Sinai’s tablets and the Spirit’s present work, demonstrating that grace fulfills, not nullifies, divine law.
Thus the luach motifs converge to proclaim an unchanging, covenant-making God who both inscribes His standards and supplies the grace to obey them, culminating in Christ and the Spirit’s heart-work in the people of God.
Forms and Transliterations
הַלֻּח֑וֹת הַלֻּח֔וֹת הַלֻּחֹ֔ת הַלֻּחֹ֖ת הַלֻּחֹ֗ת הַלֻּחֹ֜ת הַלֻּחֹ֥ת הַלֻּחֹֽת׃ הַלֻּחֹת֙ הלחות הלחת הלחת׃ וְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת והלחת ל֛וּחַ ל֣וּחַ ל֥וּחַ לֻֽחֹתָ֑יִם לֻח֣וֹת לֻח֥וֹת לֻחֹ֖ת לֻחֹ֗ת לֻחֹ֣ת לֻחֹ֤ת לֻחֹ֥ת לֻחֹ֨ת לוּחֹ֣ת לוּחֹ֤ת לוח לוחת לחות לחת לחתים hal·lu·ḥō·wṯ hal·lu·ḥōṯ halluChot halluḥōṯ halluḥōwṯ lū·aḥ lu·ḥō·ṯā·yim lu·ḥō·wṯ lu·ḥōṯ lū·ḥōṯ Luach lūaḥ luChot luchoTayim luḥōṯ lūḥōṯ luḥōṯāyim luḥōwṯ veHalluChot wə·hal·lu·ḥōṯ wəhalluḥōṯ
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