Lexical Summary
malben: Brick, brick mold
Original Word:מַלְבֵּן
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:malben
Pronunciation:mal-BEN
Phonetic Spelling:(mal-bane')
KJV: brickkiln
NASB:brick, brick mold, brickkiln
Word Origin:[fromH3835 (לָבַן - To be white) (denominative)]
1. a brick-kiln
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
brick kiln
Fromlaban (denominative); a brick-kiln -- brickkiln.
see HEBREWlaban
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
labanDefinitiona brick mold, quadrangle
NASB Translationbrick (1), brick mold (1), brickkiln (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
;
(on meaningbrick-mould, and figurative somethingrectangular, see HoffmZAW 1882, 53-72 Dr2Samuel 12:31, compare Late Hebrew ; Arabic
; Syriac
); —
brick-mould,2 Samuel 12:31 Qr (Kt, by error, ),Nahum 3:14.
quadrangle,Jeremiah 43:9 (at Tahpanhes).
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Basic Senseמַלְבֵּן (malben) denotes the brick-mold, brick-kiln, or brick-pavement—the prepared place in which clay is shaped, dried, or set into a permanent structural form. It speaks to the human labor of construction, the technology of empire building, and the vulnerability of man-made strength before the purposes of the LORD.
Occurrences in Scripture
1.2 Samuel 12:31 – David subjects the captured Ammonites to forced labor “at the brick kilns.”
2.Jeremiah 43:9 – Jeremiah hides stones “in the mortar of the brick pavement” at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes as a sign of Babylon’s coming domination.
3.Nahum 3:14 – Nineveh is taunted to “repair the brick mold” in a futile attempt to withstand divine judgment.
Historical Background
Bricks were a hallmark of Near-Eastern urbanization. Sun-dried or kiln-baked, they allowed the rapid expansion of city walls, palaces, and temples. Military powers conscripted subjugated peoples to this labor, branding brick production as both a symbol and tool of oppression (compareExodus 1:14). Malben, therefore, evokes scenes of coerced service under human monarchs contrasted with the covenant freedom intended by Israel’s God.
Symbolism and Theological Themes
1. Human Might vs. Divine Sovereignty – In each text malben is tied to nations boasting in fortifications—Ammon, Egypt, Assyria—yet all three are shown powerless before divine decree.
2. Forced Labor and Judgment – Brick-making imagery recalls Israel’s bondage in Egypt; its reappearance in David’s conquest (2 Samuel 12:31) serves as a sober reminder that even Israel’s king must rule justly or face the prophet’s rebuke (2 Samuel 12:9-12).
3. Prophetic Sign-Acts – Jeremiah’s burial of stones in a brick pavement dramatizes the LORD planting Nebuchadnezzar’s throne on Egyptian soil. The immovable stones within human masonry declare that God’s word stands inside and above political structures.
4. Futility of Self-Strength – Nahum’s satire exposes the absurdity of Assyria’s reliance on brickwork when “the fire will consume you” (Nahum 3:15). Human defenses, no matter how industrious, cannot avert divine retribution.
Practical Ministry Applications
• Warning against Oppressive Leadership – Malben reminds leaders that exploiting others for national or personal projects incurs divine displeasure.
• Call to Dependence on God – Congregations tempted to trust in programs, buildings, or budgets are urged to anchor confidence in Christ, “the tested stone” (Isaiah 28:16), rather than their own brick and mortar.
• Illustrating Discipleship – As clay is pressed into a mold, believers are to be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29), willingly rather than by coercion. The Spirit shapes what human tyranny distorts.
Typological and Prophetic Resonance
The motif anticipates the gospel contrast between Babel’s bricks and Christ’s living temple. Where ancient kings stamped their subjects into uniform blocks, Jesus builds His church of “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5). The malben scenes foreshadow a kingdom not established by forced labor but by sacrificial love.
Related Passages for Study
Exodus 1:11-14;Genesis 11:3-4;Isaiah 19:19;Isaiah 28:16;Matthew 16:18;1 Peter 2:4-6.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּמַּלְבֵּ֔ן בַּמַּלְבֵּ֔ן במלבן מַלְבֵּֽן׃ מלבן׃ bam·mal·bên bammalBen bammalbên mal·bên malBen malbên
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