מַלְבּוּשׁ
𐤌𐤋𐤁𐤅𐤔
malbûwsh
H4403 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An item of clothing; an article of dress. More broadly, attire or apparel, especially as an outward covering worn on the body. Depending on context, may refer to a single garment or collectively to one's overall dress. Used both literally (physical clothing) and sometimes with symbolic connotations (e.g., status, honor).
Semantic Range
garment, article of clothing, clothing (collectively), attire, apparel, (poetically) symbolic clothing or covering, formal or notable dress
Root / Etymology
From the root לָבַשׁ (lavash), meaning 'to put on, wear, clothe oneself.' מַלְבּוּשׁ (malbûsh) is a noun formation typically indicating the thing which is put on — that is, the garment or clothing itself. The form follows a common pattern of noun derivation indicating result or product of an action.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מַלְבּוּשׁ appears primarily in poetry (e.g., Psalms, Isaiah, Job) and later biblical Hebrew. It is less frequently used than כֶּתֶנֶת (ketenet, tunic) or שִׂמְלָה (simlah, garment), which refer to specific items or types of clothing. The term highlights general clothing or attire rather than specific garments and can sometimes be used for formal or notable dress, such as priestly attire or metaphoric descriptions of divine glory. The concept of מַלְבּוּשׁ differs from that of לְבוּשׁ (lebush), which is more commonly used for actual garments in narrative and legal contexts. Later in Second Temple and post-biblical Hebrew, the term broadens further but retains the core meaning of clothing. In English translations, 'garment,' 'clothing,' or 'apparel' are all used, but sometimes do not fully capture the poetic or symbolic nuance in certain contexts. No developed religious or ethnic meaning is attached to the word itself.
Translation Consistency
"Garment" is the most natural, concrete term that covers both a single article and, when pluralized, collective dress. It matches the typical Biblical usage and the SILEX range (garment/attire/apparel) better than more formal or archaic options like "apparel" or "raiment." It can be easily inflected (garment/garments) for context while keeping a consistent base form.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or מַלְבֻּשׁ; from לָבַשׁ; a garment, or (collectively) clothing; apparel, raiment, vestment.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
לבש (l-b-sh) — to put on, to wear, to clothe
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3830 | לְבוּשׁ | in garment of |
| H3831 | לְבוּשׁ | his garment |
| H3847 | לָבַשׁ | I will clothe |
| H3848 | לְבַשׁ | you will put on |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4403-05 |
וּ/מַלְבֻּֽשֵׁי/הֶם֙ | umalebusheyhem | HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp |
and their apparel | and their garments | and their garments | 3 |
H4403-02 |
מַלְבּ֥וּשׁ | malebush | HNcmsa |
garments | garment | garment | 2 |
H4403-01 |
הַ/מַּלְבּֽוּשׁ | hamalebush | HTd/Ncmsa |
the robes | the garment | the garment | 1 |
H4403-04 |
וּ/מַלְבּוּשֵׁ/ךְ֙ | umalebushekhe | HC/Ncmsc/Sp2fs |
and your clothing | your garment | and your clothing | 1 |
H4403-03 |
מַלְבּוּשַׁ֖/י | malebushay | HNcmpc/Sp1cs |
my raiment | my garments | my raiment | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4403-05 |
1 Kings 10:5 | וּ/מַלְבֻּֽשֵׁי/הֶם֙ | umalebusheyhem | HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp |
and their apparel | and their garments | and their garments |
H4403-01 |
2 Kings 10:22 | הַ/מַּלְבּֽוּשׁ | hamalebush | HTd/Ncmsa |
the robes | the garment | the garment |
H4403-03 |
Isaiah 63:3 | מַלְבּוּשַׁ֖/י | malebushay | HNcmpc/Sp1cs |
my raiment | my garments | my raiment |
H4403-04 |
Ezekiel 16:13 | וּ/מַלְבּוּשֵׁ/ךְ֙ | umalebushekhe | HC/Ncmsc/Sp2fs |
and your clothing | your garment | and your clothing |
H4403-02 |
Zephaniah 1:8 | מַלְבּ֥וּשׁ | malebush | HNcmsa |
in apparel | garment | garment |
H4403-02 |
Job 27:16 | מַלְבּֽוּשׁ | malebush | HNcmsa |
garments | garment | garment |
H4403-05 |
2 Chronicles 9:4 | וּ/מַלְבּֽוּשֵׁי/הֶ֗ם | umalebusheyhem | HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp |
and their apparel | and their garments | and their garments |
H4403-05 |
2 Chronicles 9:4 | וּ/מַלְבּ֣וּשֵׁי/הֶ֔ם | umalebusheyhem-2 | HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp |
and their apparel | and their garments | and their garments |