Lexical Summary
lat: Secret, secrecy, hidden
Original Word: לָט
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: lat
Pronunciation: laht
Phonetic Spelling: (lawt)
KJV: enchantment, privily, secretly, softly
NASB: secret arts, secretly
Word Origin: [a form of H3814 (לָאטּ - Secret) or else participle from H3874 (לוּט - wrapped)]
1. (properly) covered
2. (generally) secret (also secrecy)
3. (by implication) incantation
4. (as adverb) secretly, covertly
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
secret, incantation
A form of la't or else participle from luwt; properly, covered, i.e. Secret; by implication, incantation; also secrecy or (adverb) covertly:
see HEBREW la't
see HEBREW luwt
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
lutDefinitionsecrecy, mystery
NASB Translationsecret arts (4), secretly (4).
Topical Lexicon
Overview The Hebrew expression לָט (Strong’s 3909) gathers in one short syllable the idea of an action carried out beyond the reach of ordinary sight or hearing—quietly, covertly, in secrecy. Scripture applies the term both to the sinister secrecy of pagan sorcery and to the discreet or stealthy movements of those whom God uses for His sovereign purposes.
Contexts of Usage
1. Sorcerers’ “secret arts” in Egypt (Exodus 7:22; 8:7; 8:18).
2. Jael’s silent blow that delivers Israel (Judges 4:21).
3. Ruth’s discreet approach to Boaz at the threshing floor (Ruth 3:7).
4. Saul’s private counsel to his servants regarding David (1 Samuel 18:22).
5. David’s furtive cutting of Saul’s robe in the cave of En-gedi (1 Samuel 24:4).
Reflections on Divine Power versus Occult Arts
In Exodus the term surfaces three times to describe the magicians’ performances: “the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts” (Exodus 8:7). Their counterfeit wonders are portrayed as shadowy mimicry, restricted to the realm of the clandestine. When “they could not” (Exodus 8:18) reproduce the plague of gnats, the contrast is decisive: human secrecy collapses before manifest divine power. The narrative warns God’s people not to be impressed by hidden arts that claim supernatural authority; Yahweh alone commands creation openly and irresistibly.
Stealth and Deliverance in Salvation History
Judges 4:21 describes how Jael “drove the peg into his temple, and he lapsed into deep sleep and died.” The vocabulary of stealth underscores her courage and God’s surprising means of deliverance. Human instruments move quietly, but the salvation achieved resounds across Israel’s history. Stealth is not celebrated for its own sake; it is the backdrop against which God’s public victory is declared in Deborah’s song (Judges 5).
Privacy, Relationship, and Ethical Communication
Ruth 3:7 depicts a different sort of secrecy—respectful discretion within covenant boundaries. Ruth’s nighttime visit is hidden from public eye, yet bathed in integrity, leading to Boaz’s righteous response. In 1 Samuel 18:22 Saul commands servants, “Speak to David privately,” revealing political manipulation cloaked in friendly words. Scripture thus distinguishes between confidentiality that protects virtue and secrecy that conceals ulterior motives.
Testing the Heart in Hidden Places
David’s act in the cave (1 Samuel 24:4) is the Bible’s most vivid personal test involving לָט. “David crept up secretly and cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.” His conscience is immediately stricken, proving that the God who sees in secret (compare Matthew 6:4) weighs motives as well as deeds. The event teaches that covert opportunity never justifies sin; reverence for the Lord restrains the hand even when no human eye can judge.
Theological Implications for Believers
• God’s supremacy is unthreatened by occult secrecy.
• He sometimes employs quiet means to accomplish loud deliverances.
• Hidden intentions—whether pure like Ruth’s or manipulative like Saul’s—are fully visible to the Lord.
• A believer’s integrity is tested most sharply in moments that seem unseen.
Connections to New Testament Teaching
The pattern established by לָט aligns with New Testament instruction: “Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed” (Luke 8:17); “We have renounced secret and shameful ways” (2 Corinthians 4:2). At the same time, Jesus commends charitable deeds, prayer, and fasting done “in secret” before the Father who sees (Matthew 6). Thus Scripture upholds godly secrecy that protects humility, while exposing secrecy that masks rebellion.
Practical Applications for Ministry
• Discernment: Pastors must warn against fascination with occult practices that still parade as “secret arts.”
• Integrity: Leaders should remember that strategic confidentiality is legitimate only when free of manipulation.
• Spiritual Formation: Encourage believers to cultivate private disciplines, trusting the Father who rewards what is done in secret.
• Counseling: Hidden sin requires gentle confrontation, for concealed transgression corrodes fellowship.
• Mission: God may guide evangelistic or humanitarian efforts that begin quietly yet culminate in open witness, mirroring Ruth’s path to redemption and Jael’s quiet blow for deliverance.
The seven occurrences of לָט form a slender thread, yet they weave through decisive moments in redemptive history, reminding every reader that the God of Scripture is Lord both of what is public and of what moves silently in the night.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּלָטֵיהֶ֑ם בְּלָטֵיהֶ֛ם בַּלָּ֔אט בַּלָּֽט׃ בַּלָּט֙ בַלָּ֔ט בלאט בלט בלט׃ בלטיהם bal·lāṭ ḇal·lāṭ balLat ballāṭ ḇallāṭ bə·lā·ṭê·hem bəlāṭêhem belateiHem valLat
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
