to whiten
la.ven describes becoming or making white, especially in cleansing imagery and of stripped branches.
The attested use most often concerns being made white within scenes of purification or sin, while Joel 1:7 applies it to branches that have turned white after being stripped bare.
Senses in use
-
Made white in cleansing and sin contexts · dominant
In Daniel 11:35 the Hiphil infinitive occurs with being refined and purified, and the APB renders the sequence "refined, purified, and made white." In Daniel 12:10 the Hithpael imperfect describes many who will undergo purification, while Isaiah 1:18 places the Hiphil imperfect in the contrast of scarlet and crimson becoming white like snow or wool. Psalm 51:9 has a first-person Hiphil imperfect in a prayer concerning sins and iniquities, though the APB does not isolate its contribution in that verse.
-
Turning white after stripping · rare
In Joel 1:7 the Hiphil perfect is used of the vine's branches after the tree is stripped bare and thrown away; the APB renders the result, "its branches have turned white."
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term with "made white" in Daniel 11:35, whiteness imagery in Isaiah 1:18, and branches that "have turned white" in Joel 1:7. The verse is read as a whole, and Psalm 51:9 does not visibly render the term.