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Kirjath-arba - city
of Arba, the original name of Hebron (q.v.), so called from the name
of its founder, one of the Anakim (Gen. 23:2; 35:27; Josh. 15:13).
It was given to Caleb by Joshua as his portion. The Jews interpret
the name as meaning "the city of the four", i.e., of Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and Adam, who were all, as they allege, buried there.
Kirjath-huzoth -
city of streets, Num. 22:39, a Moabite city, which some identify
with Kirjathaim. Balak here received and entertained Balaam, whom he
had invited from Pethor, among the "mountains of the east," beyond
the Euphrates, to lay his ban upon the Israelites, whose progress he
had no hope otherwise of arresting. It was probably from the summit
of Attarus, the high place near the city, that the soothsayer first
saw the encampments of Israel.
Kirjath-jearim -
city of jaars; i.e., of woods or forests, a Gibeonite town
(Josh. 9:17) on the border of Benjamin, to which tribe it was
assigned (18:15, 28). The ark was brought to this place (1 Sam. 7:1,
2) from Beth-shemesh and put in charge of Abinadab, a Levite. Here
it remained till it was removed by David to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:2,
3, 12; 1 Chr. 15:1-29; comp. Ps. 132). It was also called Baalah
(Josh. 15:9) and Kirjath-baal (60). It has been usually identified
with Kuriet el-'Enab (i.e., "city of grapes"), among the hills,
about 8 miles north-east of 'Ain Shems (i.e., Beth-shemesh). The
opinion, however, that it is to be identified with 'Erma, 4 miles
east of 'Ain Shems, on the edge of the valley of Sorek, seems to be
better supported. (See
KIRJATH.)
The words of Ps. 132:6, "We found it in the
fields of the wood," refer to the sojourn of the ark at
Kirjath-jearim. "Wood" is here the rendering of the Hebrew word
jaar, which is the singular of jearim.
Kirjath-sannah -
city of the sannah; i.e., of the palm(?), Josh. 15:49; the same as
Kirjath-sepher (15:16; Judg. 1:11) and Debir (q.v.), a Canaanitish
royal city included in Judah (Josh. 10:38; 15:49), and probably the
chief seat of learning among the Hittites. It was about 12 miles to
the south-west of Hebron.
Kirjath-sepher -
city of books, Josh. 15:15; same as Kirjath-sannah (q.v.), now
represented by the valley of ed-Dhaberiyeh, south-west of Hebron.
The name of this town is an evidence that the Canaanites were
acquainted with writing and books. "The town probably contained a
noted school, or was the site of an oracle and the residence of some
learned priest." The "books" were probably engraved stones or
bricks.
Kir of Moab -
Isa. 15:1. The two strongholds of Moab were Ar and Kir, which latter
is probably the Kir-haraseth (16:7) following.
Kish - a bow.
(1.) A Levite of the family of Merari (1 Chr. 23:21; 24:29).
(2.) A Benjamite of Jerusalem (1 Chr. 8:30;
9:36).
(3.) A Levite in the time of Hezekiah (2 Chr.
29:12).
(4.) The great-grandfather of Mordecai
(Esther 2:5).
(5.) A Benjamite, the son of Abiel, and
father of king Saul (1 Sam. 9:1, 3; 10:11, 21; 14:51; 2 Sam. 21:14).
All that is recorded of him is that he sent his son Saul in search
of his asses that had strayed, and that he was buried in Zelah.
Called Cis, Acts 13:21 (R.V., Kish).
Kishion -
hardness, a city of Issachar assigned to the Gershonite Levites
(Josh. 19:20), the same as Kishon (21:28).
Kishon -
winding, a winter torrent of Central Palestine, which rises about
the roots of Tabor and Gilboa, and passing in a northerly direction
through the plains of Esdraelon and Acre, falls into the
Mediterranean at the north-eastern corner of the bay of Acre, at the
foot of Carmel. It is the drain by which the waters of the plain of
Esdraelon and of the mountains that surround it find their way to
the sea. It bears the modern name of Nahr el-Mokattah, i.e., "the
river of slaughter" (comp. 1 Kings 18:40). In the triumphal song of
Deborah (Judg. 5:21) it is spoken of as "that ancient river," either
(1) because it had flowed on for ages, or (2), according to the
Targum, because it was "the torrent in which were shown signs and
wonders to Israel of old;" or (3) probably the reference is to the
exploits in that region among the ancient Canaanites, for the
adjoining plain of Esdraelon was the great battle-field of
Palestine.
This was the scene of the defeat of Sisera (Judg.
4:7, 13), and of the destruction of the prophets of Baal by Elijah
(1 Kings 18:40). "When the Kishon was at its height, it would be,
partly on account of its quicksands, as impassable as the ocean
itself to a retreating army." (See
DEBORAH.)
Kiss - of affection
(Gen. 27:26, 27; 29:13; Luke 7:38, 45); reconciliation (Gen. 33:4; 2
Sam. 14:33); leave-taking (Gen. 31:28,55; Ruth 1:14; 2 Sam. 19:39);
homage (Ps. 2:12; 1 Sam. 10:1); spoken of as between parents and
children (Gen. 27:26; 31:28, 55; 48:10; 50:1; Ex. 18:7; Ruth 1:9,
14); between male relatives (Gen. 29:13; 33:4; 45:15). It
accompanied social worship as a symbol of brotherly love (Rom.
16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Pet. 5:14). The
worship of idols was by kissing the image or the hand toward the
image (1 Kings 19:18; Hos. 13:2).
Kite - an
unclean and keen-sighted bird of prey (Lev. 11:14; Deut. 14:13). The
Hebrew word used, 'ayet, is rendered "vulture" in Job 28:7 in
Authorized Version, "falcon" in Revised Version. It is probably the
red kite (Milvus regalis), a bird of piercing sight and of soaring
habits found all over Palestine.
Kithlish - a
man's wall, a town in the plain of Judah (Josh. 15:40). It has been
identified with Jelameh.
Kitron -
knotty, a city of Zebulun (Judg. 1:30), called also Kattath (Josh.
19:15); supposed to be "Cana of Galilee."
Kittim - (Gen.
10:4). (See
CHITTIM.)
Knead - to prepare
dough in the process of baking (Gen. 18:6; 1 Sam. 28:24; Hos. 7:4).
Kneading-trough -
the vessel in which the dough, after being mixed and leavened,
was left to swell or ferment (Ex. 8:3; 12:34; Deut. 28:5, 7). The
dough in the vessels at the time of the Exodus was still unleavened,
because the people were compelled to withdraw in haste.
Knife - (1.)
Heb. hereb, "the waster," a sharp instrument for circumcision (Josh.
5:2, 3, lit. "knives of flint;" comp. Ex. 4:25); a razor (Ezek.
5:1); a graving tool (Ex. 20:25); an axe (Ezek. 26:9).
(2.) Heb. maakeleth, a large knife for
slaughtering and cutting up food (Gen. 22:6, 10; Prov. 30:14).
(3.) Heb. sakkin, a knife for any purpose, a
table knife (Prov. 23:2).
(4.) Heb. mahalaph, a butcher's knife for
slaughtering the victims offered in sacrifice (Ezra 1:9).
(5.) Smaller knives (Heb. ta'ar, Jer. 36:26)
were used for sharpening pens. The pruning-knives mentioned in Isa.
18:5 (Heb. mizmaroth) were probably curved knives.
Knock - "Though
Orientals are very jealous of their privacy, they never knock when
about to enter your room, but walk in without warning or ceremony.
It is nearly impossible to teach an Arab servant to knock at your
door. They give warning at the outer gate either by calling or
knocking. To stand and call is a very common and respectful mode.
Thus Moses commanded the holder of a pledge to stand without and
call to the owner to come forth (Deut. 24:10). This was to avoid the
violent intrusion of cruel creditors. Peter stood knocking at the
outer door (Acts 12:13, 16), and the three men sent to Joppa by
Cornelius made inquiry and 'stood before the gate' (10:17, 18). The
idea is that the guard over your privacy is to be placed at the
entrance."
Knocking is used as a sign of importunity
(Matt. 7:7, 8; Luke 13:25), and of the coming of Christ (Luke 12:36;
Rev. 3:20).
Knop - some
architectural ornament. (1.) Heb. kaphtor (Ex. 25:31-36), occurring
in the description of the candlestick. It was an ornamental swell
beneath the cups of the candlestick, probably an imitation of the
fruit of the almond.
(2.) Heb. peka'im, found only in 1 Kings 6:18
and 7:24, an ornament resembling a small gourd or an egg, on the
cedar wainscot in the temple and on the castings on the brim of the
brazen sea.
Koa - he-camel,
occurs only in Ezek. 23:23, some province or place in the Babylonian
empire, used in this passage along with Shoa (q.v.).
Kohath -
assembly, the second son of Levi, and father of Amram (Gen. 46:11).
He came down to Egypt with Jacob, and lived to the age of one
hundred and thirty-three years (Ex. 6:18).
Kohathites -
the descendants of Kohath. They formed the first of the three
divisions of the Levites (Ex. 6:16, 18; Num. 3:17). In the
journeyings of the Israelites they had the charge of the most holy
portion of the vessels of the tabernacle, including the ark (Num.
4). Their place in the marching and encampment was south of the
tabernacle (Num. 3:29, 31). Their numbers at different times are
specified (3:28; 4:36; 26:57, 62). Samuel was of this division.
Korah - ice,
hail. (1.) The third son of Esau, by Aholibamah (Gen. 36:14; 1 Chr.
1:35).
(2.) A Levite, the son of Izhar, the brother
of Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron (Ex. 6:21). The institution
of the Aaronic priesthood and the Levitical service at Sinai was a
great religious revolution. The old priesthood of the heads of
families passed away. This gave rise to murmurings and discontent,
while the Israelites were encamped at Kadesh for the first time,
which came to a head in a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, headed
by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Two hundred and fifty princes, "men of
renown" i.e., well-known men from among the other tribes, joined
this conspiracy. The whole company demanded of Moses and Aaron that
the old state of things should be restored, alleging that "they took
too much upon them" (Num. 16:1-3). On the morning after the
outbreak, Korah and his associates presented themselves at the door
of the tabernacle, and "took every man his censer, and put fire in
them, and laid incense thereon." But immediately "fire from the
Lord" burst forth and destroyed them all (Num. 16:35). Dathan and
Abiram "came out and stood in the door of their tents, and their
wives, and their sons, and their little children," and it came to
pass "that the ground clave asunder that was under them; and the
earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up." A plague thereafter
began among the people who sympathized in the rebellion, and was
only stayed by Aaron's appearing between the living and the dead,
and making "an atonement for the people" (16:47).
The descendants of the sons of Korah who did
not participate in the rebellion afterwards rose to eminence in the
Levitical service.
Korahites -
that portion of the Kohathites that descended from Korah. (1.) They
were an important branch of the singers of the Kohathite division (2
Chr. 20:19). There are eleven psalms (42-49; 84; 85; 87; 88)
dedicated to the sons of Korah.
(2.) Some of the sons of Korah also were
"porters" of the temple (1 Chr. 9:17-19); one of them was over
"things that were made in the pans" (31), i.e., the baking in pans
for the meat-offering (Lev. 2:5).
Kore -
partridge. (1.) A Levite and temple-warder of the Korahites, the son
of Asaph. He was father of Shallum and Meshelemiah, temple-porters
(1 Chr. 9:19; 26:1).
(2.) A Levitical porter at the east gate of
the temple (2 Chr. 31:14).
(3.) In 1 Chr. 26:19 the word should be "Korahites,"
as in the Revised Version.
Korhites - a
Levitical family descended from Korah (Ex. 6:24; 1 Chr. 12:6; 26:1;
2 Chr. 20:19).
Koz - thorn.
(1.) A descendant of Judah. 1 Chr. 4:8, "Coz;" R.V., "Hakkoz."
(2.) A priest, the head of the seventh
division of the priests (Ezra 2:61; Neh. 3:4, 21; 7:63). In 1 Chr.
24:10 the word has the article prefixed, and it is taken as a part
of the word "Hakkoz."
Laban - white.
(1.) The son of Bethuel, who was the son of Nahor, Abraham's
brother. He lived at Haran in Mesopotamia. His sister Rebekah was
Isaac's wife (Gen. 24). Jacob, one of the sons of this marriage,
fled to the house of Laban, whose daughters Leah and Rachel (ch. 29)
he eventually married. (See
JACOB.)
(2.) A city in the Arabian desert in the
route of the Israelites (Deut. 1:1), probably identical with Libnah
(Num. 33:20).
Lachish -
impregnable, a royal Canaanitish city in the Shephelah, or maritime
plain of Palestine (Josh. 10:3, 5; 12:11). It was taken and
destroyed by the Israelites (Josh. 10:31-33). It afterwards became,
under Rehoboam, one of the strongest fortresses of Judah (2 Chr.
10:9). It was assaulted and probably taken by Sennacherib (2 Kings
18:14, 17; 19:8; Isa. 36:2). An account of this siege is given on
some slabs found in the chambers of the palace of Koyunjik, and now
in the British Museum. The inscription has been deciphered as
follows:, "Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of
Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment before the city of
Lachish: I gave permission for its slaughter." (See
NINEVEH.)
Lachish has been identified with Tell-el-Hesy,
where a cuneiform tablet has been found, containing a letter
supposed to be from Amenophis at Amarna in reply to one of the
Amarna tablets sent by Zimrida from Lachish. This letter is from the
chief of Atim (=Etam, 1 Chr. 4:32) to the chief of Lachish, in which
the writer expresses great alarm at the approach of marauders from
the Hebron hills. "They have entered the land," he says, "to lay
waste...strong is he who has come down. He lays waste." This letter
shows that "the communication by tablets in cuneiform script was not
only usual in writing to Egypt, but in the internal correspondence
of the country. The letter, though not so important in some ways as
the Moabite stone and the Siloam text, is one of the most valuable
discoveries ever made in Palestine" (Conder's Tell Amarna Tablets,
p. 134).
Excavations at Lachish are still going on,
and among other discoveries is that of an iron blast-furnace, with
slag and ashes, which is supposed to have existed B.C. 1500. If the
theories of experts are correct, the use of the hot-air blast
instead of cold air (an improvement in iron manufacture patented by
Neilson in 1828) was known fifteen hundred years before Christ. (See
FURNACE.)
Ladder - occurs
only once, in the account of Jacob's vision (Gen. 28:12).
Laish - a lion.
(1.) A city of the Sidonians, in the extreme north of Palestine (Judg.
18:7, 14); called also Leshem (Josh. 19:47) and Dan (Judg. 18:7, 29;
Jer. 8:16). It lay near the sources of the Jordan, about 4 miles
from Paneas. The restless and warlike tribe of Dan (q.v.), looking
out for larger possessions, invaded this country and took Laish with
its territory. It is identified with the ruin Tell-el-Kady, "the
mound of the judge," to the north of the Waters of Merom (Josh.
11:5).
(2.) A place mentioned in Isa. 10:30. It has
been supposed to be the modern el-Isawiyeh, about a mile north-east
of Jerusalem.
(3.) The father of Phalti (1 Sam. 25:44).
Lama - (Matt.
27:46), a Hebrew word meaning why, quoted from Ps. 22:1.
Lamb - (1.)
Heb. kebes, a male lamb from the first to the third year. Offered
daily at the morning and the evening sacrifice (Ex. 29:38-42), on
the Sabbath day (Num. 28:9), at the feast of the New Moon (28:11),
of Trumpets (29:2), of Tabernacles (13-40), of Pentecost (Lev.
23:18-20), and of the Passover (Ex. 12:5), and on many other
occasions (1 Chr. 29:21; 2 Chr. 29:21; Lev. 9:3; 14:10-25).
(2.) Heb. taleh, a young sucking lamb (1 Sam.
7:9; Isa. 65:25). In the symbolical language of Scripture the lamb
is the type of meekness and innocence (Isa. 11:6; 65:25; Luke 10:3;
John 21:15).
The lamb was a symbol of Christ (Gen. 4:4;
Ex. 12:3; 29:38; Isa. 16:1; 53:7; John 1:36; Rev. 13:8).
Christ is called the Lamb of God (John 1:29,
36), as the great sacrifice of which the former sacrifices were only
types (Num. 6:12; Lev. 14:12-17; Isa. 53:7; 1 Cor. 5:7).
Lamech - the
strikerdown; the wild man. (1.) The fifth in descent from Cain. He
was the first to violate the primeval ordinance of marriage (Gen.
4:18-24). His address to his two wives, Adah and Zillah (4:23, 24),
is the only extant example of antediluvian poetry. It has been
called "Lamech's sword-song." He was "rude and ruffianly," fearing
neither God nor man. With him the curtain falls on the race of Cain.
We know nothing of his descendants.
(2.) The seventh in descent from Seth, being
the only son of Methuselah. Noah was the oldest of his several sons
(Gen. 5:25-31; Luke 3:36).
Lamentation -
(Heb. qinah), an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of
poetry is the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam.
1:17-27). It was a frequent accompaniment of mourning (Amos 8:10).
In 2 Sam. 3:33, 34 is recorded David's lament over Abner. Prophecy
sometimes took the form of a lament when it predicted calamity
(Ezek. 27:2, 32; 28:12; 32:2, 16).
Lamentations, Book
of - called in the Hebrew canon 'Ekhah, meaning "How,"
being the formula for the commencement of a song of wailing. It is
the first word of the book (see 2 Sam. 1:19-27). The LXX. adopted
the name rendered "Lamentations" (Gr. threnoi = Heb. qinoth) now in
common use, to denote the character of the book, in which the
prophet mourns over the desolations brought on the city and the holy
land by Chaldeans. In the Hebrew Bible it is placed among the
Khethubim. (See
BIBLE.)
As to its authorship, there is no room for
hesitancy in following the LXX. and the Targum in ascribing it to
Jeremiah. The spirit, tone, language, and subject-matter are in
accord with the testimony of tradition in assigning it to him.
According to tradition, he retired after the destruction of
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar to a cavern outside the Damascus gate,
where he wrote this book. That cavern is still pointed out. "In the
face of a rocky hill, on the western side of the city, the local
belief has placed 'the grotto of Jeremiah.' There, in that fixed
attitude of grief which Michael Angelo has immortalized, the prophet
may well be supposed to have mourned the fall of his country"
(Stanley, Jewish Church).
The book consists of five separate poems. In
chapter 1 the prophet dwells on the manifold miseries oppressed by
which the city sits as a solitary widow weeping sorely. In chapter 2
these miseries are described in connection with the national sins
that had caused them. Chapter 3 speaks of hope for the people of
God. The chastisement would only be for their good; a better day
would dawn for them. Chapter 4 laments the ruin and desolation that
had come upon the city and temple, but traces it only to the
people's sins. Chapter 5 is a prayer that Zion's reproach may be
taken away in the repentance and recovery of the people.
The first four poems (chapters) are
acrostics, like some of the Psalms (25, 34, 37, 119), i.e., each
verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet taken in order.
The first, second, and fourth have each twenty-two verses, the
number of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The third has
sixty-six verses, in which each three successive verses begin with
the same letter. The fifth is not acrostic.
Speaking of the "Wailing-place (q.v.) of the
Jews" at Jerusalem, a portion of the old wall of the temple of
Solomon, Schaff says: "There the Jews assemble every Friday
afternoon to bewail the downfall of the holy city, kissing the stone
wall and watering it with their tears. They repeat from their
well-worn Hebrew Bibles and prayer-books the Lamentations of
Jeremiah and suitable Psalms."
Lamp - (1.) That
part of the candle-sticks of the tabernacle and the temple which
bore the light (Ex. 25:37; 1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chr. 4:20; 13:11; Zech.
4:2). Their form is not described. Olive oil was generally burned in
them (Ex. 27:20).
(2.) A torch carried by the soliders of
Gideon (Judg. 7:16, 20). (R.V., "torches.")
(3.) Domestic lamps (A.V., "candles") were in
common use among the Hebrews (Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21, etc.).
(4.) Lamps or torches were used in connection
with marriage ceremonies (Matt. 25:1).
This word is also frequently metaphorically
used to denote life, welfare, guidance, etc. (2 Sam. 21:17; Ps.
119:105; Prov. 6:23; 13:9).
Landmark - a
boundary line indicated by a stone, stake, etc. (Deut. 19:14; 27:17;
Prov. 22:28; 23:10; Job 24:2). Landmarks could not be removed
without incurring the severe displeasure of God.
Laodicea - The
city of this name mentioned in Scripture lay on the confines of
Phrygia and Lydia, about 40 miles east of Ephesus (Rev. 3:14), on
the banks of the Lycus. It was originally called Diospolis and then
Rhoas, but afterwards Laodicea, from Laodice, the wife of Antiochus
II., king of Syria, who rebuilt it. It was one of the most important
and flourishing cities of Asia Minor. At a very early period it
became one of the chief seats of Christianity (Col. 2:1; 4:15; Rev.
1:11, etc.). It is now a deserted place, called by the Turks
Eski-hissar or "old castle."
Laodicea, Epistle
from - (Col. 4:16), was probably the Epistle to the Ephesians,
as designed for general circulation. It would reach the Colossians
by way of Laodicea.
Lapidoth -
torches. Deborah is called "the wife of Lapidoth" (Judg. 4:4). Some
have rendered the expression "a woman of a fiery spirit," under the
supposition that Lapidoth is not a proper name, a woman of a
torch-like spirit.
Lapping - of
water like a dog, i.e., by putting the hand filled with water to the
mouth. The dog drinks by shaping the end of his long thin tongue
into the form of a spoon, thus rapidly lifting up water, which he
throws into his mouth. The three hundred men that went with Gideon
thus employed their hands and lapped the water out of their hands (Judg.
7:7).
Lapwing - the
name of an unclean bird, mentioned only in Lev. 11:19 and Deut.
14:18. The Hebrew name of this bird, dukiphath, has been
generally regarded as denoting the hoope (Upupa epops), an
onomatopoetic word derived from the cry of the bird, which resembles
the word "hoop;" a bird not uncommon in Palestine. Others identify
it with the English peewit.
Lasaea - a city
in the island of Crete (Acts 27:8). Its ruins are still found near
Cape Leonda, about 5 miles east of "Fair Havens."
Lasha -
fissure, a place apparently east of the Dead Sea (Gen. 10:19). It
was afterwards known as Callirhoe, a place famous for its hot
springs.
Latchet - a
thong (Acts 22:25), cord, or strap fastening the sandal on the foot
(Isa. 5:27; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16).
Latin - the
vernacular language of the ancient Romans (John 19:20).
Lattice - (1.)
Heb. 'eshnabh, a latticed opening through which the cool breeze
passes (Judg. 5:28). The flat roofs of the houses were sometimes
enclosed with a parapet of lattice-work on wooden frames, to screen
the women of the house from the gaze of the neighbourhood.
(2.) Heb. harakim, the network or lattice of
a window (Cant. 2:9).
(3.) Heb. sebakhah, the latticed balustrade
before a window or balcony (2 Kings 1:2). The lattice window is
frequently used in Eastern countries.
Laver - (Heb.
kiyor), a "basin" for boiling in, a "pan" for cooking (1 Sam. 2:14),
a "fire-pan" or hearth (Zech. 12:6), the sacred wash-bowl of the
tabernacle and temple (Ex. 30:18, 28; 31:9; 35:16; 38:8; 39:39;
40:7, 11, 30, etc.), a basin for the water used by the priests in
their ablutions.
That which was originally used in the
tabernacle was of brass (rather copper; Heb. nihsheth), made from
the metal mirrors the women brought out of Egypt (Ex. 38:8). It
contained water wherewith the priests washed their hands and feet
when they entered the tabernacle (40:32). It stood in the court
between the altar and the door of the tabernacle (30:19, 21).
In the temple there were ten lavers used for
the sacrifices, and the molten sea for the ablutions of the priests
(2 Chr. 4:6). The position and uses of these are described 1 Kings
7:23-39; 2 Chr. 4:6. The "molten sea" was made of copper, taken from
Tibhath and Chun, cities of Hadarezer, king of Zobah (1 Chr. 18:8; 1
Kings 7:23-26).
No lavers are mentioned in the second temple.
Law - a rule of
action. (1.) The Law of Nature is the will of God as to human
conduct, founded on the moral difference of things, and discoverable
by natural light (Rom. 1:20; 2:14, 15). This law binds all men at
all times. It is generally designated by the term conscience, or the
capacity of being influenced by the moral relations of things.
(2.) The Ceremonial Law prescribes under the
Old Testament the rites and ceremonies of worship. This law was
obligatory only till Christ, of whom these rites were typical, had
finished his work (Heb. 7:9, 11; 10:1; Eph. 2:16). It was fulfilled
rather than abrogated by the gospel.
(3.) The Judicial Law, the law which directed
the civil policy of the Hebrew nation.
(4.) The Moral Law is the revealed will of
God as to human conduct, binding on all men to the end of time. It
was promulgated at Sinai. It is perfect (Ps. 19:7), perpetual (Matt.
5:17, 18), holy (Rom. 7:12), good, spiritual (14), and exceeding
broad (Ps. 119:96). Although binding on all, we are not under it as
a covenant of works (Gal. 3:17). (See
COMMANDMENTS.)
(5.) Positive Laws are precepts founded only
on the will of God. They are right because God commands them.
(6.) Moral positive laws are commanded by God
because they are right.
Law of Moses - is
the whole body of the Mosaic legislation (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings
23:25; Ezra 3:2). It is called by way of eminence simply "the Law"
(Heb. Torah, Deut. 1:5; 4:8, 44; 17:18, 19; 27:3, 8). As a written
code it is called the "book of the law of Moses" (2 Kings 14:6; Isa.
8:20), the "book of the law of God" (Josh. 24:26).
The great leading principle of the Mosaic law
is that it is essentially theocratic; i.e., it refers at once to the
commandment of God as the foundation of all human duty.
Lawyer - among
the Jews, was one versed in the laws of Moses, which he expounded in
the schools and synagogues (Matt. 22:35; Luke 10:25). The functions
of the "lawyer" and "scribe" were identical. (See
DOCTOR.)
Lazarus - an
abbreviation of Eleazar, whom God helps. (1.) The brother of Mary
and Martha of Bethany. He was raised from the dead after he had lain
four days in the tomb (John 11:1-44). This miracle so excited the
wrath of the Jews that they sought to put both Jesus and Lazarus to
death.
(2.) A beggar named in the parable recorded
Luke 16:19-31.
Leaf - of a
tree. The olive-leaf mentioned Gen. 8:11. The barren fig-tree had
nothing but leaves (Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:13). The oak-leaf is
mentioned Isa. 1:30; 6:13. There are numerous allusions to leaves,
their flourishing, their decay, and their restoration (Lev. 26:36;
Isa. 34:4; Jer. 8:13; Dan. 4:12, 14, 21; Mark 11:13; 13:28). The
fresh leaf is a symbol of prosperity (Ps. 1:3; Jer. 17:8; Ezek.
47:12); the faded, of decay (Job 13:25; Isa. 1:30; 64:6; Jer. 8:13).
Leaf of a door (1 Kings 6:34), the valve of a
folding door.
Leaf of a book (Jer. 36:23), perhaps a fold
of a roll.
League - a
treaty or confederacy. The Jews were forbidden to enter into an
alliance of any kind (1) with the Canaanites (Ex. 23:32, 33;
34:12-16); (2) with the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8, 14; Deut. 25:17-19);
(3) with the Moabites and Ammonites (Deut. 2:9, 19). Treaties were
permitted to be entered into with all other nations. Thus David
maintained friendly intercourse with the kings of Tyre and Hamath,
and Solomon with the kings of Tyre and Egypt.
Leah - weary,
the eldest daughter of Laban, and sister of Rachel (Gen. 29:16).
Jacob took her to wife through a deceit of her father (Gen. 29:23).
She was "tender-eyed" (17). She bore to Jacob six sons (32-35), also
one daughter, Dinah (30:21). She accompanied Jacob into Canaan, and
died there before the time of the going down into Egypt (Gen. 31),
and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (49:31).
Leannoth - for
answering; i.e., in singing, occurs in the title to Ps. 88. The
title "Mahalath (q.v.) Leannoth" may be rendered "concerning
sickness, to be sung" i.e., perhaps, to be sung in sickness.
Leasing - (Ps.
4:2; 5:6) an Old English word meaning lies, or lying, as the Hebrew
word kazabh is generally rendered.
Leather - a
girdle of, worn by Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Matt.
3:4). Leather was employed both for clothing (Num. 31:20; Heb.
11:37) and for writing upon. The trade of a tanner is mentioned
(Acts 9:43; 10:6, 32). It was probably learned in Egypt.
Leaven - (1.)
Heb. seor (Ex. 12:15, 19; 13:7; Lev. 2:11), the remnant of dough
from the preceding baking which had fermented and become acid.
(2.) Heb. hamets, properly "ferment." In Num.
6:3, "vinegar of wine" is more correctly "fermented wine." In Ex.
13:7, the proper rendering would be, "Unfermented things [Heb.
matstsoth] shall be consumed during the seven days; and there shall
not be seen with thee fermented things [hamets], and there shall not
be seen with thee leavened mass [seor] in all thy borders." The
chemical definition of ferment or yeast is "a substance in a state
of putrefaction, the atoms of which are in a continual motion."
The use of leaven was strictly forbidden in
all offerings made to the Lord by fire (Lev. 2:11; 7:12; 8:2; Num.
6:15). Its secretly penetrating and diffusive power is referred to
in 1 Cor. 5:6. In this respect it is used to illustrate the growth
of the kingdom of heaven both in the individual heart and in the
world (Matt. 13:33). It is a figure also of corruptness and of
perverseness of heart and life (Matt. 16:6, 11; Mark 8:15; 1 Cor.
5:7, 8).
Lebanon -
white, "the white mountain of Syria," is the loftiest and most
celebrated mountain range in Syria. It is a branch running southward
from the Caucasus, and at its lower end forking into two parallel
ranges, the eastern or Anti-Lebanon, and the western or Lebanon
proper. They enclose a long valley (Josh. 11:17) of from 5 to 8
miles in width, called by Roman writers Coele-Syria, now called el-Buka'a,
"the valley," a prolongation of the valley of the Jordan.
Lebanon proper, Jebel es-Sharki, commences at
its southern extremity in the gorge of the Leontes, the ancient
Litany, and extends north-east, parallel to the Mediterranean coast,
as far as the river Eleutherus, at the plain of Emesa, "the entering
of Hamath" (Num. 34:8; 1 Kings 8:65), in all about 90 geographical
miles in extent. The average height of this range is from 6,000 to
8,000 feet; the peak of Jebel Mukhmel is about 10,200 feet, and the
Sannin about 9,000. The highest peaks are covered with perpetual
snow and ice. In the recesses of the range wild beasts as of old
still abound (2 Kings 14:9; Cant. 4:8). The scenes of the Lebanon
are remarkable for their grandeur and beauty, and supplied the
sacred writers with many expressive similes (Ps. 29:5, 6; 72:16;
104:16-18; Cant. 4:15; Isa. 2:13; 35:2; 60:13; Hos. 14:5). It is
famous for its cedars (Cant. 5:15), its wines (Hos. 14:7), and its
cool waters (Jer. 18:14). The ancient inhabitants were Giblites and
Hivites (Josh. 13:5; Judg. 3:3). It was part of the Phoenician
kingdom (1 Kings 5:2-6).
The eastern range, or Anti-Lebanon, or
"Lebanon towards the sunrising," runs nearly parallel with the
western from the plain of Emesa till it connects with the hills of
Galilee in the south. The height of this range is about 5,000 feet.
Its highest peak is Hermon (q.v.), from which a number of lesser
ranges radiate.
Lebanon is first mentioned in the description
of the boundary of Palestine (Deut. 1:7; 11:24). It was assigned to
Israel, but was never conquered (Josh. 13:2-6; Judg. 3:1-3).
The Lebanon range is now inhabited by a
population of about 300,000 Christians, Maronites, and Druses, and
is ruled by a Christian governor. The Anti-Lebanon is inhabited by
Mohammedans, and is under a Turkish ruler.
Return
To Dictionary
Lebbaeus -
courageous, a surname of Judas (Jude), one of the twelve (Matt.
10:3), called also Thaddaeus, not to be confounded with the Judas
who was the brother of our Lord.
Lebonah -
frankincense, a town near Shiloh, on the north side of Bethel (Judg.
21:19). It has been identified with el-Lubban, to the south of
Nablus.
Leek - (Heb.
hatsir; the Allium porrum), rendered "grass" in 1 Kings 18:5, 2
Kings 19:26, Job 40:15, etc.; "herb" in Job 8:12; "hay" in Prov.
27:25, and Isa. 15:6; "leeks" only in Num. 11:5. This Hebrew word
seems to denote in this last passage simply herbs, such as lettuce
or savoury herbs cooked as kitchen vegetables, and not necessarily
what are now called leeks. The leek was a favourite vegetable in
Egypt, and is still largely cultivated there and in Palestine.
Lees - (Heb.
shemarim), from a word meaning to keep or preserve. It was applied
to "lees" from the custom of allowing wine to stand on the lees that
it might thereby be better preserved (Isa. 25:6). "Men settled on
their lees" (Zeph. 1:12) are men "hardened or crusted." The image is
derived from the crust formed at the bottom of wines long left
undisturbed (Jer. 48:11). The effect of wealthy undisturbed ease on
the ungodly is hardening. They become stupidly secure (comp. Ps.
55:19; Amos 6:1). To drink the lees (Ps. 75:8) denotes severe
suffering.
Left hand -
among the Hebrews, denoted the north (Job 23:9; Gen. 14:15), the
face of the person being supposed to be toward the east.
Left-handed - (Judg.
3:15; 20:16), one unable to use the right hand skilfully, and who
therefore uses the left; and also one who uses the left as well as
the right, ambidexter. Such a condition of the hands is due to
physical causes. This quality was common apparently in the tribe of
Benjamin.
Legion - a
regiment of the Roman army, the number of men composing which
differed at different times. It originally consisted of three
thousand men, but in the time of Christ consisted of six thousand,
exclusive of horsemen, who were in number a tenth of the foot-men.
The word is used (Matt. 26:53; Mark 5:9) to express simply a great
multitude.
Lehi - a
jawbone, a place in the tribe of Judah where Samson achieved a
victory over the Philistines (Judg. 15:9, 14, 16), slaying a
thousand of them with the jawbone of an ass. The words in 15:19, "a
hollow place that was in the jaw" (A.V.), should be, as in Revised
Version, "the hollow place that is in Lehi."
Lemuel -
dedicated to God, a king whom his mother instructed (Prov. 31:1-9).
Nothing is certainly known concerning him. The rabbis identified him
with Solomon.
Lentiles -
(Heb. 'adashim), a species of vetch (Gen. 25:34; 2 Sam. 23:11),
common in Syria under the name addas. The red pottage made by Jacob
was of lentils (Gen. 25:29-34). They were among the provisions
brought to David when he fled from Absalom (2 Sam. 17:28). It is the
Ervum lens of Linnaeus, a leguminous plant which produces a fruit
resembling a bean.
Leopard - (Heb.
namer, so called because spotted, Cant. 4:8), was that great spotted
feline which anciently infested the mountains of Syria, more
appropriately called a panther (Felis pardus). Its fierceness (Isa.
11:6), its watching for its prey (Jer. 5:6), its swiftness (Hab.
1:8), and the spots of its skin (Jer. 13:23), are noticed. This word
is used symbolically (Dan. 7:6; Rev. 13:2).
Leprosy - (Heb.
tsara'ath, a "smiting," a "stroke," because the disease was regarded
as a direct providential infliction). This name is from the Greek
lepra, by which the Greek physicians designated the disease from its
scaliness. We have the description of the disease, as well as the
regulations connected with it, in Lev. 13; 14; Num. 12:10-15, etc.
There were reckoned six different circumstances under which it might
develop itself, (1) without any apparent cause (Lev. 13:2-8); (2)
its reappearance (9-17); (3) from an inflammation (18-28); (4) on
the head or chin (29-37); (5) in white polished spots (38, 39); (6)
at the back or in the front of the head (40-44).
Lepers were required to live outside the camp
or city (Num. 5:1-4; 12:10-15, etc.). This disease was regarded as
an awful punishment from the Lord (2 Kings 5:7; 2 Chr. 26:20). (See
MIRIAM ¯T0002562; GEHAZI ¯T0001452;
UZZIAH.)
This disease "begins with specks on the
eyelids and on the palms, gradually spreading over the body,
bleaching the hair white wherever they appear, crusting the affected
parts with white scales, and causing terrible sores and swellings.
From the skin the disease eats inward to the bones, rotting the
whole body piecemeal." "In Christ's day no leper could live in a
walled town, though he might in an open village. But wherever he was
he was required to have his outer garment rent as a sign of deep
grief, to go bareheaded, and to cover his beard with his mantle, as
if in lamentation at his own virtual death. He had further to warn
passers-by to keep away from him, by calling out, 'Unclean!
unclean!' nor could he speak to any one, or receive or return a
salutation, since in the East this involves an embrace."
That the disease was not contagious is
evident from the regulations regarding it (Lev. 13:12, 13, 36; 2
Kings 5:1). Leprosy was "the outward and visible sign of the
innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small
beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its
dissolution little by little of the whole body, of that which
corrupts, degrades, and defiles man's inner nature, and renders him
unmeet to enter the presence of a pure and holy God" (Maclear's
Handbook O.T). Our Lord cured lepers (Matt. 8:2, 3; Mark 1:40-42).
This divine power so manifested illustrates his gracious dealings
with men in curing the leprosy of the soul, the fatal taint of sin.
Letter - in Rom.
2:27, 29 means the outward form. The "oldness of the letter" (7:6)
is a phrase which denotes the old way of literal outward obedience
to the law as a system of mere external rules of conduct. In 2 Cor.
3:6, "the letter" means the Mosaic law as a written law. (See
WRITING.)
Leummim - peoples;
nations, the last mentioned of the three sons of Dedan, and head of
an Arabian tribe (Gen. 25:3).
Levi -
adhesion. (1.) The third son of Jacob by Leah. The origin of the
name is found in Leah's words (Gen. 29:34), "This time will my
husband be joined [Heb. yillaveh] unto me." He is mentioned as
taking a prominent part in avenging his sister Dinah (Gen.
34:25-31). He and his three sons went down with Jacob (46:11) into
Egypt, where he died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven
years (Ex. 6:16).
(2.) The father of Matthat, and son of
Simeon, of the ancestors of Christ (Luke 3:29).
(3.) Luke 3:24.
(4.) One of the apostles, the son of Alphaeus
(Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27, 29), called also Matthew (Matt. 9:9).
Leviathan - a
transliterated Hebrew word (livyathan), meaning "twisted," "coiled."
In Job 3:8, Revised Version, and marg. of Authorized Version, it
denotes the dragon which, according to Eastern tradition, is an
enemy of light; in 41:1 the crocodile is meant; in Ps. 104:26 it
"denotes any large animal that moves by writhing or wriggling the
body, the whale, the monsters of the deep." This word is also used
figuratively for a cruel enemy, as some think "the Egyptian host,
crushed by the divine power, and cast on the shores of the Red Sea"
(Ps. 74:14). As used in Isa. 27:1, "leviathan the piercing [R.V.
'swift'] serpent, even leviathan that crooked [R.V. marg. 'winding']
serpent," the word may probably denote the two empires, the Assyrian
and the Babylonian.
Levirate Law -
from Latin levir, "a husband's brother," the name of an ancient
custom ordained by Moses, by which, when an Israelite died without
issue, his surviving brother was required to marry the widow, so as
to continue his brother's family through the son that might be born
of that marriage (Gen. 38:8; Deut. 25:5-10; comp. Ruth 3; 4:10). Its
object was "to raise up seed to the departed brother."
Levite - a
descendant of the tribe of Levi (Ex. 6:25; Lev. 25:32; Num. 35:2;
Josh. 21:3, 41). This name is, however, generally used as the title
of that portion of the tribe which was set apart for the subordinate
offices of the sanctuary service (1 Kings 8:4; Ezra 2:70), as
assistants to the priests.
When the Israelites left Egypt, the ancient
manner of worship was still observed by them, the eldest son of each
house inheriting the priest's office. At Sinai the first change in
this ancient practice was made. A hereditary priesthood in the
family of Aaron was then instituted (Ex. 28:1). But it was not till
that terrible scene in connection with the sin of the golden calf
that the tribe of Levi stood apart and began to occupy a distinct
position (Ex. 32). The religious primogeniture was then conferred on
this tribe, which henceforth was devoted to the service of the
sanctuary (Num. 3:11-13). They were selected for this purpose
because of their zeal for the glory of God (Ex. 32:26), and because,
as the tribe to which Moses and Aaron belonged, they would naturally
stand by the lawgiver in his work.
The Levitical order consisted of all the
descendants of Levi's three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari;
whilst Aaron, Amram's son (Amram, son of Kohat), and his issue
constituted the priestly order.
The age and qualification for Levitical
service are specified in Num. 4:3, 23, 30, 39, 43, 47.
They were not included among the armies of
Israel (Num. 1:47; 2:33; 26:62), but were reckoned by themselves.
They were the special guardians of the tabernacle (Num. 1:51;
18:22-24). The Gershonites pitched their tents on the west of the
tabernacle (3:23), the Kohathites on the south (3:29), the Merarites
on the north (3:35), and the priests on the east (3:38). It was
their duty to move the tent and carry the parts of the sacred
structure from place to place. They were given to Aaron and his sons
the priests to wait upon them and do work for them at the sanctuary
services (Num. 8:19; 18:2-6).
As being wholly consecrated to the service of
the Lord, they had no territorial possessions. Jehovah was their
inheritance (Num. 18:20; 26:62; Deut. 10:9; 18:1, 2), and for their
support it was ordained that they should receive from the other
tribes the tithes of the produce of the land. Forty-eight cities
also were assigned to them, thirteen of which were for the priests
"to dwell in", i.e., along with their other inhabitants. Along with
their dwellings they had "suburbs", i.e., "commons", for their herds
and flocks, and also fields and vineyards (Num. 35:2-5). Nine of
these cities were in Judah, three in Naphtali, and four in each of
the other tribes (Josh. 21). Six of the Levitical cities were set
apart as "cities of refuge" (q.v.). Thus the Levites were scattered
among the tribes to keep alive among them the knowledge and service
of God. (See
PRIEST.)
Leviticus - the
third book of the Pentateuch; so called in the Vulgate, after the
LXX., because it treats chiefly of the Levitical service.
In the first section of the book (1-17),
which exhibits the worship itself, there is, (1.) A series of laws
(1-7) regarding sacrifices, burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and
thank-offerings (1-3), sin-offerings and trespass-offerings (4; 5),
followed by the law of the priestly duties in connection with the
offering of sacrifices (6; 7). (2.) An historical section (8-10),
giving an account of the consecration of Aaron and his sons (8);
Aaron's first offering for himself and the people (9); Nadab and
Abihu's presumption in offering "strange fire before Jehovah," and
their punishment (10). (3.) Laws concerning purity, and the
sacrifices and ordinances for putting away impurity (11-16). An
interesting fact may be noted here. Canon Tristram, speaking of the
remarkable discoveries regarding the flora and fauna of the Holy
Land by the Palestine Exploration officers, makes the following
statement:, "Take these two catalogues of the clean and unclean
animals in the books of Leviticus [11] and Deuteronomy [14]. There
are eleven in Deuteronomy which do not occur in Leviticus, and these
are nearly all animals and birds which are not found in Egypt or the
Holy Land, but which are numerous in the Arabian desert. They are
not named in Leviticus a few weeks after the departure from Egypt;
but after the people were thirty-nine years in the desert they are
named, a strong proof that the list in Deuteronomy was written at
the end of the journey, and the list in Leviticus at the beginning.
It fixes the writing of that catalogue to one time and period only,
viz., that when the children of Israel were familiar with the fauna
and the flora of the desert" (Palest. Expl. Quart., Jan. 1887). (4.)
Laws marking the separation between Israel and the heathen (17-20).
(5.) Laws about the personal purity of the priests, and their eating
of the holy things (20; 21); about the offerings of Israel, that
they were to be without blemish (22:17-33); and about the due
celebration of the great festivals (23; 25). (6.) Then follow
promises and warnings to the people regarding obedience to these
commandments, closing with a section on vows.
The various ordinances contained in this book
were all delivered in the space of a month (comp. Ex. 40:17; Num.
1:1), the first month of the second year after the Exodus. It is the
third book of Moses.
No book contains more of the very words of
God. He is almost throughout the whole of it the direct speaker.
This book is a prophecy of things to come, a shadow whereof the
substance is Christ and his kingdom. The principles on which it is
to be interpreted are laid down in the Epistle to the Hebrews. It
contains in its complicated ceremonial the gospel of the grace of
God.
Levy - (1 Kings
4:6, R.V.; 5:13), forced service. The service of tributaries was
often thus exacted by kings. Solomon raised a "great levy" of 30,000
men, about two per cent. of the population, to work for him by
courses on Lebanon. Adoram (12:18) presided over this forced labour
service (Ger. Frohndienst; Fr. corvee).
Lewdness -
(Acts 18:14), villany or wickedness, not lewdness in the modern
sense of the word. The word "lewd" is from the Saxon, and means
properly "ignorant," "unlearned," and hence low, vicious (Acts
17:5).
Libertine -
found only Acts 6:9, one who once had been a slave, but who had been
set at liberty, or the child of such a person. In this case the name
probably denotes those descendants of Jews who had been carried
captives to Rome as prisoners of war by Pompey and other Roman
generals in the Syrian wars, and had afterwards been liberated. In
A.D. 19 these manumitted Jews were banished from Rome. Many of them
found their way to Jerusalem, and there established a synagogue.
Libnah -
transparency; whiteness. (1.) One of the stations of the Israelites
in the wilderness (Num. 33:20, 21).
(2.) One of the royal cities of the
Canaanites taken by Joshua (Josh. 10:29-32; 12:15). It became one of
the Levitical towns in the tribe of Judah (21:13), and was strongly
fortified. Sennacherib laid siege to it (2 Kings 19:8; Isa. 37:8).
It was the native place of Hamutal, the queen of Josiah (2 Kings
23:31). It stood near Lachish, and has been identified with the
modern Arak el-Menshiyeh.
Libni - white,
one of the two sons of Gershon, the son of Levi (Ex. 6:17; Num.
3:18, 21). (See LAADAN ¯(n/a).)
Libya - the
country of the Ludim (Gen. 10:13), Northern Africa, a large tract
lying along the Mediterranean, to the west of Egypt (Acts 2:10).
Cyrene was one of its five cities.
Lice - (Heb.
kinnim), the creatures employed in the third plague sent upon Egypt
(Ex. 8:16-18). They were miraculously produced from the dust of the
land. "The entomologists Kirby and Spence place these minute but
disgusting insects in the very front rank of those which inflict
injury upon man. A terrible list of examples they have collected of
the ravages of this and closely allied parasitic pests." The plague
of lice is referred to in Ps. 105:31.
Some have supposed that the word denotes not
lice properly, but gnats. Others, with greater probability, take it
to mean the "tick" which is much larger than lice.
Lie - an
intentional violation of the truth. Lies are emphatically condemned
in Scripture (John 8:44; 1 Tim. 1:9, 10; Rev. 21:27; 22:15). Mention
is made of the lies told by good men, as by Abraham (Gen. 12:12, 13;
20:2), Isaac (26:7), and Jacob (27:24); also by the Hebrew midwives
(Ex. 1:15-19), by Michal (1 Sam. 19:14), and by David (1 Sam. 20:6).
(See
ANANIAS.)
Lieutenant - (only
in A.V. Esther 3:12; 8:9; 9:3; Ezra 8:36), a governor or viceroy of
a Persian province having both military and civil power. Correctly
rendered in the Revised Version "satrap."
Life -
generally of physical life (Gen. 2:7; Luke 16:25, etc.); also used
figuratively (1) for immortality (Heb. 7:16); (2) conduct or manner
of life (Rom. 6:4); (3) spiritual life or salvation (John 3:16, 17,
18, 36); (4) eternal life (Matt. 19:16, 17; John 3:15); of God and
Christ as the absolute source and cause of all life (John 1:4; 5:26,
39; 11:25; 12:50).
Light - the
offspring of the divine command (Gen. 1:3). "All the more joyous
emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all
the happy hours of domestic intercourse were habitually described
among the Hebrews under imagery derived from light" (1 Kings 11:36;
Isa. 58:8; Esther 8:16; Ps. 97:11). Light came also naturally to
typify true religion and the felicity it imparts (Ps. 119:105; Isa.
8:20; Matt. 4:16, etc.), and the glorious inheritance of the
redeemed (Col. 1:12; Rev. 21:23-25). God is said to dwell in light
inaccessible (1 Tim. 6:16). It frequently signifies instruction
(Matt. 5:16; John 5:35). In its highest sense it is applied to
Christ as the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2; Luke 2:32; John
1:7-9). God is styled "the Father of lights" (James 1:17). It is
used of angels (2 Cor. 11:14), and of John the Baptist, who was a
"burning and a shining light" (John 5:35), and of all true
disciples, who are styled "the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14).
Lightning -
frequently referred to by the sacred writers (Nah. 1:3-6). Thunder
and lightning are spoken of as tokens of God's wrath (2 Sam. 22:15;
Job 28:26; 37:4; Ps. 135:7; 144:6; Zech. 9:14). They represent God's
glorious and awful majesty (Rev. 4:5), or some judgment of God on
the world (20:9).
Lign-aloes -
(only in pl., Heb. 'ahalim), a perfume derived from some Oriental
tree (Num. 24:6), probably the agallochum or aloe-wood. (See ALOES
¯T0000183).
Ligure - (Heb.
leshem) occurs only in Ex. 28:19 and 39:12, as the name of a stone
in the third row on the high priest's breastplate. Some have
supposed that this stone was the same as the jacinth (q.v.), others
that it was the opal. There is now no mineral bearing this name. The
"ligurite" is so named from Liguria in Italy, where it was found.
Lily - The
Hebrew name shushan or shoshan, i.e., "whiteness", was used as the
general name of several plants common to Syria, such as the tulip,
iris, anemone, gladiolus, ranunculus, etc. Some interpret it, with
much probability, as denoting in the Old Testament the water-lily (Nymphoea
lotus of Linn.), or lotus (Cant. 2:1, 2; 2:16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2, 3;
7:2). "Its flowers are large, and they are of a white colour, with
streaks of pink. They supplied models for the ornaments of the
pillars and the molten sea" (1 Kings 7:19, 22, 26; 2 Chr. 4:5). In
the Canticles its beauty and fragrance shadow forth the preciousness
of Christ to the Church. Groser, however (Scrip. Nat. Hist.),
strongly argues that the word, both in the Old and New Testaments,
denotes liliaceous plants in general, or if one genus is to be
selected, that it must be the genus Iris, which is "large, vigorous,
elegant in form, and gorgeous in colouring."
The lilies (Gr. krinia) spoken of in the New
Testament (Matt. 6:28; Luke 12:27) were probably the scarlet
martagon (Lilium Chalcedonicum) or "red Turk's-cap lily", which
"comes into flower at the season of the year when our Lord's sermon
on the mount is supposed to have been delivered. It is abundant in
the district of Galilee; and its fine scarlet flowers render it a
very conspicous and showy object, which would naturally attract the
attention of the hearers" (Balfour's Plants of the Bible).
Of the true "floral glories of Palestine" the
pheasant's eye (Adonis Palestina), the ranunuculus (R. Asiaticus),
and the anemone (A coronaria), the last named is however, with the
greatest probability regarded as the "lily of the field" to which
our Lord refers. "Certainly," says Tristram (Nat. Hist. of the
Bible), "if, in the wondrous richness of bloom which characterizes
the land of Israel in spring, any one plant can claim pre-eminence,
it is the anemone, the most natural flower for our Lord to pluck and
seize upon as an illustration, whether walking in the fields or
sitting on the hill-side." "The white water-lily (Nymphcea alba) and
the yellow water-lily (Nuphar lutea) are both abundant in the
marshes of the Upper Jordan, but have no connection with the lily of
Scripture."
Lime - The
Hebrew word so rendered means "boiling" or "effervescing." From Isa.
33:12 it appears that lime was made in a kiln lighted by
thorn-bushes. In Amos 2:1 it is recorded that the king of Moab
"burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime." The same Hebrew
word is used in Deut. 27:2-4, and is there rendered "plaster."
Limestone is the chief constituent of the mountains of Syria.
Linen - (1.)
Heb., pishet, pishtah, denotes "flax," of which linen is made (Isa.
19:9); wrought flax, i.e., "linen cloth", Lev. 13:47, 48, 52, 59;
Deut. 22:11.
Flax was early cultivated in Egypt (Ex.
9:31), and also in Palestine (Josh. 2:6; Hos. 2:9). Various articles
were made of it: garments (2 Sam. 6:14), girdles (Jer. 13:1), ropes
and thread (Ezek. 40:3), napkins (Luke 24:12; John 20:7), turbans
(Ezek. 44:18), and lamp-wicks (Isa. 42:3).
(2.) Heb. buts, "whiteness;" rendered "fine
linen" in 1 Chr. 4:21; 15:27; 2 Chr. 2:14; 3:14; Esther 1:6; 8:15,
and "white linen" 2 Chr. 5:12. It is not certain whether this word
means cotton or linen.
(3.) Heb. bad; rendered "linen" Ex. 28:42;
39:28; Lev. 6:10; 16:4, 23, 32; 1 Sam. 2:18; 2 Sam. 6:14, etc. It is
uniformly used of the sacred vestments worn by the priests. The word
is from a root signifying "separation."
(4.) Heb. shesh; rendered "fine linen" Ex.
25:4; 26:1, 31, 36, etc. In Prov. 31:22 it is rendered in Authorized
Version "silk," and in Revised Version "fine linen." The word
denotes Egyptian linen of peculiar whiteness and fineness (byssus).
The finest Indian linen, the finest now made, has in an inch one
hundred threads of warp and eighty-four of woof; while the Egyptian
had sometimes one hundred and forty in the warp and sixty-four in
the woof. This was the usual dress of the Egyptian priest. Pharaoh
arrayed Joseph in a dress of linen (Gen. 41:42).
(5.) Heb. 'etun. Prov. 7:16, "fine linen of
Egypt;" in Revised Version, "the yarn of Egypt."
(6.) Heb. sadin. Prov. 31:24, "fine linen;"
in Revised Version, "linen garments" (Judg. 14:12, 13; Isa. 3:23).
From this Hebrew word is probably derived the Greek word sindon,
rendered "linen" in Mark 14:51, 52; 15:46; Matt. 27:59.
The word "linen" is used as an emblem of
moral purity (Rev. 15:6). In Luke 16:19 it is mentioned as a mark of
luxury.
Linen-yarn -
(See
YARN.)
Lines - were used
for measuring and dividing land; and hence the word came to denote a
portion or inheritance measured out; a possession (Ps. 16:6).
Lintel - (1.)
Heb. mashkoph, a projecting cover (Ex. 12:22, 23; ver. 7, "upper
door post," but R.V. "lintel"); the head-piece of a door, which the
Israelites were commanded to mark with the blood of the paschal
lamb.
(2.) Heb. kaphtar. Amos 9:1; Zeph. 2:14 (R.V.
correctly "chapiters," as in A.V. marg.).
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