← Dictionary home

Laban — white. (1.) The son of Bethuel, who was the son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. He lived at Haran in Mesopotamia.…

Lachish — impregnable, a royal Canaanitish city in the Shephelah, or maritime plain of Palestine (Joshua 10:3, 5; 12:11)…

Ladder — occurs only once, in the account of Jacob’s vision (Genesis 28:12).…

Laish — a lion. (1.) A city of the Sidonians, in the extreme north of Palestine (Judges 18:7, 14); called also Leshem …

Lama — (Matthew 27:46), a Hebrew word meaning why, quoted from Psalm 22:1.…

Lamb — (1.) Hebrews kebes, a male lamb from the first to the third year. Offered daily at the morning and the evening…

Lamech — the strikerdown; the wild man. (1.) The fifth in descent from Cain. He was the first to violate the primeval o…

Lamentation — (Hebrews qinah), an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of poetry is the lament of David over Saul …

Lamp — (1.) That part of the candle-sticks of the tabernacle and the temple which bore the light (Exodus 25:37; 1 Kin…

Landmark — a boundary line indicated by a stone, stake, etc. (Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17; Proverbs 22:28; 23:10; Job 24:2).…

LAODICEA The — city of this name mentioned in Scripture lay on the confines of Phrygia and Lydia, about 40 miles east of Ephe…

Lapidoth — torches. Deborah is called “the wife of Lapidoth” (Judges 4:4). Some have rendered the expression “a woman of …

Lapping — of water like a dog, i.e., by putting the hand filled with water to the mouth. The dog drinks by shaping the e…

Lapwing — the name of an unclean bird, mentioned only in Leviticus 11:19 and Deuteronomy 14:18. The Hebrew name of this …

Lasaea — a city in the island of Crete (Acts 27:8). Its ruins are still found near Cape Leonda, about 5 miles east of “…

Lasha — fissure, a place apparently east of the Dead Sea (Genesis 10:19). It was afterwards known as Callirhoe, a plac…

Latchet — a thong (Acts 22:25), cord, or strap fastening the sandal on the foot (Isaiah 5:27; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16).…

Latin — the vernacular language of the ancient Romans (John 19:20).…

Lattice — (1.) Hebrews ‘eshnabh, a latticed opening through which the cool breeze passes (Judges 5:28). The flat roofs o…

Laver — (Hebrews kiyor), a “basin” for boiling in, a “pan” for cooking \ V (1 Samuel 2:14), a “fire-pan” or hearth (Ze…

Law — a rule of action. (1.) The Law of Nature is the will of God as to human conduct, founded on the moral differen…

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 emi…

Lawyer — among the Jews, was one versed in the laws of Moses, which he expounded in the schools and synagogues (Matthew…

Lazarus — an abbreviation of Eleazar, whom God helps. (1.) The brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany. He was raised from…

Leaf — of a tree. The olive-leaf mentioned Genesis 8:11. The barren fig-tree had nothing but leaves (Matthew 21:19; M…

League — a treaty or confederacy. The Jews were forbidden to enter into an alliance of any kind (1) with the Canaanites…

Leah — weary, the eldest daughter of Laban, and sister of Rachel (Genesis 29:16). Jacob took her to wife through a de…

Leannoth — for answering; i.e., in singing, occurs in the title to Psalm 88. The title “Mahalath (q.v.) Leannoth” may be …

Leasing — (Psalm 4:2; 5:6) an Old English word meaning lies, or lying, as the Hebrew word kazabh is generally rendered.…

Leat He R — a girdle of, worn by Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4). Leather was employed both for cl…

Leaven — (l.) Hebrews seor (Exodus 12:15, 19; 13:7; Leviticus 2:11), the remnant of dough from the preceding baking whi…

Lebanon — white, “the white mountain of Syria,” is the loftiest and most celebrated mountain range in Syria. It is a bra…

Lebbaeus — courageous, a surname of Judas (Jude), one of the twelve (Matthew 10:3), called also Thaddaeus, not to be conf…

Lebonah — frankincense, a town near Shiloh, on the north side of Bethel (Judges 21: 19). It has been identified with el-…

Leek — (Hebrews hatsir; the Allium porrum), rendered “grass” in 1 Kings 18:5, 2 Kings 19:26, Job 40:15, etc.; “herb” …

Lees — (Hebrews shemarim), from a word meaning to keep or preserve. It was applied to “lees” from the custom of allow…

Left Hand — among the Hebrews, denoted the north (Job 23:9; Genesis 14:15), the face of the person being supposed to be to…

Left-Handed — (Judges 3 : 1 5 ; 20:16), one unable to use the right hand skilfully, and who therefore uses the left; and als…

Legion — a regiment of the Roman army, the number of men composing which differed at different times. It originally con…

Lehi — a jawbone, a place in the tribe of Judah where Samson achieved a victory over the Philistines (Judges 15:9, 14…

Lemuel — dedicated to God, a king whom his mother instructed (Proverbs 31:1-9). Nothing is certainly known concerning h…

Lentiles — (Hebrews ‘adashim), a species of vetch (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 23:1 1), common in Syria under the name addas.…

Leopard — (Hebrews namer, so called because spotted, Cant. 4:8), was that great spotted feline which anciently infested …

Leprosy — (Hebrews tsara’ath, a “smiting,” a “stroke,” because the disease was regarded as a direct providential inflict…

Letter — in Romans 2:27, 29 means the outward form. The “oldness of the letter” (7:6) is a phrase which denotes the old…

Leummim — peoples; nations, the last mentioned of the three sons of Dedan, and head of an Arabian tribe (Genesis 25:3).…

Levi — adhesion. (1.) The third son of Jacob by Leah. The origin of the name is found in Leah’s words (Genesis 29:34)…

Leviathan — a transliterated Hebrew word (livyathan), meaning “twisted,” “coiled.” In Job 3:8, Revised Version, and marg. …

Leviratelaw — from Latin levir, “a husband’s brother,” the name of an ancient custom ordained by Moses, by which, when an Is…

Levite — a descendant of the tribe of Levi (Exodus 6:25; Leviticus 25:32; Numbers 35:2; Joshua 21:3, 41). This name is,…

Leviticus — the third book of the Pentateuch; so called in the Vulgate, after the LXX., because it treats chiefly of the L…

Levy — (1 Kings 4:6, R.V.; 5:13), forced service. The service of tributaries was often thus exacted by kings. Solomon…

Lewdness — (Acts 1 8 : 1 4), villany or wickedness, not lewdness in the modern sense of the word. The word “lewd” is from…

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 pe…

LlBNAH — transparency; whiteness. (1.) One of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 33:20, 21). (2.…

LlBNI — white, one of the two sons of Gershon, the son of Levi (Exodus 6:17; Numbers 3:18, 21). (See LAADAN 0(n/a).)…

Libya — the country of the Ludim (Genesis 10:13), Northern Africa, a large tract lying along the Mediterranean, to the…

Lice — (Hebrews kinnim), the creatures employed in the third plague sent upon Egypt (Exodus 8:16-18). They were mirac…

Lie — an intentional violation of the truth. Lies are emphatically condemned in Scripture (John 8:44; 1 Timothy 1:9,…

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 milit…

Life — generally of physical life (Genesis 2:7; Luke 16:25, etc.); also used figuratively (1) for immortality (Hebrew…

Light — the offspring of the divine command (Genesis 1:3). “All the more joyous emotions of the mind, all the pleasing…

Lightning — frequently referred to by the sacred writers (Nah. 1:3-6). Thunder and lightning are spoken of as tokens of Go…

LlGN-ALOES — (only in pi., Hebrews ‘ahalim), a perfume derived from some Oriental tree (Numbers 24:6), probably the agalloc…

LlGURE — (Hebrews leshem) occurs only in Exodus 28:19 and 39:12, as the name of a stone in the third row on the high pr…

LILY The Hebrew — name shushan or shoshan, i.e., “whiteness”, was used as the general name of several plants common to Syria, su…

LIME The Hebrew — word so rendered means “boiling” or “effervescing.” From Isaiah 33: 12 it appears that lime was made in a kiln…

Linen — (1.) Hebrews , pishet, pishtah, denotes “flax,” of which linen is made (Isaiah 19:9); wrought flax, i.e., “lin…

Lines — were used for measuring and dividing land; and hence the word came to denote a portion or inheritance measured…

Lin — tel (1.) Hebrews mashkoph, a projecting cover (Exodus 12:22, 23; ver. 7, “upper door post,” but R.V. “lintel”)…

Lions — the most powerful of all carnivorous animals. Although not now found in Palestine, they must have been in anci…

LlP — besides its literal sense (Isaiah 37:29, etc.), is used in the original (saphah) metaphorically for an edge or…

Litter — (Hebrews tsab, as being lightly and gently borne), a sedan or palanquin for the conveyance of persons of rank …

Liver — (Hebrews kabhed, “heavy;” hence the liver, as being the heaviest of the viscera, Exodus 29:13, 22; Leviticus 3…

Living Creatures — as represented by Ezekiel (1-10) and John (Revelation 4, etc.), are the cherubim. They are distinguished from …

LIZARD Only — in Leviticus 11:30, as rendering of Hebrew letaah, so called from its “hiding.” Supposed to be the Lacerta gec…

Lo — -AMMInot my people, a symbolical name given by God’s command to Hosea’s second son in token of Jehovah’s rejec…

LOAN The Mosaic — law required that when an Israelite needed to borrow, what he asked was to be freely lent to him, and no inter…

Lock The Hebrews — usually secured their doors by bars of wood or iron (Isaiah 45:2; 1 Kings 4:3). These were the locks originall…

Locust There — are ten Hebrew words used in Scripture to signify locust. In the New Testament locusts are mentioned as formin…

Lo — -DEBAR no pasture, (2 Samuel 17:27), a town in Gilead not far from Mahanaim, north of the Jabbok (9:4, 5). It …

Lodge — a shed for a watchman in a garden (Isaiah 1:8). The Hebrew name melunah is rendered “cottage” (q.v.) in Isaiah…

Log — the smallest measure for liquids used by the Hebrews (Leviticus 14:10, 12, 15, 21, 24), called in the Vulgate …

Lois — the maternal grandmother of Timothy. She is commended by Paul for her faith (2 Timothy 1:5).…

Loop — a knotted “eye” of cord, corresponding to the “taches” or knobs in the edges of the curtains of the tabernacle…

LORD There — are various Hebrew and Greek words so rendered. (1.) Hebrews Jehovah, has been rendered in the English Bible L…

Lord’S Day — only once, in Revelation 1:10, was in the early Christian ages used to denote the first day of the week, which…

LORD’S Prayer — the name given to the only form of prayer Christ taught his disciples (Matthew 6:9-13). The closing doxology o…

LORD’S Supper — (1 Corinthians 11:20), called also “the Lord’s table” (10:21), “communion,” “cup of blessing” (10:16), and “br…

Lo-Ruhamah — not pitied, the name of the prophet Hosea’s first daughter, a type of Jehovah’s temporary rejection of his peo…

Lot — (Hebrews goral, a “pebble”), a small stone used in casting lots (Numbers 33:54; Jonah 1:7). The lot was always…

Lotan — coverer, one of the sons of Seir, the Horite (Genesis 36:20, 29).…

LOVE This — word seems to require explanation only in the case of its use by our Lord in his interview with “Simon, the so…

Lubims — the inhabitants of a thirsty or scorched land; the Lybians, an African nation under tribute to Egypt (2 Chroni…

Lucas — a friend and companion of Paul during his imprisonment at Rome; Luke (q.v.), the beloved physician (Philemon 1…

Lucifer — brilliant star, a title given to the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14: 12) to denote his glory.…

Lucius — of Cyrene, a Christian teacher at Antioch (Acts 13:1), and Paul’s kinsman (Romans 16:21). His name is Latin, b…

Lucre — from the Lat. lucrum, “gain.” 1 Timothy 3:3, “not given to filthy lucre.” Some MSS. have not the word so rende…

Lud — (1.) The fourth son of Shem (Genesis 10:22; 1 Chronicles 1:17), ancestor of the Lydians probably. (2.) One of …

Ludim — probably the same as Lud (2) (comp. Genesis 10:13; 1 Chronicles 1:11). They are associated (Jeremiah 46:9) wit…

Luhith — made of boards, a Moabitish place between Zoar and Horonaim (Isaiah 15:5; Jeremiah 48:5).…

Luke — the evangelist, was a Gentile. The date and circumstances of his conversion are unknown. According to his own …

Lunatic — probably the same as epileptic, the symptoms of which disease were supposed to be more aggravated as the moon …

Lust — sinful longing; the inward sin which leads to the falling away from God (Romans 1:21). “Lust, the origin of si…

Luz — a nut-bearing tree, the almond. (1.) The ancient name of a royal Canaanitish city near the site of Bethel (Gen…

Lycaonia — an inland province of Asia Minor, on the west of Cappadocia and the south of Galatia. It was a Roman province,…

Lycia — a wolf, a province in the south-west of Asia Minor, opposite the island of Rhodes. It forms part of the region…

Lydda — a town in the tribe of Ephraim, mentioned only in the New Testament (Acts 9:32, 35, 38) as the scene of Peter’…

Lydia — (1.) Ezekiel 30:5 (Hebrews Lud), a province in the west of Asia Minor, which derived its name from the fourth …

Lysanias — tetrarch of Abilene (Luke 3:1), on the eastern slope of Anti-Lebanon, near the city of Damascus.…

Lystra — a town of Lycaonia, in Asia Minor, in a wild district and among a rude population. Here Paul preached the gosp…