Biblical Encyclopedia: L

Laadah Laada

(order) (1 Chr 4:21) - son of Shelah, of the tribe of Judah.

Laadan

(put in order) - the name of the following persons:

Laban

(white) - the name of the following:

Labben, Muth-labben

- the superscription of Psalm 9: 'To the chief Musician upon Muth-labben, A Psalm of David.' If Labben is taken as a proper name, it may denote a leader of one of the Levitical choirs in David's reign who died during that period (1 Chr 15:18-20). Others take it as a common expression meaning 'the death of the son,' referring either to Absalom or to another person whose death occasioned the psalm. The Russian Synodal translation adopted the latter understanding. The source regards it as closer to the Hebrew text, though the precise person or musical reference cannot be identified.

Labdanum

(Hebrew lot) (Gen 43:11) - a fragrant plant resin that hardens in the air and was gathered from Cistus creticus. This thorny shrub grows in Cyprus, Arabia, Syria, and Palestine and reaches eight or nine feet. Labdanum was an important article of ancient trade (Gen 37:25; 43:11) and one of the costly gifts presented to kings, nobles, and other distinguished persons as a token of reverence. The source connects it with the incense offered among the gifts to the Christ Child (Matt 2:11).

Laccun

(2 Esdras 9:31) - an Israelite who had married a foreign woman.

Lacedaemonians Lacedemonians

(2 Macc 5:9) - the people of Lacedaemonia, also called Laconia or Sparta, in the southern Peloponnese. After Athens it formed the most important state of ancient Greece. The books of Maccabees mention Sparta two or three times in relation to the Jewish people.

Lachish

(hill, elevation) (Josh 10:3) - a Canaanite city in the Shephelah. Its king was one of the five kings who warred against Gibeon and besieged it, but Joshua defeated them at Beth-horon. Israel then captured Lachish, and in the division of the Promised Land it fell to Judah (Josh 15:39). Rehoboam rebuilt and fortified it (2 Chr 11:9). Amaziah fled there after a conspiracy against him and was killed by the conspirators (2 Chr 25:27). Micah rebuked the corruption and idolatry of its inhabitants (Mic 1:13).

Ladder

(Gen. 28:12)—in Jacob’s dream at Bethel, a stairway or ramp set upon the earth reached to heaven, and angels of God were ascending and descending upon it while the LORD stood above or beside him. The vision assures Jacob of God’s presence, providence, covenant promise, and protection. Christian interpretation sees its fullest realization in Christ, the true meeting of heaven and earth, especially in Jesus’ allusion to angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man (John 1:51).

Lahad Jeth Achimai Laad

(flame) (1 Chr 4:2) - son of Jahath in the genealogy of First Chronicles, belonging to Judah and named among the ancestors of the Zorathites.

Lahmas

(place of battle) (Josh 15:40) - a town of Judah in the lowland. Some identified its ruins with El-Lahm.

Lahmi Lachmi

(warrior) (1 Chr 20:5) - brother of Goliath the Gittite, killed by Elhanan son of Jair in a war with the Philistines.

Laish

(strong, or lionlike) - the name of two places:

Laish

(1 Sam 25:44) - father of Phalti of Gallim, to whom Saul gave Michal, David's wife.

Lake Gennesaret.

See the Sea of Galilee, or the Sea of Tiberias.

Lakkum Besemiin

(fortress) (Josh 19:33) - a town of Naphtali whose location remained unidentified.

Lamech

(mighty, strong) - the name of two persons:

Lamentations of Jeremiah

. See Encyclopedia, issue II, p. 74.

Lamps

—among the Hebrews were of two kinds: those for sacred use and those for the home. The first is represented by the golden seven-branched lampstand in the sanctuary (Exod. 25:31–37), beaten from pure gold, with a central stem and six branches, three on each side. Its seven lamps were to burn continually (Exod. 27:20). Solomon’s Temple had ten golden lampstands ornamented with flowers, five on the south and five on the north (1 Kings 7:49). They were carried to Babylon when the Chaldeans conquered Judah and Jerusalem (Jer. 52:19).

Land of Israel

(Matt. 2:20)—a biblical designation for the land promised to Israel and occupied by the tribes. “Palestine” developed from a related ancient geographical name associated with Philistia and later became a broader regional term. See Palestine.

Land of Maacah

(2 Sam. 13:37)—a geographical phrase found in the Greek form of the account of Absalom’s flight to Geshur but absent from the Masoretic Hebrew and Vulgate. It is therefore best treated as a textual variant rather than as an independent certainty about the route.

Land of Shalishah; Baal-shalishah

(1 Sam. 9:4; 2 Kings 4:42-44)—a district near the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shaalim. During a famine a man from Baal-shalishah brought Elisha twenty loaves of barley and fresh grain; by the prophet’s word one hundred men ate and food remained.

Language; Tongue

—(1) language as speech or dialect. Genesis says, “The whole earth had one language and the same words” before the building of Babel and the confusion of human speech (Gen. 11:1, 6-9). Traditions of a primordial common language also appeared among nonbiblical peoples, though their mythic forms do not establish the language spoken by the earliest humans.

Laodicea

(people's judgment) (Col 2:1; 4:13; Rev 1:11; 3:14) - a city of Asia Minor in Phrygia, near the border of Lydia, upon the Lycus River a little above its confluence with the Maeander, not far west of Colossae and about forty English miles east of Ephesus. It was formerly called Diospolis and Rhoas, but Antiochus II renamed it Laodicea. It was a large and wealthy commercial city with splendid buildings. Not long after Paul's references to it in Colossians, it suffered a severe earthquake but soon recovered.

Lapidoth

(torch, flame) (Judg 4:4) - husband of the prophetess Deborah, of the hill country of Ephraim.

Lasea

(rough, harsh) (Acts 27:8) - a city on the southern side of Crete, not far from the place Acts calls Fair Havens. J. Brown's discoveries in 1856 clarified its location a short distance east of that harbor. The remains of its ruins are now washed by the sea. The ancient name survived among the local inhabitants, which is especially remarkable because the city had long remained unknown.

Lasha Seboim Dasa

(fissure, or spring) (Gen 10:19) - an ancient border town of the Canaanites east of the Dead Sea, in Wadi Zerka-Ma'in, generally identified with Callirrhoe. Warm sulfurous mineral waters were found there, and King Herod sought relief from illness by using them.

Last Judgment of Christ

(John 5:28-29; Matt. 25:31-46)—the universal judgment at Christ’s glorious appearing. All who are in the graves will hear the voice of the Son of God and rise: those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. The Judge is the incarnate Son, before whom every nation and every hidden work of the heart will be disclosed.

Lasthenes

(1 Macc 11:31-32) - a close relative of the Syrian king Demetrius Nicator, who calls him both kinsman and father. He was probably governor of Coele-Syria, since Demetrius had earlier sent him the letter granting privileges to the Jewish people.

Lattus

(2 Esdras 8:29) - one of the sons of David, a son of Sechenias. Ezra 8:2 reads Hattush.

Laughter

(Gen. 18:13; 21:6)—an expression that can signify joy, disbelief, mockery, surprise, or confident triumph. Sarah laughed inwardly at the promise of a son and later declared that God had made laughter for her when Isaac was born. When Scripture says that God laughs at the wicked or at approaching calamity (Ps. 2:4; Prov. 1:26), it uses human imagery for divine judgment and the futility of rebellion, not frivolity or cruel amusement.

Laurel tree

- the Hebrew word ezrach, rendered 'cedar of Lebanon' in the Slavonic Bible and 'a green tree spreading itself' in the Russian translation of Psalm 37:35, may refer to a tree of the laurel family; others, following the Septuagint and Vulgate, understood a cedar of Lebanon. The Hebrew word properly conveys a native tree growing and spreading in its own soil rather than one transplanted. The laurel is a large, beautiful evergreen of warm climates and southern Europe, especially high mountains where it may form extensive forests.

It is native to Palestine. Its leaves season food. Greeks and Romans crowned heroes, orators, victors, and poets with laurel wreaths. In eastern popular speech, both good and wicked persons could be compared with tamarinds, cedars, or other trees.

Laver; Basin

(Exod. 30:18; John 13:5)—a vessel for washing. The Tabernacle’s bronze laver stood between the tent of meeting and the altar, and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet from it before ministering (Exod. 30:17-21). Its purpose joined bodily washing with the ritual purity required for sanctuary service.

Law of God

—God’s revealed instruction by which good is distinguished from evil and human life is directed toward him. Scripture speaks of the work of the law written on the heart and witnessed by conscience (Rom. 2:14-15), and also of the commandments publicly given to Israel. Because sin distorts judgment and suppresses conscience, the external word exposes transgression and teaches God’s will (Gal. 3:19). Christian theology does not set conscience and revelation against each other: conscience requires formation by truth, and the law reaches its fulfillment in love of God and neighbor through Christ (Matt. 22:37-40; Rom. 13:8-10).

Lazarus

(Hebrew Eleazar, God has helped) - the name of two persons in the Gospels:

Lead

(Exod. 15:10; Num. 31:22; Ezek. 27:12; Amos 7:7)—a bluish-gray metal with a strong metallic luster, known from the earliest times. Moses names it in his song of victory. Thin plates of lead have been found upon Egyptian mummies. Inscriptions cut in rock could be filled with lead or tin to make them more legible (Job 19:24). Before the discovery of mercury, lead was used in refining silver, though bellows were required for the process (Jer. 6:29). Because of its weight, plumb-line weights were and are made from it. It was imported from Tarshish with other metals (Ezek. 27:12). Ezekiel 22:18 compares unrepentant Israelites to the dross of lead and other metals.

Leaf

(Isa. 64:6)—healthy green leaves signify life and flourishing, while withered or driven leaves signify frailty, judgment, or decline. The righteous person is like a tree planted by streams whose leaf does not wither (Ps. 1:3), but Isaiah confesses, “We all fade like a leaf” (Isa. 64:6). Job’s question, “Will you frighten a driven leaf?” expresses human weakness before God (Job 13:25). Revelation completes the image with the tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:2).

Leah Lea

(established, or weary) (Gen 29:16) - Laban's elder daughter and one of Jacob's wives. Genesis 29:18-23 describes how Laban deceived Jacob at the wedding by substituting Leah for Rachel, whose beauty had captured his nephew's heart. The deception required Jacob to serve seven additional years for Rachel, whom he finally married. He loved Rachel more than Leah, whose eyes were weak and who was less beautiful; but the Lord blessed Leah's humility with special fruitfulness, and she bore six sons and the daughter Dinah.

Leavened bread and unleavened bread

- see Bread.

Leb-kamai Magdolo Taphnas Pathura

(heart of my enemies) (Jer 51:1) - a name most commentators understand as referring to the inhabitants of Babylon, or the Chaldeans, regarded as the center of God's enemies.

Lebanah, or Levannah

(white, pale) - a person whose descendants are listed in Ezra 2:45 among the temple servants returning from captivity with Zerubbabel. Second Esdras 5:29 reads Javan.

Lebanon

(white) (Isa 33:9) - an elevated mountain chain in northern Palestine, on the border between Judea and Syria, extending eastward from Acre (Judg 3:3) to the entrance of Hamath (Amos 6:14). Its name probably comes from the snow that continually lies upon the summits. The range extends more than one hundred English miles and is about twenty miles wide; its highest peak rises about ten thousand feet above sea level. The Litani divides the chain into two parts.

Lebaoth

(lionesses) (Josh 15:32) - a town originally allotted to Judah, afterward assigned to Simeon under the name Beth-lebaoth (Josh 19:6), and apparently identical with Beth-biri in the parallel list (1 Chr 4:31). Nothing further was known of it.

Lebonah Lebona

(frankincense) (Judg 21:19) - a town mentioned only once, near Shiloh on the road from Bethel to Shechem. It was identified with the village Lubban, about halfway between Bethel and Shechem.

Lecah Lechab

(journeying) (1 Chr 4:21) - son of Er, a descendant of Shelah of Judah.

Legion

(Matt 26:53) - a division of the Roman army containing six or seven thousand men; originally it numbered 6,200 infantry and 730 cavalry. Its size varied at different times. Rabbinic writers used legion for an indefinite multitude. The demons driven from the possessed man in the country of the Gadarenes said their name was Legion, because they were many (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30), and the Lord Jesus spoke of twelve legions of angels as an innumerable and irresistible power (Matt 26:53).

Lehabim Enemetiim

(flames, or perhaps fiery) (Gen 10:13; 1 Chr 1:11) - a people descended from Mizraim son of Ham, generally understood as the Egyptian Libyans (2 Chr 12:3; 16:8) who lived along northern Africa from the Nile toward northern Algeria. The earliest classical mention of Libya is in Homer's Odyssey (book 4.85). The country's immense extent and the scant knowledge of its interior explain why all Africa was sometimes called Libya, though some believed the name originally applied to a smaller territory.

Lehi

(jawbone) (Judg 15:9-19) - the place so named because Samson there struck down a thousand Philistines with an ass's jawbone. It was also called Ramath-lehi, or the casting away of the jawbone. In answer to Samson's prayer, 'God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout' (v. 19), and he revived after his heroic exploit.

Lemuel

(devoted to God) (Prov 31:1, 4) - a king named only in this passage, to whom his mother's moral instruction is addressed. His identity is unknown. Her counsel begins: 'What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?' She warns him not to give his strength to women or his ways to those who destroy kings, and not to forget the law through drink, but to give strong drink to the perishing and wine to the bitter in soul. The chapter continues with praise of the virtuous woman, whose price is far above rubies.

Lentils

(Gen. 25:34; 2 Sam. 17:28; 23:11; Ezek. 4:9)—a pulse widely grown in the biblical world. Lentils were cooked as stew, ground into flour, and mixed into bread. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for bread and red lentil stew (Gen. 25:30, 34). Lentils were also supplied to David at Mahanaim during his flight from Absalom.

Leopard

- see Panther.

Leprosy and the Leper

(Lev. 13:41; Matt. 8:2; Mark 1:40; Luke 17:12–19 and elsewhere). The source describes leprosy as a most terrible and repellent disease, a “stroke” or “plague” sent by the Lord. In many cases it begins internally and may remain hidden for years before appearing outwardly; the sufferer may then languish for many years before death.

Lepton

(Mark 12:42)—a very small Greek bronze coin. The poor widow placed two lepta in the Temple treasury, and Mark explains that together they equaled one Roman quadrans. Jesus praised not the monetary amount but her complete self-offering from poverty.

Letaah

(Lev 11:30) - a small lizard about the thickness of a finger, of the gecko family, classed as unclean under the Mosaic law. Following Forskal, the source describes it as very poisonous, slimy, and so adhesive that it seems to cling to the ground. It lives near houses and among ruins in Egypt.

Letushim Latusians

(struck, or sharp) (Gen 25:3) - an Arabian tribe descended from Dedan, son of Jokshan, son of Abraham by Keturah. The source associated their descendants with the Beni-Mali tribe in the Hejaz, four days' journey south of Mecca.

Levi

(attachment) - the name of the following persons:

Leviathan

- see Crocodile.

Levirate Marriage

(Deut. 25:5–10)—the duty of a man to marry the childless widow of his deceased brother when the brothers had shared a household. The first son born from the union was reckoned to continue the dead brother’s name in Israel. If the surviving brother refused, the widow brought the matter before the elders; after his refusal was confirmed, she removed his sandal and publicly reproached him, and his household received a name of disgrace.

Levis

(2 Esdras 9:14) - one of those who helped investigate the men who had married foreign wives.

Levites

(Exod 4:14) - in a broad sense, all descendants of Levi. After one family of Levi's tribe was set apart for priestly duties, however, its members differed in both name and office from their brethren; hence the expression 'priests and Levites' (1 Kgs 8:4; John 1:19). The establishment of priests and Levites gave the political and religious life of the Hebrews a distinctive form throughout their national history. Exodus 32:25-29 describes the circumstances. When Moses descended Sinai with the tablets and saw Israel worshiping the golden calf, he stood at the camp gate and said, 'Who is on the LORD's side?

let him come unto me.' All the sons of Levi gathered to him (v. 26). At his command they struck those who had participated in the idolatry, and about three thousand fell that day.

Leviticus

—consisting of twenty-seven chapters, it contains the laws relating to the rites of Hebrew worship and feasts; it partly contains a continuation of the history of the wandering of the Hebrews.

Libertines

(freedmen) (Acts 6:9) - Jews captured by the Romans in war, especially under Pompey, enslaved, and afterward freed. They had a synagogue of their own in Jerusalem, where Lightfoot said there were four to five hundred synagogues; their assemblies were therefore called synagogues of the Libertines. Some of them joined others in an ill-disposed dispute with Stephen the archdeacon, ending in his martyrdom. 'Certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, arose, disputing with Stephen' (Acts 6:9). Tacitus reports that four thousand freedmen of Egyptian and Jewish origin were transported to Sardinia and the rest expelled from Italy in AD 19 (Annals 2.85).

Libnah

(white) - the name of two places:

Libni

(whiteness) - the name of two persons:

Libya and Libyans

(inhabitants of a sun-scorched land) (Acts 2:10; Jer 46:9) - in antiquity the Greeks sometimes used Libya for all Africa, but properly it meant only the part west of Egypt on the southern Mediterranean coast. Geographers commonly called it Cyrenaican Libya after its chief city, Cyrene. In the Old Testament it was known as Lubim or Lehabim, from which the source supposes its later name derived. Among those who witnessed the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Acts 2:10 names Libyans together with Egyptians.

Life everlasting.

See Eternity.

Light

(Gen. 1:3)—that which makes vision possible and, in physical terms, electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye. Light travels in a vacuum at approximately 299,792 kilometers per second and does not require the “luminiferous ether” proposed by some nineteenth-century theories. Genesis first records God’s command, “Let there be light,” and only later describes the luminaries appointed to govern day and night (Gen. 1:3-5, 14-18). The passage presents light and the heavenly bodies as creatures ordered by God, not divine beings.

Lightning

—a physical phenomenon well known to everyone, especially in the East, and frequently mentioned in Holy Scripture, now as a symbol of the judgment and wrath of God upon the impious (Ps. 97:4), now as an image of extraordinary illuminating light (Matt. 28:3), now as a likeness of extraordinary penetrating swiftness. “For as the lightning cometh out of the east,” says the Savior of His second coming, “and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:27).

Likhi Lakim

(learned) (1 Chr 7:19) - a Manassite, son of Shemida.

Lily

(Matt 6:28-29; Luke 12:27) - a very beautiful and fragrant bulbous plant. Palestine's meadows abound in many lovely, aromatic flowers. The Lord Himself praises the lily's beauty above all Solomon's splendid clothing: 'Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these' (Matt 6:28-29). Field lilies commonly bloom in Galilee in April and May, the season in which the source supposes the Sermon on the Mount was delivered.

Lime

(Gen 11:3, Deut 27:2, 4, Amos 2:1, Dan 5:5 and elsewhere) is obtained from limestone and chalk deposits, of which there is a great abundance everywhere, including in Palestine. As is known, all of Jerusalem stands upon hills of limestone formation. Lime has been known to men since the most ancient times. Mixed with sand it soon came to be preferred over all other mortars and cements, and already from the time of Moses it was used as a good building material for plastering the walls and ceilings of houses and temples. Testimony of this can be found in the citations given above.

Linus

(2 Tim 4:21) - according to tradition, one of the Seventy Apostles and, in ancient testimony, the first bishop of Rome, receiving the episcopate from Peter and Paul. He governed the Church for twelve years and died as a martyr under Nero. Anacletus succeeded him, followed by Clement of Rome. His commemorations are January 4 and November 5.

Lion

(Gen 49:9) - a familiar wild beast of prey requiring no minute description. Its majestic appearance, flowing mane, bristling brows, gleaming teeth, and fearless bearing form a striking sight. A lion may exceed eight English feet in length and stand more than four feet high; its hide is usually reddish brown. Its courage and fearlessness became proverbial. Lions once inhabited the marshy banks of the Jordan, though the river's annual floods drove them out and made them still fiercer and more daring (Jer 49:19).

Lithostrotos

- see Gabbatha.

Litra

(John 19:39)—a Roman pound, approximately 327 grams or 11.5 ounces. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred litrai for Jesus’ burial. It should not be equated exactly with a modern English or Russian pound.

Livestock, or Cattle

(Gen. 1:25)—in ordinary biblical usage, domestic four-footed animals such as oxen, horses, sheep, and goats. Herds and flocks formed a principal measure of wealth in the pastoral East. Job possessed thousands of sheep, camels, oxen, and donkeys (Job 1:3), and livestock was frequently exchanged as a gift (Gen. 20:14; 21:27). Abraham and Lot had such numerous herds that the land could not sustain them together. The hill country and valleys of Judea provided abundant pasture, and owners often tended their animals personally rather than treating shepherding as beneath their rank.

Lizard

(Lev. 11:29)—one of the small land creatures declared unclean under the law of Moses. The exact Hebrew species is uncertain, and the biblical list may include more than one kind of lizard. Lizards are reptiles found in many regions; many feed chiefly on insects, and some use a long, mobile tongue to seize prey. The source includes the chameleon, whose coloration can change with light, temperature, mood, and surroundings, though not simply to match any background.

Lo-ammi Not

(not my people) (Hos 1:9) - the symbolic name given to Hosea's son born of his unfaithful wife.

Lo-debar

(without pasture, a barren place) (2 Sam 9:4-5) - a city of Gilead east of the Jordan, where Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, hid until David summoned him (2 Sam 9:4-5). Machir of Lo-debar brought provisions to David at Mahanaim (2 Sam 17:27). Some equated Lo-debar with Debir in Joshua 13:26, but the source calls this groundless conjecture. Its precise location remained unknown.

Lo-ruhamah Unpitied

(not pitied) (Hos 1:6) - the symbolic name given by God's command to Hosea's daughter by his unfaithful wife, signifying to Israel that the Lord would no longer show mercy or spare the people because they had departed from Him.

Lock

(Song 5:5)—a device for securing a door. Ancient locks commonly used wooden or metal bolts moved by a large key inserted through an opening; heavier bronze bars protected city gates and fortresses (1 Kings 4:13; Isa. 45:2). Smaller household doors used simpler bolts. See Key.

Locust

(Nah. 3:15; Matt. 3:4; Rev. 9:3, 7 and elsewhere)—a jumping, herbivorous insect of the order Orthoptera. It multiplies in countless numbers, is extraordinarily voracious, and is therefore regarded as one of the most terrible scourges of God in the East. The eighth plague sent upon Pharaoh king of Egypt came in the form of locusts (Exod. 10:4–15; Ps. 78:46). “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands” (Prov. 30:27), while Revelation compares them to horses prepared for battle (Rev. 9:7). Scripture often presents them as a particular instrument of divine wrath (Deut. 28:38–42; 1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chron. 6:28).

Locusts (Acridae)

(Matt. 3:4)—the food of John the Baptist in the wilderness. Locusts belonged to the winged creatures permitted as food under the law of Moses (Lev. 11:21-22). They have long been eaten in parts of the Near East, roasted, dried, or otherwise prepared. The source correctly understands the word as the insect rather than the fruit sometimes called “locust beans.” See Locust.

Lod

- see Lydda.

Log

(Lev 14:10 and elsewhere) - see Measures of capacity.

Lohesh

(enchanter) (Neh 10:24) - one of the leaders of Israel in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah after the Jews returned from Babylon.

Lois

(2 Tim 1:5) - Timothy's grandmother, in whom, as Paul says, unfeigned faith dwelt.

Lord of Hosts, Lord of Powers, Lord of Armies.

A Hebrew phrase, frequently found in the Old Testament (Ps. 59 [58]:6 [as given]; Isa. 5:7; Jer. 2:19, and elsewhere), and only twice in the New Testament (Rom. 9:29; James 5:4). The word “Sabaoth,” that is, Lord of Hosts, in the opinion of some, refers to God as the Supreme Commander of the angels; in the opinion of others, it indicates in Him the Supreme Master of the armies of the people of Israel. But more probably this name is given to the Lord in the sense of His omnipotence and His special providence over the world and mankind.

Lot

(covering, veil) (Gen 11:27; 2 Pet 2:7-8; Luke 17:28-29) - son of Haran and nephew of Abraham. Apart from Sarah, Lot was the only relative who accompanied Abraham to Canaan. He lived for a time with his uncle until disputes arose between their herdsmen concerning pasture. Recognizing the need to separate, Abraham selflessly gave Lot the first choice: 'Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left' (Gen 13:9).

Lot.

The custom of deciding disputed and doubtful matters by lot is mentioned from the most ancient times and was in almost universal use. The Jews regarded this as a direct appeal for a decision from the Almighty (Prov. 16:33), and therefore resorted to it only in important and extreme cases. By lot, for example, it was decided which of the two goats on the Day of Atonement should be offered in sacrifice, and which should be sent away as the scapegoat into the wilderness (Lev. 16:8).

The land of Canaan was divided among the twelve tribes, and it was decided by lot to whom each portion should belong (Num. 33:54; and elsewhere). From this latter citation of the book of Proverbs it appears that the lot was used in courts of judgment in Solomon’s time, though probably only by mutual agreement of the disputing parties. The Apostle Matthias was chosen by lot to take the place of the fallen Judas (Acts 1:15–26). Haman likewise appointed the day for the destruction of the Jews by lot (Esth. 3:7).

“They that crucified our Lord,” relates the holy Evangelist Matthew, “parted his garments, casting lots” (27:35). How lots were cast or drawn, Holy Scripture does not say. Solomon speaks of the lot cast “into the lap” (of a garment), but the word “lap” may also mean a vessel or urn. In all likelihood, dice were cast into some vessel, which was then shaken, and one or another of them was thrown out.

Lot's wife

(Luke 17:31-32) - 'Remember Lot's wife,' the Lord said in a discourse concerning Jerusalem's destruction and the end of the world. Her transformation into a pillar of salt was a special divine punishment for transgression. Metropolitan Philaret explains that her sin consisted not merely in looking at Sodom but in disobeying God's command and clinging to the dwelling place of corruption.

Lotan

(covering, concealment) (Gen 36:20) - one of the sons of Seir the Horite, among the chiefs of the Horites who lived near Edom.

Love

(1 Cor 13; Matt 22:36-40) - the commandments of the Lord were divided between two tablets because they contain two forms of love, love toward God and love toward one's neighbor, and therefore prescribe two kinds of duty. When a Pharisee, a lawyer, asked which commandment was greatest, Jesus answered: 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets' (Matt 22:37-40).

Lovna

(2 Chr 36:2) - the native place of Hamutal, mother of Jehoahaz king of Judah and son of Josiah; the biblical place is ordinarily called Libnah.

Lozon

(2 Esdras 5:33) - one of the descendants of Solomon's servants. Ezra 2:56 and Nehemiah 7:59 read Darkon.

Lucius

(1 Macc 15:16), also called Lusius - the Roman consul who, after an embassy from the high priest Simon to the Roman senate, wrote to Ptolemy Euergetes king of Egypt, Demetrius Nicator king of Syria, and others, directing that they neither harm the Jews nor make war against them. The source places his consulship in Seleucid years 173-174, or about 139-140 BC.

Lucius

(Acts 13:1) - a common Roman name. Acts mentions Lucius of Cyrene among the teachers and prophets at Antioch. Romans 16:21 names a Lucius, one of Paul's kinsmen, who joins in greeting the Romans. The first Lucius was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and became bishop of Laodicea in Syria. His commemorations are January 4 and September 10.

Lud

(Gen 10:22) - a word of uncertain meaning, the name of a son of Shem whom some regarded as ancestor of the Lydians of Asia Minor.

Ludim Mesrain Ludiim

(Judith 2:23) - understood as Libyans, a people living in Africa.

Luhith

(made of boards) (Isa 15:5; Jer 48:5) - a town or village in Moab. The expression 'the going up of Luhith' in both passages undoubtedly refers to this place, probably east or southeast of the Dead Sea, though its location was entirely unknown.

Luke the Evangelist

- Luke is a shortened form of the Latin Lucanus, as Silas is of Silvanus. He wrote the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Acts does not name its author, but the Church's universal and continuous tradition from the beginning attributed the book to him. Eusebius and Jerome say that Luke was a native of Antioch. Paul calls him 'the beloved physician' (Col 4:14). His thorough knowledge of Jewish customs, mode of thought, and phrasing makes it possible that he had first been a Gentile proselyte to Judaism; yet his classical style and the purity of his Greek suggest more strongly that he was Greek rather than Jewish.

Lust

—a disordered desire that seeks pleasure, possession, or another person contrary to God’s will. Scripture can use “desire” neutrally or positively, so context determines whether the word is sinful; lust specifically names desire consented to and directed toward evil. James writes that a person is tempted when drawn away and enticed by one’s own desire, and that desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin (Jas. 1:14-15). The remedy is not hatred of the body but purification of desire through grace, chastity, self-control, and love.

Luz

(almond tree) - the name of two cities:

Lycaonia

(Acts 14:6-11) - an inland region of Asia Minor bordering Phrygia, Isauria, Cilicia, and Galatia. It was chiefly pastoral; its best-known cities were Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The Lycaonian speech mentioned in Acts 14:11 was thought to combine Assyrian or Syriac and Greek dialects, and many commentators regarded the Lycaonians themselves as a mixed people. The region's boundaries changed with political events, but its position and natural character never gave it a leading place in world history. Its soil was poor and better suited to grazing than to the development of settled civilization.

Lycia

(1 Macc 15:23; Acts 27:5) - a region of Asia Minor bounded by the Mediterranean on the south, Pisidia and Pamphylia on the east, Caria on the west, and Phrygia on the north. Patara (Acts 21:1) and Myra (Acts 27:5) were Lycian cities. Ancient writers and modern investigators testified that the region had once been flourishing and wealthy. It was mountainous, but naturally fertile and beautiful in many places. Some said it took its name from Lycus son of Pandion, though in ancient times it was called Milyas. Herodotus says that the Lycians were formerly known as Termilae and were celebrated by Tyrtaeus and other poets as skillful archers.

Lydda, or Lod

(contention) (1 Chr 8:12; 9:32) - a city near Joppa, on the road from Jerusalem to Joppa, built or restored by descendants of Benjamin (1 Chr 8:12). Seven hundred twenty-five people from Lydda, Hadid, and Ono returned from Babylonian captivity (Ezra 2:33) and repopulated Lod (Neh 11:35). Under Syrian rule it first belonged to Samaria, but Demetrius Soter afterward granted it to Judea under Jonathan (1 Macc 11:34). The Roman commander Cestius burned it (Josephus, Wars 2.19.1), but it was soon rebuilt and became the center of a celebrated Jewish school.

Lydia and the Lydians

- the name of a region and of a person:

Lye

(Jer. 2:22; Mal. 3:2)—a cleansing solution made from caustic salts, sometimes combined with oil. Through Isaiah the Lord says, “I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye, and remove all your alloy” (Isa. 1:25). Jeremiah declares that even if Jerusalem washed with lye and used much soap, her guilt would remain marked before the Lord (Jer. 2:22).

Lynx

(Slavonic Bible, Dan. 7:6)—the largest wild cat then reported in southern Europe and Asia. Its thick, long, yellowish coat is marked with reddish-brown spots. The proverbial expression “eyes of a lynx” denotes exceptionally keen sight. Like the leopard, it inhabits wooded and mountainous country, often sheltering in hollow trees. The source describes it as fiercely predatory and repeats a natural-history report that it may kill as many as thirty sheep in a night. Most modern English Bibles render the animal in Daniel 7:6 as a leopard.

Lysanias

(Luke 3:1) - tetrarch of Abilene when St. John the Baptist began his ministry. See Abilene.

Lysias

- the name of two persons:

Lysimachus

- the name of two persons:

Lystra

(Acts 14:6, 8, 21; 2 Tim 3:11) - a city of Lycaonia visited three times by Paul. At Lystra, Paul and Barnabas were taken by pagans for the gods Jupiter and Mercury after the miraculous healing of a lame man. The people even wished to sacrifice to them, and the apostles could scarcely restrain this blasphemous intention. Soon afterward, with remarkable fickleness, the same inhabitants listened to unbelieving Jews and nearly stoned Paul to death; believing him dead, they dragged him outside the city (Acts 14:19-20).