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 carri…
Libertines,
LIB'ERTINES, mentioned only in Acts 6:9, were Jews who, having been taken prisoners in the Syrian wars, were carried to Rome and reduced to slavery, but afterward emancipated. That their number was c…
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 beca…
Libni
White, one of the two sons of Gershon, the son of Levi (Ex. 6:17; Num. 3:18, 21). (See LAADAN.)
Libnites
LIB'NITES, the descendants of Libni, the eldest son of Gershon. Num 3:21; Num 26:58.
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.
LICE. Ex 8:16. These parasitic insects are still a pest in the Nile valley. Herodotus tells us that the ancient Egyptians peculiarly abhorred such vermin, and were taught by their priests that contac…
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. 1…
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.”
Lieutenants,
LIEUTEN'ANTS, the general name of the satraps or viceroy's of the provinces of the Persian empire, Ezr 8:36; called princes in Dan 3:2; Gen 6:1, etc.
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, …
Light.
LIGHT. By an easy transition from the physical to the moral sphere, light is used in Scripture in numerous figurative expressions imaging forth the mysteries of the spiritual world. Not only are chee…
Lightening
LIGHTENING. The terrors of the divine wrath are often represented by thunder and lightning; and thunder, on account of its awful impression on the minds of mortals, is often spoken of in Scripture as…
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 G…
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).
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.), othe…
Likhi
(learned), a Manassite, son of Shemidah the son of Manasseh. (1 Chronicles 7:19)
Liking
LIK'ING, as a noun, means "condition." and as a participle "conditioned." Job 39:4; Dan 1:10.
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,…
Lime,
LIME, a well-known substance obtained by burning limestone, bones, shells, etc., and used for plaster or the cement of brick-work. Deut 27:2; Isa 33:12. It is inferred from the above passage, and fro…
Lineage
LIN'EAGE, family or race. Luke 2:4.
Linen,
LIN'EN, a cloth made of flax. It was much valued and used in ancient as it is in modern times. Fine white linen is in Scripture the emblem of innocence or moral purity. Rev 15:6, though it is also me…
Linen-yarn
(See YARN.)
Lines.
LINES. This expression refers to the mode of measuring land with a cord or line, Am 7:17; Zech 1:16; Zech 2:1-2, and came thus to denote a definite allotment of real estate, an inheritance. Ps 16:6.
Lintel,
LIN'TEL, the head-piece of a doorframe, by which the superimposed mass is supported. The Hebrews were commanded to strike blood upon it on the Passover night. Ex 12:22.
Linus,
LI'NUS, a Christian of Rome, a friend of St. Paul and Timothy, 2 Tim 4:21, and, according to tradition, the first bishop of Rome after Peter.
Lion.
LI'ON. This animal was found in Palestine as late as the twelfth century, but has disappeared with the forests. Doubtless it was of the Asiatic species, with a short curly mane, smaller, more compact…
Lions
The most powerful of all carnivorous animals. Although not now found in Palestine, they must have been in ancient times very numerous there. They had their lairs in the forests (Jer. 5:6; 12:8; Amos …
Lip
Besides its literal sense (Isa. 37:29, etc.), is used in the original (saphah) metaphorically for an edge or border, as of a cup (1 Kings 7:26), a garment (Ex. 28:32), a curtain (26:4), the sea (Gen.…
Lips
LIPS. This word has various peculiar significations in the Scriptures. Unclean lips, Isa 6:5, are lips polluted by sinful words; calves of our lips, Hos 14:2, sacrifices of praise; burning lips, Prov…