in a literal and a figurative sense peace will exist between lions and domestic animals. Persons who may at one time have been of a beastly, animalistic, vicious disposition will be at peace with more docile fellow humans and will not seek to do them harm or injury.—Isa. 11:1-6; see BEASTS, SYMBOLIC.

LION’S PIT

The place of execution into which the prophet Daniel was thrown but from which he was later removed unharmed, having enjoyed angelic protection. (Dan. 6:7, 12, 13, 16-24) This pit had an opening that could be covered with a stone. (Dan. 6:17) It was evidently a sunken or underground place, for Daniel was “lifted up out of the pit.”—Dan. 6.23.

LIP

Being a part of the mouth and having much to do with formation of words, “lip” is used figuratively for speech or language (Prov. 14:3; 1 Cor. 14:21) and is occasionally used in parallelism with “tongue” (Ps. 34:13; Prov. 12:19) and with “mouth.” (Ps. 66:14; Prov. 18:7) Before the confusion of language at Babel, “all the earth continued to be of one language [literally, ‘lip’] and of one set of words.” (Gen. 11:1, 6-9; the same usage is employed at Psalm 81:5; Isaiah 19:18.) God promised through the prophet Zephaniah to give to peoples “the change to a pure language [lip],” evidently referring to the truth as revealed to his people through Jesus Christ.—Zeph. 3:9; compare Proverbs 12:19.

The lips are no sure index of what is in the heart, since they can be used by the individual to utter hypocritical speech. (Matt. 15:8) However, the lips cannot hide the true condition of the heart from God (Heb. 4:13), and they will eventually bring forth what is in the heart.—Prov. 26:23-26; Matt. 12:34.

Moses wanted to excuse himself from speaking before Pharaoh because he was “uncircumcised in lips,” that is, as though his lips had a foreskin over them and hence were too long and thick to utter speech with ease. He may have had some sort of speech impediment. (Ex. 6:12, 30) Isaiah, when called by Jehovah, wished to serve, but lamented that he was “undone” because he, a man unclean in lips, had seen Jehovah in vision, and he was unfit to carry God’s clean message. Jehovah then caused Isaiah’s lips to be cleansed.—Isa. 6:5-7; compare John 15:3; Isaiah 52:11; 2 Corinthians 6:17.

Hosea’s prophecy encouraged Israel to offer to Jehovah the “young bulls” of their lips, representing sacrifices of sincere praise. (Hos. 14:2) The Christian writer of the book of Hebrews alludes to this prophecy when he exhorts fellow believers to offer to God “a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to his name.”—Heb. 13:15.

Figuratively, “a smooth lip” denotes deceptive speech. (Ps. 12:2, 3 Such lips, as well as harsh or lying ones, can be damaging, wounding deeply like a sword or poisoning like a viper. (Ps. 59:7; 140:3; Rom. 3:13) A person “opening wide his lips” is one who speaks thoughtlessly or unwisely. (Prov. 13:3) It can bring him to ruin, for God holds everyone accountable for his words.—Deut. 23:23; Num. 30:6-8; Prov. 12:13; compare Job 2:10; Matthew 12:36, 37.

LIQUOR, INTOXICATING

See WINE AND STRONG DRINK.

LITTER

A portable couch or bed usually covered with a canopy and curtained in on the sides, designed so that a person of importance, either seated or reclined, can be carried about by men or beasts of burden; a palanquin as used in the Orient. The royal litter of King Solomon was made of Lebanese cedarwood, with silver pillars and supports of gold, and with the seat or cushion upholstered in costly and beautiful wool dyed reddish purple. The interior was richly ornamented, possibly with ebony wood.—Song of Sol. 3:7-10.

A portable funeral couch for transporting the remains of the dead was known as a so·rosʹ or bier.—Luke 7:14.

LIVER

The Hebrew Scriptures use the word most frequently with reference to the livers of animals prepared by the Israelites for sacrifice. (Ex. 29:13, 22; Lev. 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9) It was “the appendage upon the liver” that was made to smoke on the altar. The work Commentaries on the Old Testament, by Keil and Delitzsch, “Pentateuch,” Volume II, page 300, describes this portion of the liver as “the liver-net, or stomach-net, . . . which commences at the division between the right and left lobes of the liver, and stretches on the one side across the stomach, and on the other side to the region of the kidneys. . . . This smaller net is delicate, but not so fat as the larger net; though it still forms part of the fat portions.” It is defined in Pentateuch with Rashi’s Commentary, “Leviticus,” page 9, as “the protecting wall (membrane) over the liver.”

King Solomon’s account of the inexperienced youth who succumbs to the enticement of the immoral woman concludes: “All of a sudden he is going after her, . . . until an arrow cleaves open his liver, . . . and he has not known that it involves his very soul.” (Prov. 7:21-23) This is a very appropriate description, for medical doctors have found that the tiny corkscrewlike organisms associated with the crippling, death-dealing venereal disease called syphilis are frequently detected in great numbers in the liver cells (although also found in other tissues). This is true especially in the more advanced stages of the disease. Similarly, the organism (gonococcus) responsible for gonorrhea, another venereal disease, gets into the lining membrane of the liver. The liver’s vital role to life is recognized in figurative use in depicting profound sorrow.—Lam. 2:11.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, when looking for guidance as to his military maneuvers, “looked into the liver” as a form of divination.—Ezek. 21:21; see DIVINATION.

LIZARD

[Heb., tsav].

The Hebrew name for this creature, included among the unclean “swarming creatures” at Leviticus 11:29, appears to be derived from a root meaning “to cleave to the ground.” The Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Brown, Driver and Briggs (p. 839) suggests “lizard” as the translation. Lizards are four-legged reptiles, generally small, with long tails and scaly skin. The lizard’s legs are attached far enough out at the sides to enable it to rest its belly on the ground without folding its feet under it. More than forty kinds are found in Palestine. They are to be found in trees, in warm crevices of rocks and on walls and ceilings in homes.—See CHAMELEON; GECKO; SAND LIZARD.

Lexicons generally suggest that the Hebrew word koʹahh also refers to a kind of lizard. Since the root meaning of the name is “power” or “strength,” it may refer to the monitor lizard, a powerful, large lizard. It inhabits dry, sandy desert areas. In Palestine this lizard reaches a length of about four feet (1.2 meters). It is an eater of carrion, and is on the list of “unclean” foods.—Lev. 11:29, 30.

Another creature listed as unclean for Israelite use as food is referred to by the Hebrew word