Situated as it was on an eminence, the palace’s location was lofty and magnificent, like Lebanon. Also, cedarwood had been used extensively in the construction of the various royal edifices there. (1Ki. 7:2-12) King Jehoiakim, who heard the words recorded at Jeremiah 22:6, had himself used cedar paneling for his luxurious palace. (Jer. 22:13-15) Therefore, the palace area was like a magnificent forest of cedar buildings and could appropriately be compared to Lebanon and heavily wooded Gilead. Jehovah warned Judah that, if King Jehoiakim, his servants and the people did not render justice, the ‘house would become a mere devastation’ (Jer. 22:1-5) and those dwelling in figurative Lebanon (Jerusalem), “being nested in the cedars,” would experience calamity.—Jer. 22:23; see also Ezekiel 17:2, 3.

Similarly, the desire of Assyrian King Sennacherib to “ascend the height of mountainous regions, the remotest parts of Lebanon” and to “cut down its lofty cedars” appears to allude to his intentions concerning Jerusalem. (Isa. 37:21-24) The prophetic words regarding the violence done to Lebanon (Hab. 2:17) may refer to calamity in store for Jerusalem. Or, they are perhaps to be understood literally as denoting the depletion of Lebanon’s forests through the ravages of war.—Compare Isaiah 14:5-8.

Zechariah’s prophecy (10:10) pointed to the time when Jehovah would bring his people back to the land of Gilead and Lebanon. In this case Lebanon may refer to the territory W of the Jordan, as Gilead designates the land E of the Jordan.

LEBAOTH

(Le·baʹoth) [lionesses].

A city in the southern part of the territory of Judah (Josh. 15:21, 32), apparently also called Beth-lebaoth and assigned as such to the tribe of Simeon.—Josh. 19:1, 2, 6; see BETH-LEBAOTH.

LEB-KAMAI

(Leb-kaʹmai) [the heart of those rising up against me].

A note in the margin of the Hebrew Masoretic text holds that this is a cryptographical name for Chaldea or Kas·dimʹ. It appears only at Jeremiah 51:1, in a statement regarding what Jehovah would do to Babylon and the inhabitants of Chaldea. The term is employed there in keeping with a system called athbash, in which the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet (taw) represents the first letter thereof (ʼaʹleph), the second-last letter (shin) represents the second (behth), and so forth. Hence, at Jeremiah 51:1 the real name (Kas·dimʹ) is disguised by forming the Hebrew word Lev qa·mayʹ (Leb-kamai). For “Leb-kamai” the Septuagint Version has “the Chaldeans” and the Targums read “the land of the Chaldeans.”

LEBONAH

(Le·boʹnah) [frankincense].

A place mentioned as a reference point in connection with the location of Shiloh. (Judg. 21:19) It is generally identified with modern Lubban, some three miles (5 kilometers) W-NW of the suggested site of Shiloh. However, the Bible’s placing of Shiloh “toward the south of Lebonah” may indicate that originally the city was farther E than this suggested site.

LECAH

(Leʹcah) [meaning uncertain].

Probably a descendant of Judah through Er. (1 Chron. 4:21) On the basis of the context, it has been suggested that Lecah was a village, but the location of such a place is unknown.

LEECH

A bloodsucking worm with a flat, segmented body that tapers at both ends but is broadest toward the posterior part. Leeches measure from about a half inch (1.3 centimeters) to three or four inches (7.6 or 10.2 centimeters) in length. Leeches have a disk or sucker at each end of the body, the one at the head end being equipped with biting jaws. They are bisexual, that is, both sexes are present in a single creature. Most leeches live in fresh water, but there are also marine and terrestrial varieties.

Leeches are found in great numbers in many streams and rivers of the Middle East. They present not only an annoyance but also a danger to swimmers and to men and animals that might drink from leech-infested waters. The young of one variety, when swallowed with the drinking water, attach themselves to the nasal cavities, larynx or the epiglottis of their host. They grow rapidly and are not easily removed. Their presence can hinder breathing and this, as well as loss of blood, sometimes proves fatal to the victim.

Sole mention is made of the leech at Proverbs 30:15, where the reference is to insatiable greed, it being stated that “the leeches have two daughters that cry: ‘Give! Give!’” Bible commentator Cook suggests that the leech’s greed is here viewed as its ‘daughter,’ spoken of in the plural to express intensity. Others consider the “two daughters” as referring to the two lips of its bloodsucking disk. A leech may consume about three times its own weight in blood, a strong anticoagulant in its saliva ensuring a continuous flow from the victim.

LEEK

One of the items of diet for which the mixed crowd and the Israelites longed while in the wilderness. (Num. 11:4, 5) The Hebrew word hha·tsirʹ, rendered “leeks” in this text, is elsewhere generally translated “grass” or “green grass.” However, there is a valid basis for making an exception at Numbers 11:5, the rendering of “leeks” here being supported by such ancient versions as the Septuagint, the Peshitta and the Vulgate. This item of diet is listed along with onions and garlic, specific plant foods very similar to leeks, indicating that a definite vegetable, rather than grass in general, is meant. Also, from ancient times leeks have enjoyed great popularity in Egypt and are still commonly eaten there as well as in Palestine.

The leek is much like the onion but is distinguished from the latter by its milder flavor, slender cylindrical bulb and juicy, grasslike leaves measuring about an inch (c. 2.5 centimeters) in width. The flower stem, terminating in a large compact ball of flowers, may attain a height of about two feet (c. .6 meter). The bulbs and leaves of this biennial plant are cooked as a vegetable and used as a seasoning; they are also eaten raw.

[Picture on page 1052]

The slender, cylindrical bulb of the leek distinguishes it from the onion

LEG

In connection with the installation of the priesthood, the right leg of the “ram of the installation” constituted a part of the “wave offering.” (Lev. 8:22, 25-27) In certain sacrifices, the right hind leg, evidently the choice upper part of it, also was given as a sacred portion to the officiating priest. (Lev. 7:32-34; 10:12, 14, 15) The front leg, the “shoulder” (literally, “arm”) or “shoulder blade,” is also mentioned as a portion for the priests, at Numbers 6:19 and Deuteronomy 18:3.

Insects having “leaper legs” were the only winged swarming creatures designated by the Law as clean for food.—Lev. 11:21.

Jehovah prophetically told Babylon: “Strip off the flowing skirt. Uncover the leg. Cross over the rivers.” (Isa. 47:1, 2) Instead of being a pampered queen who is served, she figuratively had to uncover her legs to the hip to wade barefoot as a captive across the rivers through which her conquerors would drag her.

Legs were also used figuratively to represent mightiness or human swiftness and power. At Psalm 147:10 we read: “Not in the mightiness of the horse does [Jehovah] take delight, nor in the legs of the man does he find pleasure.” At Proverbs 26:7 lame legs are referred to as a symbol of uselessness or incapacity.