Lot — Lystra
Lot (veil or covering), the son of Haran, and therefore the nephew of Abraham. Genesis 11:27, Genesis 11:31. (b.c. before 1926–1898.) His sisters were Milcah the wife of Nahor, and Iscah, by some identified with Sarah. Haran died before the emigration of Terah and his family from Ur of the Chaldees, ver. Genesis 11:28, and Lot was therefore born there. He removed with the rest of his kindred to Charran, and again subsequently with Abraham and Sarai to Canaan. ch. Genesis 12:5. With them he took refuge in Egypt from a famine, and with them returned, first to the “south,” ch. Genesis 13:1, and then to their original settlement between Bethel and Ai. vs. Genesis 13:4. But the pastures of the hills of Bethel, which had with ease contained the two strangers on their first arrival, were not able any longer to bear them, so much had their possessions of sheep, goats, and cattle increased. Accordingly they separated, Lot choosing the fertile plain of the Jordan, and advancing as far as Sodom. Genesis 13:10-14. The next occurrence in the life of Lot is his capture by the four kings of the east and his rescue by Abram. ch. Genesis 14. The last scene preserved to us in the history of Lot is too well known to need repetition. He was still living in Sodom, Genesis 19, from which he was rescued by some angels on the day of its final overthrow. He fled first to Zoar, in which he found a temporary refuge during the destruction of the other cities of the plain. Where this place was situated is not known with certainty. [ZOAR.] The end of Lot’s wife is commonly treated as one of the difficulties of the Bible; but it surely need not be so. It cannot be necessary to create the details of the story where none are given. On these points the record is silent. The value and the significance of the story to us are contained in the allusion of Christ. Luke 17:32. Later ages have not been satisfied so to leave the matter, but have insisted on identifying the “pillar” with some one of the fleeting forms which the perishable rock of the south end of the Dead Sea is constantly assuming in its process of decomposition and liquefaction. From the incestuous intercourse between Lot and his two daughters sprang the nations of Moab and Ammon.SBD Lot.2
Lot (literally a pebble). The custom of deciding doubtful questions by lot is one of great extent and high antiquity. Among the Jews lots were used with the expectation that God would so control them as to give a right direction to them. They were very often used by God’s appointment. “As to the mode of casting lots, we have no certain information. Probably several modes were practiced.” “Very commonly among the Latins little counters of wood were put into a jar with so narrow a neck that only one could come out at a time. After the jar had been filled with water and the contents shaken, the lots were determined by the order in which the bits of wood, representing the several parties, came out with the water. In other cases they were put into a wide open jar, and the counters were drawn out by the hand. Sometimes again they were cast in the manner of dice. The soldiers who cast lots for Christ’s garments undoubtedly used these dice.”—Lyman Abbott.SBD Lot.2
Lo’tan (covering), the eldest son of Seir the Horite. Genesis 36:20, Genesis 36:22, Genesis 36:29; 1 Chronicles 1:38, 1 Chronicles 1:39.SBD Lotan.2
Lots, Feast of. [PURIM.]SBD Lots Feast of.2
Love feasts (Agap̈), 2 Peter 2:13; Jude 12, an entertainment in which the poorer members of the church partook, furnished from the contributions of Christians resorting to the eucharistic celebration, but whether before or after may be doubted. The true account of the matter is probably that given by Chrysostom, who says that after the early community of goods had ceased the richer members brought to the church contributions of food and drink, of which, after the conclusion of the services and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, all partok together, by this means helping to promote the principle of love among Christians. The intimate connection, especially in early times, between the Eucharist itself and the love feasts has led some to speak of them as identical. The love feasts were forbidden to be held in churches by the Council of Laodicea, a.d. 320; but in some form or other they continued to a much later period.SBD Love feasts.2
Lu’bim (dwellers in a thirsty land), a nation mentioned as contributing, together with Cushites and Sukkiim, to Shishak’s army, 2 Chronicles 12:3; and apparently as forming with Cushites the bulk of Zerah’s army, 2 Chronicles 16:8, spoken of by Nahum, ch. 2 Chronicles 3:9, with Put or Phut, as helping No-amon (Thebes), of which Cush and Egypt were the strength. Upon the Egyptian monuments we find representations of a people called Rebu or Lebu, who correspond to the Lubim, and who may be placed on the African coast to the westward of Egypt, perhaps extending far beyond the Cyrenaica.SBD Lubim.2
Lu’cas. Philemon 24. [LUKE.]SBD Lucas.2
Lu’cifer (light-bearer), found in Isaiah 14:12, coupled with the epithet “son of the morning,” clearly signifies a “bright star,” and probably what we call the morning star. In this passage it is a symbolical representation of the king of Babylon in his splendor and in his fall. Its application, from St. Jerome downward, to Satan in his fall from heaven arises probably from the fact that the Babylonian empire is in Scripture represented as the type of tyrannical and self-idolizing power, and especially connected with the empire of the Evil One in the Apocalypse.SBD Lucifer.2
Lu’cius.SBD Lucius.2
1. A kinsman or fellow tribesman of St. Paul, Romans 16:21, by whom he is said by tradition to have been ordained bishop of the church of Cenchreæ. He is thought by some to be the same with Lucius of Cyrene.SBD Lucius.3
2. Lucius of Cyrene is first mentioned in the New Testament in company with Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Manaen and Saul, who are described as prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch. Acts 13:1. Whether Lucius was one of the seventy disciples is quite a matter of conjecture; but it is highly probable that he formed one of the congregation to whom St. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:10; and there can hardly be a doubt that he was one of “the men of Cyrene” who, being “scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen,” went to Antioch preaching the Lord Jesus. Acts 11:19, Acts 11:20.SBD Lucius.4
Lud (strife), the fourth name in the list of the children of Shem, Genesis 10:22; comp. 1 Chronicles 1:17, supposed to have been the ancestor of the Lydians.SBD Lud.2
Lu’dim (strife), Genesis 10:13; 1 Chronicles 1:11, a Mizraite people or tribe, descended from Ludim the son of Mizraim; also called Lydians. It is probable that the Ludim were settled to the west of Egypt, perhaps farther than any other Mizraite tribe. Lud and the Ludim are mentioned in four passages of the prophets—Isaiah 66:19; Jeremiah 46:9; Ezekiel 27:10; Ezekiel 38:5. There can be no doubt that but one nation is intended in these passages, and it seems that the preponderance of evidence is in favor of the Mizraite Ludim.SBD Ludim.2
Lu’hith (made of tables or boards), The ascent of, a place in Moab, occurs only in Isaiah 15:5 and the parallel passage of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 48:5. In the days of Eusebius and Jerome it was still known, and stood between Areopolis (Rabbath-moab) and Zoar.SBD Luhith.2
Luke (light-giving), or Lu’cas, is an abbreviated form of Lucanus. It is not to be confounded with Lucius, Acts 13:1; Romans 16:21, which belongs to a different person. The name Luke occurs three times in the New Testament—Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24—and probably in all three the third evangelist is the person spoken of. Combining the traditional element with the scriptural, we are able to trace the following dim outline of the evangelist’s life: He was born at Antioch in Syria, and was taught the science of medicine. The well-known tradition that Luke was also a painter, and of no mean skill, rests on the authority of late writers. He was not born a Jew, for he is not reckoned among those “of the circumcision” by St. Paul. Comp. Colossians 4:11 with ver. Colossians 4:14. The date of his conversion is uncertain. He joined St. Paul at Troas, and shared his journey into Macedonia. The sudden transition to the first person plural in Acts 16:9 is most naturally explained, after all the objections that have been urged, by supposing that Luke, the writer of the Acts, formed one of St. Paul’s company from this point. As far as Philippi the evangelist journeyed with the apostle. The resumption of the third person on Paul’s departure from that place, Acts 17:1, would show that Luke was now left behind. During the rest of St. Paul’s second missionary journey we hear of Luke no more; but on the third journey the same indication reminds us that Luke is again of the company, Acts 20:5, having joined it apparently at Philippi, where he had been left. With the apostle he passed through Miletus, Tyre, and Cæsarea to Jerusalem. ch. Acts 20:5; Acts 21:18. As to his age and death there is the utmost uncertainty. He probably died a martyr, between a.d. 75 and a.d. 100. He wrote the Gospel that bears his name, and also the book of Acts.SBD Luke.2
Luke, Gospel of. The third Gospel is ascribed, by the general consent of ancient Christendom, to “the beloved physician,” Luke, the friend and companion of the apostle Paul.SBD Luke Gospel of.2
1. Date of the Gospel of Luke.—From Acts 1:1 it is clear that the Gospel described as “the former treatise” was written before the Acts of the Apostles; but how much earlier is uncertain. Perhaps it was written at Cæsarea during St. Paul’s imprisonment there, a.d. 58–60. 2. Place where the Gospel was written.—If the time has been rightly indicated, the place would be Cæsarea. 3. Origin of the Gospel.—The preface, contained in the first four verses of the Gospel, describes the object of its writer. Here are several facts to be observed. There were many narratives of the life of our Lord current at the early time when Luke wrote his Gospel. The ground of fitness for the task St. Luke places in his having carefully followed out the whole course of events from the beginning. He does not claim the character of an eye-witness from the first; but possibly he may have been a witness of some part of our Lord’s doings. The ancient opinion that Luke wrote his Gospel under the influence of Paul rests on the authority of Irenæus, Tertullian, Origen, and Eusebius. The four verses could not have been put at the head of a history composed under the exclusive guidance of Paul or of any one apostle, and as little could they have introduced a gospel simply communicated by another. The truth seems to be that St. Luke, seeking information from every quarter, sought it from the preaching of his beloved master, St. Paul; and the apostle in his turn employed the knowledge acquired from other sources by his disciple. 4. Purpose for which the Gospel was written.—The evangelist professes to write that Theophilus “might know the certainty of those things wherein he had been instructed.” ch. Luke 1:4. This Theophilus was probably a native of Italy, and perhaps an inhabitant of Rome, for in tracing St. Paul’s journey to Rome, places which an Italian might be supposed not to know are described minutely, Acts 27:8, Acts 27:12, Acts 27:16; but when he comes to Sicily and Italy this is neglected. Hence it would appear that the person for whom Luke wrote in the first instance was a Gentile reader; and accordingly we find traces in the Gospel of a leaning toward Gentile rather than Jewish converts. 5. Language and style of the Gospel.—It has never been doubted that the Gospel was written in Greek. Whilst Hebraisms are frequent, classical idioms and Greek compound words abound, for which there is classical authority. (Prof. Gregory, in “Why Four Gospels,” says that Luke wrote for Greek readers, and therefore the character and needs of the Greeks furnish the key to this Gospel. The Greek was the representation of reason and humanity. He looked upon himself as having the mission of perfecting man. He was intellectual, cultured, not without hope of a higher world. Luke’s Gospel therefore presented the character and career of Christ as answering the conception of a perfect and divine humanity. Reason, beauty, righteousness, and truth are exhibited as they meet in Jesus in their full splendor. Jesus was the Saviour of all men, redeeming them to a perfect and cultured manhood.—Ed.)SBD Luke Gospel of.3
Lunatics (from the Latin Luna, the moon, because insane persons, especially those who had lucid intervals, were once supposed to be affected by the changes of the moon). This word is used twice in the New Testament—Matthew 4:24; Matthew 17:15. (Translated epileptic in the Revised Version.) It is evident that the word itself refers to some disease affecting both the body and the mind, which might or might not be a sign of possession. By the description of Mark 9:17-26 it is concluded that this disease was epilepsy.SBD Lunatics.2
Luz (almond tree). It seems impossible to discover with precision whether Luz and Bethel represent one and the same town—the former the Canaanite, the latter the Hebrew, name—or whether they were distinct places, though in close proximity. The most probable conclusion is that the two places were, during the times preceding the conquest, distinct, Luz being the city and Bethel the pillar and altar of Jacob; that after the destruction of Luz by the tribe of Ephraim the town of Bethel arose. When the original Luz was destroyed, through the treachery of one of its inhabitants, the man who had introduced the Israelites into the town went into the “land of the Hittites” and built a city, which he named after the former one. Judges 1:26. Its situation, as well as that of the “land of the Hittites,” has never been discovered, and is one of the favorite puzzles of Scripture geographers.SBD Luz.2
Lycao’nia (land of Lycanon, or wolfland), a district of Asia Minor. From what is said in Acts 14:11 of “the speech of Lycaonia,” it is evident that the inhabitants of the district, in St. Paul’s day, spoke something very different from ordinary Greek. Whether this language was some Syrian dialect or a corrupt form of Greek has been much debated. The fact that the Lycaonians were familiar with the Greek mythology is consistent with either supposition. Lycaonia is for the most part a dreary plain, bare of trees, destitute of fresh water, and with several salt lakes. (It was about 20 miles long from east to west, and 13 miles wide. “Cappadocia is on the east, Galatia on the north, Phrygia on the west, and Cilicia on the south.” Among its chief cities are Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium.—Ed.) After the provincial system of Rome had embraced the whole of Asia Minor, the boundaries of the provinces were variable; and Lycaonia was, politically, sometimes in Cappadocia, sometimes in Galatia. Paul visited it three times in his missionary tours.SBD Lycaonia.2
Lyc’ia (land of Lycus) is the name of that southwestern region of the peninsula of Asia Minor which is immediately opposite the island of Rhodes. The Lycians were incorporated in the Persian empire, and their ships were conspicuous in the great war against the Greeks (Herod. vii.91, 92). After the death of Alexander the Great, Lycia was included in the Greek Seleucid kingdom, and was a part of the territory which the Romans forced Antiochus to cede. It was not till the reign of Claudius that Lycia became part of the Roman provincial system. At first it was combined with Pamphylia. Such seems to have been the condition of the district when St. Paul visited the Lycian towns of Patara, Acts 21:1, and Myra. Acts 27:5. At a later period of the Roman empire Lycia was a separate province, with Myra for its capital.SBD Lycia.2
Lyd’da (strife), the Greek form of the name, Acts 9:32, Acts 9:35, Acts 9:38, which appears in the Hebrew records as Lod, a town of Benjamin, founded by Shamed or Shamer. 1 Chronicles 8:12; Ezra 2:33; Nehemiah 7:37; Nehemiah 11:35. It is still called Lidd or Lûdd, and stands in part of the great maritime plain which anciently bore the name of Sharon. It is nine miles from Joppa, and is the first town on the northernmost of the two roads between that place and Jerusalem. The watercourse outside the town is said still to bear the name of Abi-Butrus (Peter), in memory of the apostle. It was destroyed by Vespasian, and was probably not rebuilt till the time of Hadrian, when it received the name of Diospolis. When Eusebius wrote (a.d. 320–330) Diospolis was a well-known and much-frequented town. The modern town is, for a Mohammedan place, busy and prosperous.SBD Lydda.2
Lyd’ia (land of Lydus), a maritime province in the west of Asia Minor, bounded by Mysia on the north, Phrygia on the east, and Caria on the south. It is enumerated among the districts which the Romans took away from Antiochus the Great after the battle of Magnesia in b.c. 190, and transferred to Eumenus II, king of Pergamus. Lydia is included in the “Asia” of the New Testament.SBD Lydia.2
Lyd’ia, the first European convert of St. Paul, and afterward his hostess during his first stay at Philippi. Acts 16:14, Acts 16:15; also Acts 16:40. (a.d. 47.) She was a Jewish proselyte at the time of the apostle’s coming; and it was at the Jewish Sabbath-worship by the side of a stream, ver. Acts 16:13, that the preaching of the gospel reached her heart. Her native place was Thyatira, in the province of Asia. ver. Acts 16:14; Revelation 2:18. Thyatira was famous for its dyeing works; and Lydia was connected with this trade, as a seller either of dye or of dyed goods. We infer that she was a person of considerable wealth.SBD Lydia.2
Lysa’nias (that drives away sorrow), mentioned by St. Luke in one of his chronological passages, ch. Luke 3:1, as being tetrarch of Abilene (i.e., the district round Abila) in the thirteenth year of Tiberius (a.d. 26), at the time when Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee and Herod Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and Trachonitis.SBD Lysanias.2
Lys’ias (dissolving), a nobleman of the blood-royal, 1 Maccabees 3:32; 2 Maccabees 11:1, who was entrusted by Antiochus Epiphanes (cir. b.c. 166) with the government of southern Syria and the guardianship of his son Antiochus Eupator. 1 Maccabees 3:32; 2 Maccabees 10:11. After the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, b.c. 164, Lysia assumed the government as guardian of his son, who was yet a child. 1 Maccabees 6:17. In b.c. 164 he, together with his ward, fell into the hands of Demetrius Soter, who put them both to death. 1 Maccabees 7:2-4; 2 Maccabees 14:2.SBD Lysias.2
Lys’ias Clau’dius, a chief captain of the band, that is, tribune of the Roman cohort who rescued St. Paul from the hands of the infuriated mob at Jerusalem, and sent him under a guard to Felix, the governor or proconsul of Cæsarea. Acts 21:31, seq.; Acts 23:26; Acts 24:7. (a.d. 55.)SBD Lysias Claudius.2
Lysim’achus, “a son of Ptolemæus of Jerusalem,” the Greek translator of the book of Esther. Comp. Esther 9:20.SBD Lysimachus.2
Lys’tra. This place has two points of interest in connection respectively with St. Paul’s first and second missionary journeys: (1) as the place where divine honors were offered to him, and where he was presently stoned, Acts 14; (2) as the home of his chosen companion and fellow missionary Timotheus. Acts 16:1. Lystra was in the eastern part of the great plain of Lycaonia, and its site may be identified with the ruins called Bin-bir-Kilisseh, at the base of a conical mountain of volcanic structure, named the Karadagh.SBD Lystra.2