List of Animals in The Bible - L

L

• Lamb. — The Paschal Lamb was both a commemoration of the deliverance from the bondage in Egypt, and a prophetic figure of the Son of God sacrificed to free His people from their slavery to sin and death. See EWE. (sup.).

• Lamia (Isaiah 34:14). — Is a translation of Hebrew, lîlîth; according to the old popular legends, the lamia was a feminine bloodthirsty monster, devouring men and children. In the above cited place, some kind of owl, either the screech or the hooting owl, is very probably meant.

• Lammergeyer (gypœtus barbatus) very likely signified by the Hebrew, pérés, translated as griffon in D.V.

• Larus. — Lev., xi; 16; Deut., xiv, 15. See CUCKOO (sup.).

• Horse-Leech (Proverbs 30:15). — Both the medicinal leech and the horse-leech are frequently found in the streams, pools, and wells; they often attach themselves to the inside of the lips and nostrils of drinking animals, thereby causing them much pain.

• Leopard. — Under this name come a certain number of carnivorous animals more or less resembling the real leopard (felis leopardus), namely felis jubata, felis lynx, felis uncia, etc., all formerly numerous throughout Israel, and even now occasionally found, especially in the woody districts. The leopard is taken by the Biblical writers as a type of cunning (Jeremiah 5:6; Hosea 13:7), of fierceness, of a conqueror's sudden swoop (Dan., vii, 6; Hab., i, 8). Its habit of lying in wait by a well or a village is repeatedly alluded to.

• Leviathan. — The word Leviathan (Hebrew, líweyãthãn), which occurs six times in the Hebrew Bible, seems to have puzzled not a little all ancient translators. The D.V. has kept this name, Job, iii, 8; xl, 20; Is., xxvii, 1; it is rendered by dragon Ps. lxxiii (Hebr., lxxiv), 14, and ciii (Hebr., civ), 26; The word leviathan means:

• • (2) a sea-monster Isaiah 27:1);Job 41

• Lion. — Now extinct in Israel and in the surrounding countries, the lion was common there during the Old Testament times; hence the great number of words in the Hebrew language to signify it; under one or another of these names it is mentioned 130 times in the Scriptures, as the classical symbol of strength, power, courage, dignity, ferocity. Very likely as the type of power, it became the ensign of the tribe of Judah; so was it employed by Solomon in the decoration of the temple and of the king's house. For the same reason, Apoc., v, 5, represents Jesus Christ as the lion of the tribe of Juda. The craft and ferocity of the lion, on the other hand, caused it to be taken as an emblem of Satan (1 Peter 5:8) and of the enemies of the truth (2 Timothy 4:17).

• Lizard. — Immense is the number of these reptiles in Israel; no less than 44 species are found there, Among those mentioned in the Bible we may cite:
  • (1) The Letã'ah, general name of the lizard, applied especially to the common lizard, the green lizard, the blind worm, etc.;
  • (2) the chõmét, or sand lizard;
  • (3) the çãb, or dább of the Arabs (uromastix spinipes);
  • (4) the kõâh, the divers kinds of monitor (psammosaurus scincus, hydrosaurus niloticus, etc.);
  • (5) the 'anãqah or gecko;
  • (6) the semãmîth or stellio.

• Locust. — One of the worst scourges of the East, very often referred to in Bible. As many as nine Hebrew words signify either the locust in general or some species:
  • (1) 'árbéh, probably the locusta migratoria;
  • (2) gãzãm, possibly the locust in its larva state, the palmerworm;
  • (3) Gôbh, the locust in general;
  • (4) chagab, most likely the grasshopper;
  • (5) hãsîl, "the destroyer", perhaps the locust in its hopper state, in which it is most destructive;
  • (6) hárgõl, translated in the D.V. as ophiomachus;
  • (7) yéléq, the stinging locust;
  • (8) çelãçâl possibly the cricket; and
  • (9) sôl'ãm, rendered by attacus, or bald locust (probably the truxalis).

Unlike other insects, locusts are most voracious in every stage of their existence.

• Louse. — According to some this species of vermin was one of the features of the third Egyptian plague. It is but too common through all eastern countries.