H3895 H3895
Jaw or jawbone; the cheek as a body part; also the place name Lehi.
Lehi covers both the hard bone and the soft flesh of the lower face. As 'jawbone,' it appears memorably in Samson's improvised weapon -- the jawbone of a donkey with which he struck down a thousand Philistines (Judg 15:15-17). As 'cheek,' it names the part of the face that receives a slap of insult (1 Kgs 22:24; Isa 50:6) or that reveals beauty (Song 1:10). Spanish distinguishes 'quijada' (jawbone) from 'mejilla' (cheek), and French uses 'machoire' versus 'joue,' confirming the dual anatomical range. The place Ramath-Lehi ('Jawbone Height') preserves the word as a geographical landmark tied to Samson's exploit.
Senses
1. cheek (facial feature) — The cheek as a facial feature -- the soft, visible side of the face, appearing in contexts of beauty, insult, and emotional expression. Striking someone on the cheek (1 Kgs 22:24; 2 Chr 18:23) is a gesture of contempt, while Isaiah 50:6 portrays the Servant offering his cheeks to those who pluck his beard. Song 1:10 praises lovely cheeks adorned with ornaments. Spanish 'mejilla' and French 'joue' map this sense precisely. 11×
AR["الخَدِّ","الْخَدِّ","خَدًّا","خَدَّيَّ","خَدَّيْهَا","عَلَى-الخَدِّ","لِحَيَّيو","لِحَيَّيِكْ","وَ-الْفَكَّيْنِ","وَ-خَدَّيَّ"]·ben["আমার-গাল","এবং-আমার-গাল","এবং-সেই-চোয়াল","গাল","গালে","তাঁর-গাল","তার-গালে","তোমার-গাল"]·DE["[הלחי]","[ולחיי]","[לחי]","[לחיו]","[לחיי]","[לחייך]","auf-der-cheek","der-cheek","und-der-cheeks","zu-lebte"]·EN["a-cheek","and-my-cheeks","and-the-cheeks","her-cheek","his-cheeks","my-cheeks","on-the-cheek","the-cheek","your-cheeks"]·FR["Ses-joues","[הלחי]","et-le-cheeks","et-mâchoire","la-mâchoire","le-cheek","mon-joue-moi","mâchoire","tes-joues","à-mâchoire","à-vivant"]·heb["ה-לחי","ו-ה-לחיים","ו-לחיי","לחי","לחיה","לחיי","לחייו","לחייך"]·HI["उसके-गाल","उसके-गालों","और-गाल","और-मेरे-गालों-को","की-गाल","गाल","गाल-पर","तेरे-गाल","मेरे-गालों-पर"]·ID["Pipinya","dan-pipi","dan-pipi-Ku","pipi","pipiku","pipimu","pipinya","rahang"]·IT["[הלחי]","e-guancia","e-il-cheeks","guancia","il-cheek","la-sua-guancia","mascella","mio-cheeks-mio","suo-cheeks-suo","tuo-cheeks-tua"]·jav["Pipinipun","ing-pipis-ipun","lan-pipi","lan-pipi-Ingsun","pipi","pipi-ipun","pipining-kawula","pipinipun","pipinipun-panjenengan"]·KO["그-뺨","그-뺨들-이","그-뾰","그-뾰을","그녀-뺨들-의","그리고-나의-뺨을","그리고-벼과","나의-뾰을","네-뺨들-이","뺨-을","뾨-을"]·PT["Suas-faces","a-face","e-as-bochechas","e-minhas-faces","face","minha-face","no-queixo","sua-face","tuas-faces"]·RU["Щёки-его","а-щеке","в-щёку","и-челюсти","и-щёки-Мои","щеке","щеке-её","щёки-мои","щёки-твои","щёку"]·ES["Sus-mejillas","en-la-mejilla","la-mejilla","mi-mejilla","su-mejilla","tus-mejillas","y-las-quijadas","y-mis-mejillas"]·SW["mashavu-yake","mashavu-yako","mashavu-yangu","na-mashavu","na-mashavu-yangu","shavu","shavuni"]·TR["ve-yanaklarimi","ve-çeneler","yanak","yanaklari","yanaklarin","yanaklarımı","yanağı-o","yanağı-onun","yanağın","yanağının","çenesinden"]·urd["اس-کے-گال","اور-اپنی-گالیں","اور-جبڑے","اُس-کے-رخساروں","تیرے-گال","جبڑے-پر","میرے-گال","گال"]
2. jaw, jawbone — The jaw or jawbone as anatomical bone, especially in Samson's famous episode with the donkey's jawbone (Judg 15:15-17). Hosea 11:4 pictures God lifting a yoke from Israel's jaws like a farmer easing the burden on an ox, and Job 41:2 asks whether one can pierce Leviathan's jaw. Spanish 'quijada' and French 'machoire' consistently render this harder, skeletal sense. The dual form lekhayim (Deut 18:3) refers to the two jawbones given to the priest from the sacrificial animal. 9×
AR["اللَّحْيَ-الـ","بِ-لَحْيِ","فَكَّهُ؟","فَكَّيهِم","فُكُوكِ","فِي-فَكَّيْكَ","لَحْيَ-"]·ben["গাল","চোয়াল-","চোয়ালে-","তাদের-গালের","তার-চোয়াল","তোমার-চোয়ালে","সেই-চোয়াল"]·DE["Kieferknochen-von-","[בלחייך]","[לחיהם]","[לחיו]","[לחיי]","der-Kieferknochen","mit-Kieferknochen-von"]·EN["his-jaw","in-your-jaws","jawbone-of-","the-jawbone","the-jaws","their-jaws","with-jawbone-of"]·FR["[בלחייך]","[לחיהם]","avec-mâchoire-de","le-mâchoire","mâchoire","mâchoire-de-","son-joue-lui"]·heb["ב-לחי","ב-לחייך","ה-לחי","לחי","לחיו","לחיי","לחייהם"]·HI["उनके-गालों","उसका-जबड़ा","जबड़ा","जबड़े-से","जबड़ों","तेरे-जबड़ों-में","में-जबड़ों-तेरे"]·ID["dengan-rahang","di-rahang-rahangmu","di-rahangmu,","rahang","rahang-","rahangnya"]·IT["[בלחייך]","[לחיהם]","con-mascella-di","guancia","his-jaw-suo","il-mascella","mascella-di-"]·jav["balung-rahang","balung-rahang-","ing-pipi-panjenengan","ing-pipining-panjenengan","kaliyan-balung-rahang-","lan-Kawula-sendhèkaken","pipi","pipihanipun?"]·KO["그-턱뿚","그것-의-턱을","그들의-볼들을","에-턱뾼로","에-턱뿌로","에-턱에","턱-너의-안에","턱뿌","턱에-너의"]·PT["a-queixada","com-queixada-de","em-mandíbulas-tuas","em-tuas-mandíbulas","faces-de","mandíbulas-deles","queixada-de-","sua-mandíbula?"]·RU["Челюстью","в-челюсти-твои","челюстей-их","челюсть","челюсть-","челюсть-его","челюстях-"]·ES["Con-quijada-de","con-quijada-de","en-tus-mandíbulas","en-tus-mejíllas;","la-quijada","quijada-de","quijadas-de","su-mandíbula","sus-mejillas"]·SW["katika-mataya-yako","kwa-taya-ya","mataya","matayani-mwako","shingo-zao","taya","taya-lake","taya-ya-"]·TR["-ile-çene-kemiği","cenelerinin","çene-kemiği-","çene-kemiğini","çenelerine","çenelerinin","çenesini"]·urd["اُس-کے-جبڑے","اُن-کے-گالوں","بَ-جبڑوں-تیرے","جبڑا","جبڑوں","جبڑوں-تیرے-میں","جبڑے-کی","جبڑے-کی-ہڈی-سے"]
3. Lehi (place name) — The proper place name Lehi (Judg 15:19), the site in Judah where Samson fought the Philistines. The name derives transparently from 'jawbone,' commemorating the weapon and the battlefield. God miraculously opened a spring 'in Lehi' to quench Samson's thirst after his victory, making the toponym also a memorial of divine provision. 1×
AR["فِي-لَحْيِ"]·ben["সেই-লেহীতে"]·DE["in-der-Lehi"]·EN["in-the-Lehi"]·FR["dans-le-Lehi"]·heb["ב-לחי"]·HI["लेही-में"]·ID["di-Lehi"]·IT["in-il-Lehi"]·jav["ing-Lèkhi"]·KO["에-그-레히"]·PT["em-Lechi"]·RU["в-Лехи"]·ES["en-Lehi"]·SW["katika-Lehi"]·TR["-de-Lehi"]·urd["لحی-میں"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. לְחִי n.m. Ct 1:10 jaw, cheek (NH id.; Aramaic לוֹחָא; Arabic لَحْىٌ; on Assyrian laḫû cf. DlHWB 375, but ح = ḫ?);—ל׳ abs. Ju 15:17 Mi 4:14; cstr. Ju 15:15 + 2 times; לֶ֑חִי 1 K 22:24 + 3 times + Ju 15:19(×2); sf. לֶחֱיוֹ Jb 40:26; לֶחֱיָהּ La 1:2; du. לְחָיַיִם Dt 18:3; cstr. לְחָיֵי Is 30:28; sf. לְחָיַי Is 50:6, cf. Jb 16:10, etc.; לְחֵיהֶם Ho 11:4;— 1. jaw, jawbone, of animal, Ju 15:15,…