LAANA.H (Ia-an'ab), (Heb. lah-an-aw'), translated wormwood, occurs in several passages of Scripture, in most of which it is employed in a figurative sense.
Thus, in Deut. xxix :18, 'Lest there be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood,' is applied to such Israelites as should worship for eign gods. Prov. v:4, 'But her end is bitter as wormwood.' Jer. ix :15, 'Behold I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them gall to drink.' So in Jer. xxiii :15, and in Lam.
:i5 and 19, 'Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and gall,' where it is ap plied to public and private calamities, and in Amos v:7, it is said of unrighteous judges 'Ye who turn judgment to wormwood' ; so in ver. 12, but here the word Manch is translated hemlock. That loonoh was a plant of an extreme degree of bitterness, is evident from the various passages in which it occurs; and it has hence, as Celsius ob serves, been adopted to indicate both the sins and the punishments of men. (See \Volum woon.) J. F. R.
LABAN (15'ban), (Heb. law-bawn', white).
/. Son of Bethuel (Gen. xxviii:5), and grandson of Nahor (Gen. xxix:s), brother of Rebekah (Gen. xxiv:15,29, so sq.), and father of Jacob's two wives, Leah and Rachel.
(1) Dealings with Jacob. Dreading the ven geance of Esau his brother, Jacob was compelled to flee from home. Before his departure Isaac sent for Jacob, gave him his blessing, and charged him to go to Padan-aram, and there marry one of his uncle Laban's daughters (Gen. xxviii :2, 5). \Vhen Jacob had been with Laban about a month, Laban proposed to give him wages. Jacob offered seven years' service for Rachel his younger, but most beautiful daughter ; and with great cheerfulness he fulfilled his engagement, from the great love which he bare to her. When the marriage night came, God, in order to punish Jacob for deceiving his dim-eyed father, permit ted Laban to conduct Leah, his elder daughter, whose beauty was far inferior, to Jacob's bed, in stead of Rachel. This was easily done, as the bride, when conducted to the bridegroom, was closely veiled. Next morning the cheat was dis covered • and Jacob warmly reproached his uncle for it. 'He pretended that it was contrary to the custom of their country to marry the younger daughter first ; but told him he might have Rachel, too, for seven years' more service. This Jacob agreed to (Gen. xxix :15, 3o).
Jacob's fourteen years' service for his two wives being finished, he begged that Laban, his father-in-law, would permit him to return to his country, with his family along with him, that Ile might provide for himself. Sensible of the ad vantage of his service, Laban offered him what wages he pleased if he would stay. To mark his dependence on the providence of God, Jacob moved that all the spotted cattle and brown sheep afterwards produced should be his hire. Laban, expecting these could not be many, readily con sented. To prevent all disputes, and hinder as much as possible the future product of spotted cattle and brown sheep, all of these kinds were removed to the distance of three days' journey, and intrusted to the care of Laban's sons; and the rest were committed to the oversight of Ja cob. Instigated by a vision, Jacob employed
means by which he increased his portion, and that of the stronger and abler cattle (Gen. xxx: 37-43), so that the wealth of his uncle decreased in proportion as his own was augmented. Laban, therefore, frequently changed his hire; but what ever was allotted to Jacob exceedingly increased, though he also caused Jacob to bear the loss of whatever was missing of his flocks or herds. After Jacob had served other six years, with great la bor and fidelity, Laban and his sons began to be have churlishly and rudely towards him, pretend ing, that he had made himself rich at their ex pense. Meanwhile, God, in a drearn, ordered him to return to Canaan. Resolving to do so, lie, per haps when he was shearing his own sheep, at a distance from those of Laban, acquainted his wives that he saw their father's deportment towards him changed, and that Ile intended to return to Ca naan. They, being sensible of their father's in jurious behavior, were glad to part with him. So Jacob, his wives and children, and servants, and flocks, moved towards Canaan, and Rachel car ried off some of her father's idols. On the third day after, Labatt, informed of their departure, pursued them in no small fury ; but God, in a dream, charged him to beware of giving Jacob so much as an injurious word. On the seventh day lie overtook them on the mountain of Gilead. Some sharp words were exchanged, and Laban heavily complained that they had carried off his gods. Jacob desired him to ransack all his store, and if his gods were found with any, let the per son be .put to death. Laban searched with the ut most care; but Rachel, having taken the idols and put them into the camel's furniture, sat upon them, pretending that she was in circumstances which prevented her from rising. Nothing of Laban's being found, he and Jacob made a solemn covenant of perpetual friendship, in testimony of which they reared a heap of stones, which Jacob called Galeed, or Gilead, and Laban, Jegar-saha dutha, both of which designations signified the heap of witness. After Jacob had offered sacrifice, and given an entertainment to his fric.nds, Laban and his company affectionately parted, and re turned to Padan-aram, while Jacob and his fam ily went forward to Canaan (Gen. xxix, xxx, xxxi). (See Jacou.) (2) Character. In their mistaken zeal to de fend Jacob, Christian writers have unduly depre ciated Laban,andeven the ready hospitality shown by him to Abraham's servant, and the affectionate reception of his nephew (Gen. xxiv :3o, 31; xxix: 13, 14) have been misconstrued into the acts of a selfish man, eager to embrace an opportunity of a lucrative connection. No man, however, is wholly selfish; and even Laban was capable of generous impulses, however mean and unprincipled his gen eral conduct.