LEHABIM (a,nr6; Aagici,u,; Laabim. The passage in Claron. i. it containing this word is omitted in the Cod. Vat. of the Sept. ; but the Alex. reads both Aotiatelp. and A coSzeip.). The tenth chapter of Genesis gives an outline of the genealogy of all the ancient nations, tracing them up to Noah. Mizraim was the second son of Ham, and from Mizraim sprung the Lehabim. The word is in the plural, and evidently signifies a tribe, doubtless taking the name of Lchab, Mizrahn's third son (Gen. x. 13). Bochart affirms that the Lehabim are not, as is generally supposed, identical with the Libyans. His reasons are : That Lybia was much too large a country to have been peopled by one son of M izraim ; and that in other parts of Scripture Lybia is either called Phut (LOT, Jer. xlvi. 9; Ezek.
xxx. 5), or Lublin (v.:15, 2 Chron. xii. 3 ; Nahum iii. 9), and Phut was a brother, and not a son of Mizraim (Gen. x. 6 ; Bochart, Opera, i. 279). These arguments do not stand the test of historical criticism. Phut and Lubim are not identical (Nahum iii. 9) ; and the Lehabim may have been joined by other tribes in colonizing I,ibya. It is quite true there is no direct evidence to identify the Lehabim and Lubim; yet there seems a high probability that the words are only different forms of the same naine—the former being the more ancient, the middle radical n was afterwards softened (as is not unusual in Hebrew, Gesen. .Thes., pp. 743, 360) into 1 quiescent. Thus Lehabim (1=6) became Lubim 0:1+2.b). The Lehabim are not again men tioned in Scripture, but we find the Lubim connected with Mizraim (2 Chron. xii. 3), and the Kushites or Ethiopians (xvi. 8 ; see Art. Lunn°. We may therefore safely infer that the Lehabim were the ancient Lubim or Libyans, who perhaps first settled on the borders of the Nile, among or beside the Mizraitn ; but, as they increased in num ber, migrated to the wide regions south-west, and occupied the vast territory known to classic geog,ra phers as Lybia (Kalisch On Gen. a:. 13; see also Michaelis, Spicileg Geogr. Knobel, die Volker tafel des Pent.) Dr. Beke maintains that the Lehabim, as well as the Mizraim, were a people of north-western Arabia ; but, as he states himself, his views are opposed alilce to the opinions of ancient and modern geographers; and his arguments do not appear of sufficient weight to command ac ceptance (Origines Biblica, pp. 167, J. L. P.
LEHI (4th, the cheek,' or `jaw-bone ;' AEA • v Judg. xv. 9 ; fcos l'ia-y6ros, ver. 14 ; Alex. in ver. 9, Aevi; Lechi, id est, max:Wiz). The story of Lehi is a romantic episode in the history of Samson. After the slaughter of the Philistines, in revenge for the murder of bis wife, the warriors of that nation went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi' (Judg. xv. 9). The Israelites
afraid, bound Samson, and gave him up to his enemies at Lehi (ver. 14). There, however, be brake his bonds, seized the jaw-hone (Lehi) of an ass, and slew a thousand of them. Having dis persed the Philistines, he cast away the jaw-bone, and called that place Ramath-Leni' (17, which may be rendered the casting away of the jaw bone '). After the fatigue Samson was almost fainting with thirst, and prayed for crater ; and `God clave an hollow place, which is in Lehi othz A. V., that was in the jaw% and there came water thereout ; wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore iv, 'the fountain of the caller,' or 'of him who called '), which is in Lehi cr-6z -w..,N) unto this day.' Our A. V. gives an appearance of improbability to one part of the story which does not exist in the Hebrew. It represents the fountain as opened in the jaw-hone, whereas it ought to be in Lehi. The same words rendered in the first clause of the verse, that was in the jaw ' (41i1-1th:), are rendered in the last clause, which is in Lehi.' The latter is the correct rendering for both.
The name of the place before the conflict was evidently Lehi, as appears from verses 9 and 14 ; perhaps so called from the form of some hill or rock (Gesen., Thesann, p. 752). After the slaughter of the Philistines, Samson, with a characteristic play upon the name, makes it descriptive of his signal and singular victory (cf. GILGAL ; GILEAD).
is remarkable that in the Septuagint the word Lehi (Nth) is uniformly translated (cncryclw), except in ver. 9; whether applied to the place or to the jaw-bone. This makes the whole passage very obscure. The rendering of the Vulg. is even worse (see, for instance, ver. 19). Josephus says the place was called Etcrythu, Jaw-bone,' on account of Samson's deed,' though before it had no name ' (Antiq. v. 8. 8).
The site of Lehi is unknown. Jerome states that Paula, when on her way from Bethlehem to Egypt, passed from Sochoth to the fountain of Samson (Opera i. 705, ed. Migne). Later writers locate it beside 'Eleutheropolis (Anton. Afar., Itin. 30; Reland, p. 872) ; but the tradition appears to have been vague and uncertain (Robinson, ii. 64. seq.) The writer could not hear of any fountain at Eleutheropolis, nor was Dr. Robinson more suc cessful. There is a deep old well ; but, of course, it would not answer to the Scripture narrative I (Robinson, ii. 26, soy.) Van de Velde tries to identify Lehi with a hill called Tel el-Lekiyeh about five miles north of Beersheba ; but this is alike opposed to Scripture topogmphy and to tra dition (see, however, Memoir, p. 342). Tobler found a Beit-Likieh near Beth-horon (Dritte Wan derung); but this seems too far north.—J. L. P.