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לְחִי

𐤋𐤇𐤉

Lechi

H3895 noun

SILEX Entry

Root לְחִי cheek, jaw, (by extension) jawbone

Definition

The side of the face below the eye, specifically the fleshy part known as the cheek, and by extension the jaw or jawbone. The term can denote the physical cheek or jawbone of a human or animal, and in some contexts refers specifically to a bone (most famously, the jawbone of a donkey in Judges 15).

Semantic Range

cheek (flesh of the face), jaw, jawbone (of human or animal, especially as an object), side of the face

Root / Etymology

Root/etymology uncertain. The root may be related to the idea of softness or fleshiness, but no securely attested Hebrew verb or noun carries this precise sense in extant biblical Hebrew. Thus, לְחִי is treated as a nominal form with no directly attested verbal root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, לְחִי appears both for the living fleshy cheek (e.g., Song 1:10; Job 16:10) and for the jawbone of an animal as an object or instrument (notably Judges 15:15-17, where it is the instrument used by Samson). In prophetic or poetic texts, the term may have symbolic significance relating to suffering or public insult (e.g., being struck on the cheek). In ordinary speech, it is anatomically precise, not a generalized facial term. English translations that render לְחִי as 'jawbone' in specific stories (e.g., Samson) accurately reflect the object involved, but in other contexts 'cheek' is appropriate. The word is distinct from פָּנִים ('face,' general surface of the face) and פֶּה ('mouth'), being more precise anatomically. In post-biblical Hebrew, לְחִי continues to denote 'cheek' anatomically and is the usual word in Modern Hebrew for this part of the face. No evidence supports a specifically cultic or technical use in Israelite ritual contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to be soft; the cheek (from its fleshiness); hence, the jaw-bone; cheek (bone), jaw (bone).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לחי (l-ḥ-y) — cheek, jaw, jawbone

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3896 לֶחִי in Lechi

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3895-04 הַ/לְּחִ֖י halechi HTd/Ncbsa the cheek the cheek 4
H3895-12 לְחִֽי lechi HNcbsc a jawbone Jawbone 3
H3895-03 בִּ/לְחִ֣י bilechi HR/Ncbsc with the jawbone with a jawbone 2
H3895-02 בִּ/לְחָיֶ֔י/ךָ bilechayeykha HR/Ncbdc/Sp2ms in your jaws in your two cheeks 2
H3895-10 לְחֵי/הֶ֑ם lecheyhem HNcbdc/Sp3mp their jaws their two cheeks 1
H3895-06 לְחָיָ֑/י lechayay HNcbdc/Sp1cs my cheek my cheeks 1
H3895-13 וּ/לְחָיַ֖/י ulechayay HC/Ncbdc/Sp1cs and my cheeks and my cheeks 1
H3895-05 לְחָיָ/ו֙ lechayav HNcbdc/Sp3ms his cheeks his two cheeks 1
H3895-08 לְחָיֵ֥י lechayey HNcbpc jaws cheeks of 1
H3895-11 לֶֽחֱי/וֹ lecheyo HNcbsc/Sp3ms his jaw his cheek 1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3895-14 Deuteronomy 18:3 וְ/הַ/לְּחָיַ֖יִם vehalechayayim HC/Td/Ncbda and the cheeks and the two cheeks
H3895-12 Judges 15:15 לְחִֽי lechi HNcbsc a jawbone Jawbone
H3895-03 Judges 15:16 בִּ/לְחִ֣י bilechi HR/Ncbsc with the jawbone with a jawbone
H3895-03 Judges 15:16 בִּ/לְחִ֣י bilechi-2 HR/Ncbsc with the jawbone with a jawbone
H3895-04 Judges 15:17 הַ/לְּחִ֖י halechi HTd/Ncbsa the jawbone the cheek
H3895-01 Judges 15:19 בַּ/לֶּ֗חִי balechi HRd/Np in Lehi in the jaw
H3895-04 1 Kings 22:24 הַ/לֶּ֑חִי halechi HTd/Ncbsa the cheek the cheek
H3895-08 Isaiah 30:28 לְחָיֵ֥י lechayey HNcbpc jaws cheeks of
H3895-13 Isaiah 50:6 וּ/לְחָיַ֖/י ulechayay HC/Ncbdc/Sp1cs and my cheeks and my cheeks
H3895-02 Ezekiel 29:4 בִּ/לְחָיֶ֔י/ךָ bilechayeykha HR/Ncbdc/Sp2ms in your jaws in your two cheeks
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