Lebanon (Heb. Lebânôn, “white/or”, so called because it is partially snow-covered most of the year; Ugar. and Phen. Lebanôn; Ac. Labnana; Hit. Lablana). 1. Western chain of a double mountain range. The Lebanon mountains run parallel to the Mediterranean coast for about 240 km, from the Litani (or Leontes) river near Tyre, in the south, to the Nahr el-Kebîr near Latakia, in the north. The 2 parallel ridges are separated by a high valley called “the plain of Lebanon” in the Bible (Jos 11:17; 12:7); in classical times, Celesiria (“hollow Syria”), and in modern times, Beq~’, Through this valley run the 2 main rivers of Syria: the Orontes, to the north, and the Litani to the south. 316. A valley between the Lebanon mountains. The Bible seems to apply the term Lebanon to both mountain ranges when it speaks of the “Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon”; however, he describes them as living in a territory that is the eastern range or intermediate valley (“from Mount Baalhermon to Hamath”; Jdg 3:3; cf 1Ch 5:23). On the other hand, other OT passages give the name Hermon* (also Sirion, Senir) to the southern sector of the eastern range, and apply Amana to the adjacent mountains (Deu 3:8, 9; Son 4:8). Greek authors called the western cord Lebanon, and the eastern cord Anti-Lebanon, names still applied to them. Map XIV, A-4/5. The mountains of the western range are more picturesque than the others, and the heights of their summits range between 2,500 and 3,000 meters above sea level, with steps of 1,500 meters above sea level or more between them. The western slopes of Lebanon are fertile, and in ancient times were covered with world-famous cedar and fir or cypress trees. In addition, there were pines and oaks, as well as almond trees, mulberry trees, fig trees, olive trees, walnut trees, apricot trees, pear trees, pomegranate trees and pistachios or alfoncigos. Cedars were exported to Egypt as early as the 3rd millennium BC, and later also to Mesopotamia, Palestine and other countries. After the Arab conquest, so little care was given to these forests that the cedars have practically disappeared from Lebanon, and large regions have lost their fertile topsoil. The mountains are calcareous and sandstone, and have many springs that give fertility to their slopes. The highest point of the eastern range, the Anti-Lebanon, is at its southern end, where Mount Hermon rises to 2,814 m asl The Anti-Lebanon mountains, which receive less rain than those of the western range, are more desolate and less picturesque. The eastern slopes slope down to the Syrian Plateau, which is steppe in its western part and desert in its eastern part. The Bible frequently mentions Lebanon, firstly as the northwestern limit of the promised land (Deu 1:7; 11:24; Josh 1:4; 11:17; 12:7; 13:5), and secondly as a cedar wood producing country. Solomon obtained from Lebanon the beams for the temple and its palace through Tire (1Ki 5:6-10; 2Ch 2:8-16), and Zerubbabel did the same by rebuilding the temple after exile (Ezr 3:7) . Poets and prophets mention Lebanon for its snow (Jer 18:14), for its wild animals (such as leopards and lions; 2Ki 14:9; Son 4:8), and for its towering cedars and other trees (2Ki 19). :23; Isa 60:13; Zec 11:1, 2) with which the Phoenicians armed their boats and carved their masts (Eze 27:5: fig 120). 317. Greek inscription of Theodosius, who had built the synagogue in Jerusalem for the Jews of the dispersion. 2. Tower (Heb. migdal ha-Lebânôn) mentioned in Son 7:4 It is not known whether one with that name actually existed in the mountains of Lebanon or elsewhere. Since it is mentioned only in a poetic context, it was possibly an imaginary building, whose name suggested beauty, elevation and prominence, and which served the poet as a comparison to the nose of his beloved.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
white. Mountain range with heights of up to 3,000 m located along the coast of Syria. Its name is due to the fact that in some places it is covered with snow for several months of the year, Jer 18, 14. Mount Hermon stands out, at 2,760 meters high.
The L. forms two mountain ranges and in the depression between them is the plain of the L., Jos 11, 17; 12, 7. The L. is famous for its cedars. Logging for the construction of palaces, temples and ships began on a large scale under the reign of Solomon, 1 Kings 5, 6-10, so much so that a part of King Solomon’s palace is called the house of the forest of the L..
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
(Heb., levanon, white). The southern slopes of Lebanon slope down to the hills of Galilee while the Litany Canyon marks a natural border to the northwest of Israel (Deu 11:24; 2Ki 19:23). In the strict sense of the word, Lebanon is outside of Palestine and, although included in God’s promise, was never occupied (Jos 13:5; however compare its eschatological possession in Eze 47:15-16). Its isolated crags, in any case, allowed the construction of towers for sentinels (Song of Sons 7:4) and points of refuge (Jer 22:20, Jer 22:23) and came to symbolize the exalted position of the throne of Judah (Jer 22:6; Eze 17:3).
The coast of Lebanon was first inhabited by the Phoenicians (Jos 13:5-6), skillful in the use of their cedars in civil and maritime constructions (Eze 27:4-5), while the sparser population of the interior was Hevea (Jos 11:3; Jdg 3:3). The name Lebanon appears in ancient Ugarite, Hittite, Egyptian, and Babylonian writings. The first biblical mention is in the books of Moses, 1406 BC. of JC (Deu 1:7). There is a quote in the fable of Jotham against Shechem, c. 1130 (Jdg 9:15; compare the reference to the danger of fire), as well as in the fable of Joash against Amaziah some 300 years later (2Ki 14:9; 2Ch 25:18). King Solomon made a contract with Hiram of Tire to use the cedars of Lebanon in the Jerusalem temple, 966-959 (1Ki 5:6-18; compare Ezr 3:7 which has to do with the second temple as well) with 10,000 laborers a month carving beams and floating them on great rafts along the Mediterranean coast. Solomon also built government buildings and palaces in his capital including a hall and armory called the House of the Forest of Lebanon because of its rows of cedar pillars and panels (1Ki 7:2-7; 1Ki 10:17, 1Ki 10:21). ; Isaiah 22:8). The king’s Lebanese building projects (compare 1Ki 10:27) led him to build projects in parts of Lebanon itself, which came under his rule (1Ki 9:19; Song of Sons 4:8). Other advances of ancient pagan empires followed the ruthless conquest and exploitation of Lebanon’s resources (Isa 33:9). The Egyptians, Assyrians, and Greeks successively left inscriptions at the mouth of the Dog River (Nahr el-Kelb); and Ezekiel compares the destruction of the king of Assyria to the felling of the cedars of Lebanon (Eze 31:3, Eze 31:15-16; compare Zec 11:1).
Habakkuk laments the violence committed by Babylon in cutting down these giants from the forest (Hab 2:17; compare Isa 14:8).
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
(white).
Northern limit of Palestine, with a great mountain range, and Mount Hermon bordering Palestine.
(Deu 1:7). Heavily forested region, known especially for its famous cedars: (Jdg 9:15, 1Ki 5:6).
Christian Bible Dictionary
Dr. J. Dominguez
http://bible.com/dictionary/
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
(White). A country in the Middle East that derives its name from a mountain range that runs parallel to the Mediterranean coast, its highest point being Mount †¢Hermon, with about 2,800 km. Its main cities were Tire and Sidon, on the southern part of that coast, and in modern times Tripoli, further north. The inhabitants of L. were Canaanites, but since Greek times they have been known as the Phoenicians. It is generally believed that the designation L. was born because of the snow that crowns its peaks, since the word comes from the Hebrew lavan, which means “white” (Jer 18:14). It was famous for its abundance of cedars and other coniferous plants, as praised by Isaiah: “The glory of L. will come to you, cypresses, pines and boxwoods together, to decorate the place of my sanctuary” (Isa 60:13). Such was the beauty and majesty of the L. cedars that they are used as a model for such things in various places in Scripture (Jdg 9:15; 1Ki 4:33; Ps 92:12). Countries that did not have such an abundance of wood, like Egypt, coveted its possession, which enabled them to stock up for ships, furniture, and other purposes. God promised Israel “from the wilderness and the L. to the great river Euphrates” (Joshua 1:4). The Israelites did not conquer the L., but made an alliance with its inhabitants. David made it, and Hiram sent ambassadors to him, along with materials and construction experts who built the house of the Israelite king (2Sa 5:11). Since “Hiram had always loved David” (1Ki 5:1), the alliance continued with Solomon, who requested help in building the “temple”. Hiram shipped cedar wood and cypress wood by sea. The same thing happened for the construction of the second temple, when the L. was under Persian rule and “cedar wood was brought from the L. by sea to Joppa” (Ezra 3:7).
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
type, MOUNT
sit, a1, 463, 29
vet, = “white”. Chain of snowy mountains (Jer. 18:14), from which lower mountain ranges spread in all directions (Hos. 14:5). Its valleys owed their great fertility to its numerous watercourses. The lower area was covered with vineyards (Hos. 14:6, 7), but the hills themselves were famous for their forests of giant cedars. Cypresses and junipers also abounded (1 Kings 56:10; 2 Kings 19:23; Is. 40:16; 60:13; Zech. 11:1). Lions and leopards infested these forests (2 Kings 14:9; Song 4:8). The felled trees provided lumber for the construction of palaces and religious buildings. Solomon had them transported by sea, on rafts, to the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 2:8-9, 16). The Phoenicians also supplied them for the rebuilding of the Temple after the return of Jews from Babylonian exile (Ez. 27:5; Ezra 3:7). The king of Assirla took some of this wood for his war machines (Is. 14:8; 37:24; Ezek. 31:16), and the Egyptians also used this wood in abundance. That’s how those magnificent cedar forests turned into some copses. Remarkable for its grandeur and for the beauty of its landscapes, Lebanon frequently supplied remarkable images to the sacred writers (Ps. 72:16; 104:16-18; Cnt. 4:15; Is. 2:13; 35: 2; 60:13; Hos. 14:5). It often symbolizes that which is strong and magnificent (Isa. 10:34; 29:17; Jer. 22:6, 23; Hab. 2:17). Lebanon was the northwestern border of the Promised Land (Deut. 1:7; 11:24; Josh. 1:4; 11:17; 12:7; 13:5). It is of calcareous formation, and is made up of two parallel chains that extend from north to south, separated by the Litani and Orontes valleys. In the time of…