Word Study for H3896 (לֶחִי) | Strong's Concordance

Lechîy /lekh'-ee/ Ask about this word

MeaningLechi, a place in Palestine

KJV usageLehi. Compare also רָמַת לֶחִי.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Lechîy — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word Lechîy, represented by H3896, is the name for Lehi, a place in Palestine. It is a form of the word H3895 lᵉchîy, meaning jaw-bone. It appears 3 times in 3 unique verses, all within the same narrative, marking it as a location of a specific and significant biblical event.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, all occurrences of H3896 are found in the story of Samson. Lehi is first mentioned as the place in Judah where the Philistines pitched their camp and spread out to confront Samson Judges 15:9. It becomes the setting for a display of divine power when Samson arrives, and the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him, enabling him to break the bands on his hands Judges 15:14. The location is further defined when God provides Samson with water by cleaving a hollow place in a jawbone; this place was subsequently named Enhakkore, which the text notes "is in Lehi unto this day" Judges 15:19.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words are key to understanding the events that define Lehi:

H3895 lᵉchîy (jaw-bone): This word is the root form of Lehi's name and central to the story. God miraculously brings forth water from a "jaw" (lᵉchîy) to revive Samson at this location Judges 15:19.
H6430 Pᵉlishtîy (Philistine): The conflict at Lehi is driven by the Philistines, who encamped there to capture Samson Judges 15:9 and shouted against him upon his arrival Judges 15:14.
H1234 bâqaʻ (to cleave): This verb describes the divine act that occurred at Lehi. God "clave" a hollow place in the jawbone to provide life-saving water for Samson Judges 15:19.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H3896 is tied directly to the events that transpired there:

A Stage for Divine Power: Lehi is the location where God's power is demonstrated through his servant. The Spirit (H7307) of the LORD rushes upon Samson, and his bands (H612) are miraculously loosed Judges 15:14.
A Landmark of Deliverance and Provision: The site is characterized by God's direct intervention. After the conflict, when Samson is near death from thirst, God provides water from an unlikely source, demonstrating His care and ability to sustain His people Judges 15:19.
A Memorial to God's Reviving Spirit: The miracle at Lehi was so significant that the specific spot was named "Enhakkore." After Samson drank the water God provided, his spirit "came again, and he revived" (H2421) Judges 15:19, marking Lehi as a place of divine restoration.

Summary

In summary, H3896 is more than a simple geographical name. It is a place forever associated with a pivotal moment in Samson's life. The events at Lehi—from the confrontation with the Philistines to the miraculous provision of water from a jawbone—transform it from a mere location into a powerful symbol of God's ability to empower, deliver, and revive His servants in times of intense conflict and need.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 4 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

לֶּחִי
חַיָּה

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

3 verses, all in Judges — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.