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לֹג

𐤋𐤂

lôg

H3849 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain, measure (liquid), (possible conjecture: deepen, hollow)

Definition

A liquid measure used in the ancient Israelite cultic and social contexts, especially for oil and other ritual liquids; understood as a standardized unit of capacity, roughly equivalent to approximately 0.3 to 0.5 liters (varies by estimation). The term refers primarily to the measurement itself, not the vessel, but is always used with reference to volumes of liquid, never solids.

Semantic Range

liquid measure, a log (measurement) of oil, standard unit for ritual quantities, technical/vocational term for cultic prescriptions

Root / Etymology

Root/etymology uncertain. The term לֹג does not appear in wider Semitic languages and does not have an associated cognate with a clear root meaning in Biblical Hebrew. Strong speculated an unused root meaning 'to deepen' or 'hollow,' but no direct evidence supports this etymology. It is probably a loanword or technical term specific to Israelite cultic language.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The לֹג is attested only in ritual and priestly contexts, primarily associated with offerings, such as 'a log of oil' in Leviticus 14 (stipulating quantities for purification rituals involving the priesthood and those recovering from scale disease). It is part of an established system of weights and measures found in the priestly source and later Jewish tradition. There is no evidence it was in common domestic use; its appearance is limited to cultic prescription. Unlike broader volumetric terms such as שׂאה (se'ah) or אֵפָה (ephah), לֹג is never used for measuring dry goods. Later rabbinic sources (Mishnaic and Talmudic literature) calibrate the לֹג as 1/12 of a hin, or 1/72 of a bath (suggesting ongoing effort to standardize ancient measures). English translations almost always render it 'log,' often with a footnote regarding estimation; they do not attempt equivalency in modern units, given the lack of absolute calibration. The use of 'log' in English is a direct transliteration, signifying the word was obscure even to later translators. In post-exilic and Second Temple periods, measurements continued to evolve, but the term לֹג remained fixed in priestly ritual context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root apparently meaning to deepen or hollow (like כַּד); a log or measure forliquids; log (of oil).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לוג (l-w-g) — liquid measure, standard unit of capacity, ritual quantity

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3849-03 וְ/לֹ֥ג velog HC/Ncmsa and a log and a liquid-measure 2
H3849-01 לֹ֣ג log HNcmsc log liquid-measure of 2
H3849-02 מִ/לֹּ֣ג milog HR/Ncmsc from a log from a liquid-measure of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3849-03 Leviticus 14:10 וְ/לֹ֥ג velog HC/Ncmsa and a log and a liquid-measure
H3849-01 Leviticus 14:12 לֹ֣ג log HNcmsc log liquid-measure of
H3849-02 Leviticus 14:15 מִ/לֹּ֣ג milog HR/Ncmsc from a log from a liquid-measure of
H3849-03 Leviticus 14:21 וְ/לֹ֥ג velog HC/Ncmsc and a log and a liquid-measure
H3849-01 Leviticus 14:24 לֹ֣ג log HNcmsc log liquid-measure of
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