le.chi denotes the cheek or jaw area, including a donkey’s jawbone and, once, a place called Lehi.

The term most often identifies the cheek or jaw area, whether struck, ornamented, fitted with hooks or a bridle, or named among sacrificial portions. It also denotes a donkey’s jawbone used as a weapon in Judges and occurs once as the proper name of a place.

1. Cheek or jaw area · dominant

   Dual and plural forms identify the facial jaw or cheek region in varied settings: in Ezekiel 29:4 the APB renders hooks placed in the subject’s “jaws,” while in Isaiah 50:6 it renders cheeks given to those who strike. Deuteronomy 18:3 names “the jowls” among portions given to the priest, and Song of Songs 1:10 describes cheeks adorned with ornaments.

   Deuteronomy 18:3Ezekiel 29:4Ezekiel 38:4Isaiah 50:6Lamentations 1:2Song of Songs 1:10
2. A donkey’s jawbone · occasional

   In Judges 15:15 and Judges 15:16, the singular construct form occurs in the phrase rendered “jawbone of a donkey,” the object with which Samson strikes down men. In Judges 15:17, the singular absolute form is the jawbone he throws from his hand.

   Judges 15:15Judges 15:16Judges 15:17
3. Lehi as a place name · rare

   In Judges 15:19, the form is tagged as a proper noun in the statement that God split open the hollow place “in Lehi,” from which water came out.

   Judges 15:19

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term with facial language such as “cheek,” “jaws,” and “jowls,” and in Judges 15:15 renders the object “jawbone of a donkey.” In Judges 15:19 it presents “Lehi” as a location; these renderings reflect whole-verse translation rather than word-by-word alignment.