The word is the translation of three different Hebrew expressions: cheq (Proverbs 16:33), beghedh (2 Kings 4:39), and chotsen (Nehemiah 5:13, besides chatsen, Psalm 129:7). In all these passages the meaning is that of a part of oriental clothing, probably the folds of the garment covering the bosom or lap of a person. The flowing garments of Orientals invite the use of the same, on the part of speakers, in driving home certain truths enunciated by impressive gesticulation. Every reader of Roman history recalls the impressive incident of Quintus Fabius Maximus (Cunctator), who, in 219 B.C., was ambassador of Rome to Carthage, and who, before the city council, holding the folds of his toga in the shape of a closed pouch, declared that he held enclosed in the same both peace and war, whichever the Carthaginians should desire to choose. When the Carthaginians clamored for war, he opened the folds of his garment and said: "Then you shall have war!" Very much like it, Nehemiah, when pleading for united efforts for the improvement of social order, addressed the priests of Jerusalem to get a pledge of their cooperation: "Also I shook out my lap (chotsen), and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied" (Nehemiah 5:13).

In English Versions of the Bible the verb "to lap" is found, which has no etymological connection with the above-mentioned nouns. It is in Hebrew laqaq and refers to the loud licking up of water by dogs (1 Kings 21:19; 1 Kings 22:38 the King James Version), and in the story of Gideon's battle against the Midianites, of his 300 warriors (Judges 7:5).

H. L. E. Luering

2. (n.) An edge; a border; a hem, as of cloth.

3. (n.) The part of the clothing that lies on the knees or thighs when one sits down; that part of the person thus covered; figuratively, a place of rearing and fostering; as, to be reared in the lap of luxury.

4. (n.) That part of any substance or fixture which extends over, or lies upon, or by the side of, a part of another; as, the lap of a board; also, the measure of such extension over or upon another thing.

5. (n.) The amount by which a slide valve at its half stroke overlaps a port in the seat, being equal to the distance the valve must move from its mid stroke position in order to begin to open the port. Used alone, lap refers to outside lap. See Outside lap (below).

6. (n.) The state or condition of being in part extended over or by the side of something else; or the extent of the overlapping; as, the second boat got a lap of half its length on the leader.

7. (n.) One circuit around a race track, esp. when the distance is a small fraction of a mile; as, to run twenty laps; to win by three laps. See Lap, to fold, 2.

8. (n.) In card playing and other games, the points won in excess of the number necessary to complete a game; -- so called when they are counted in the score of the following game.

9. (n.) A sheet, layer, or bat, of cotton fiber prepared for the carding machine.

10. (n.) A piece of brass, lead, or other soft metal, used to hold a cutting or polishing powder in cutting glass, gems, and the like, or in polishing cutlery, etc. It is usually in the form of wheel or disk, which revolves on a vertical axis.

11. (v. t.) To rest or recline in a lap, or as in a lap.

12. (v. t.) To cut or polish with a lap, as glass, gems, cutlery, etc. See 1st Lap, 10.

13. (n.) To fold; to bend and lay over or on something; as, to lap a piece of cloth.

14. (n.) To wrap or wind around something.

15. (n.) To enfold; to hold as in one's lap; to cherish.

16. (n.) To lay or place over anything so as to partly or wholly cover it; as, to lap one shingle over another; to lay together one partly over another; as, to lap weather-boards; also, to be partly over, or by the side of (something); as, the hinder boat lapped the foremost one.

17. (n.) To lay together one over another, as fleeces or slivers for further working.

18. (v. i.) To be turned or folded; to lie partly upon or by the side of something, or of one another; as, the cloth laps back; the boats lap; the edges lap.

19. (v. i.) To take up drink or food with the tongue; to drink or feed by licking up something.

20. (v. i.) To make a sound like that produced by taking up drink with the tongue.

21. (v. t.) To take into the mouth with the tongue; to lick up with a quick motion of the tongue.

22. (n.) The act of lapping with, or as with, the tongue; as, to take anything into the mouth with a lap.

23. (n.) The sound of lapping.

2436. cheq -- bosom
... Origin from an unused word Definition bosom NASB Word Usage arms (1), base (3),
bosom (26), bottom (1), care (1), cherish (1), cherishes (2), lap (2), within (1 ...
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899. beged -- treachery
... Definition: apparel. apparel, clothes, garment, lap, rag, raiment, robe, very
treacherously, From bagad; a covering, ie Clothing; also ...
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2684. chotsen -- bosom
... arm, lap. A collateral form of chetsen, and meaning the same -- arm, lap. see HEBREW
chetsen. << 2683, 2684. chotsen. 2685 >>. Strong's Numbers.
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3940. lappid -- a torch
lappid or lappid. << 3939, 3940. lappid or lappid. 3941 >>. a torch. Transliteration:
lappid or lappid Phonetic Spelling: (lap-peed') Short Definition: torches. ...
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5628. sarach -- to go free, be unrestrained, overrun, exceed
... sarach. 5629 >>. to go free, be unrestrained, overrun, exceed. Transliteration:
sarach Phonetic Spelling: (saw-rakh') Short Definition: lap. Word Origin a prim. ...
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899b. beged -- a garment, covering
... Word Origin from bagad Definition a garment, covering NASB Word Usage cloth (8),
clothes (81), clothing (6), garment (39), garments (72), lap (1), robes (5 ...
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3941. Lappidoth -- husband of Deborah
... << 3940, 3941. Lappidoth. 3942 >>. husband of Deborah. Transliteration: Lappidoth
Phonetic Spelling: (lap-pee-doth') Short Definition: Lappidoth. ...
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1290. berek -- the knee
... Word Origin from barak Definition the knee NASB Word Usage feeble* (1), knee
(1), kneeled* (1), kneels* (1), knees (20), lap (1). knee. ...
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