In biblical terms, the concept of "lean" can be understood both in a physical and metaphorical sense, often associated with scarcity, lack, or dependence. The term appears in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, illustrating both material and spiritual dimensions.

Physical Leaness:

1. Famine and Scarcity: The Bible frequently uses the term "lean" to describe times of famine or scarcity. In Genesis 41, Pharaoh dreams of seven lean cows, which Joseph interprets as seven years of famine that will follow seven years of abundance. This narrative highlights the cyclical nature of prosperity and hardship, emphasizing the need for wisdom and preparation. Genesis 41:27 states, "The seven lean, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind; they are seven years of famine."

2. Physical Condition: Leaness can also refer to a physical state of being undernourished or weak. In Isaiah 24:16 , the prophet laments, "From the ends of the earth we hear singing: 'Glory to the Righteous One.' But I said, 'I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!'” Here, the imagery of wasting away conveys a sense of physical and spiritual depletion.

Metaphorical Leaness:

1. Spiritual Dependence: Leaness can symbolize a state of spiritual need or dependence on God. In times of spiritual drought, believers are called to lean on the Lord for strength and sustenance. Proverbs 3:5 advises, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." This verse underscores the importance of relying on divine wisdom rather than human insight.

2. Moral and Ethical Leaness: The Bible also uses the concept of leaness to describe moral and ethical deficiencies. In Psalm 106:15 , it is written, "So He gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them." This passage reflects the consequences of Israel's disobedience and ingratitude, resulting in spiritual and physical leaness as a form of divine judgment.

Theological Implications:

The theme of leaness in the Bible serves as a reminder of human frailty and the need for reliance on God. It calls believers to recognize their limitations and to seek God's provision in times of need. The Scriptures encourage a posture of humility and trust, urging individuals to turn to God in both physical and spiritual leaness.

In summary, the biblical concept of lean encompasses both the tangible realities of famine and scarcity, as well as the intangible aspects of spiritual and moral deficiency. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the human condition and the necessity of divine intervention and support.1. (v. t.) To conceal.

2. (v. i.) To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating; as, she leaned out at the window; a leaning column.

3. (v. i.) To incline in opinion or desire; to conform in conduct; -- with to, toward, etc.

4. (v. i.) To rest or rely, for support, comfort, and the like; -- with on, upon, or against.

5. (v. i.) To cause to lean; to incline; to support or rest.

6. (v. i.) Wanting flesh; destitute of or deficient in fat; not plump; meager; thin; lank; as, a lean body; a lean cattle.

7. (v. i.) Wanting fullness, richness, sufficiency, or productiveness; deficient in quality or contents; slender; scant; barren; bare; mean; -- used literally and figuratively; as, the lean harvest; a lean purse; a lean discourse; lean wages.

8. (v. i.) of a character which prevents the compositor from earning the usual wages; -- opposed to fat; as, lean copy, matter, or type.

9. (n.) That part of flesh which consist principally of muscle without the fat.

10. (n.) Unremunerated copy or work.

1340. diischurizomai -- to lean upon, affirm confidently
... to lean upon, affirm confidently. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: diischurizomai
Phonetic Spelling: (dee-is-khoo-rid'-zom-ahee) Short Definition: I assert ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1340.htm - 7k

4346a. prosklino -- to cause to lean against
... 4346, 4346a. prosklino. 4346b . to cause to lean against. Transliteration:
prosklino Short Definition: joined. Word Origin from ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4346a.htm - 5k

4346. prosklisis -- to cause to lean against
... to cause to lean against. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: prosklisis
Phonetic Spelling: (pros'-klis-is) Short Definition: partiality Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4346.htm - 6k

377. anapipto -- to fall back
... lean, sit down. From ana and pipto; to fall back, ie Lie down, lean back -- lean,
sit down (to meat). see GREEK ana. see GREEK pipto. (anapese) -- 2 Occurrences ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/377.htm - 6k

345. anakeimai -- to be laid up, to recline
... lean or recline at the table. From ana and keimai; to recline (as a corpse or at
a meal) -- guest, lean, lie, sit (down, at meat), at the table. see GREEK ana. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/345.htm - 7k

347. anaklino -- to lay upon, lay down, to lie back
... anaklino Phonetic Spelling: (an-ak-lee'-no) Short Definition: I make to recline,
I recline at a table Definition: I lay upon, lean against, lay down, make to ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/347.htm - 6k

5479. chara -- joy, delight
... Cognate: 5479 (another feminine noun from the root -, "extend , lean towards, be
favorably disposed") -- properly, the awareness (of God's), ; ("grace ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5479.htm - 7k

793. asteriktos -- unstable, unsettled
... derived from 1 "not" and 4741 "confirm") -- properly, not established (unstable),
describing someone who (literally) does not have a staff to lean on -- hence ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/793.htm - 7k

3879. parakupto -- to stoop sideways, to stoop to look
... look into, stoop down. From para and kupto; to bend beside, ie Lean over (so as
to peer within) -- look (into), stoop down. see GREEK para. see GREEK kupto. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3879.htm - 6k

7330. razeh -- lean
... razeh. 7331 . lean. Transliteration: razeh Phonetic Spelling: (raw-zeh') Short
Definition: lean. Word Origin from razah Definition lean NASB Word Usage lean ( ...
/hebrew/7330.htm - 5k

5564. samak -- to lean, lay, rest, support
... 5563, 5564. samak. 5565 . to lean, lay, rest, support. Transliteration: samak
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-mak') Short Definition: lay. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/5564.htm - 6k

7329. razah -- to be or grow lean
... 7328, 7329. razah. 7330 . to be or grow lean. Transliteration: razah Phonetic
Spelling: (raw-zaw') Short Definition: lean. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7329.htm - 6k

8172. shaan -- to lean, support oneself
... shaan. 8173 . to lean, support oneself. Transliteration: shaan Phonetic Spelling:
(shaw-an') Short Definition: relied. ... lean, lie, rely, rest on, self, stay. ...
/hebrew/8172.htm - 6k

3584. kachash -- to disappoint, deceive, fail, grow lean
... kachash. 3585 . to disappoint, deceive, fail, grow lean. Transliteration: kachash
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-khash') Short Definition: deny. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/3584.htm - 6k

7514b. raphaq -- to support oneself, lean
... raphaq. 7515 . to support oneself, lean. Transliteration: raphaq Short Definition:
leaning. ... root Definition to support oneself, lean NASB Word Usage leaning (1 ...
/hebrew/7514b.htm - 5k

7534. raq -- thin, only, altogether, surely
... from an unused word Definition thin, only, altogether, surely NASB Word Usage alone*
(4), except (4), except* (1), gaunt* (1), however (6), lean (2), moreover ...
/hebrew/7534.htm - 6k

7514. raphaq -- to shake, rock
... to shake, rock. Transliteration: raphaq Phonetic Spelling: (raw-fak') Short Definition:
lean. lean A primitive root; to recline -- lean. 7513, 7514. ...
/hebrew/7514.htm - 5k

1800. dal -- a door
... 1799b, 1800. dal. 1800a . a door. Transliteration: dal Phonetic Spelling:
(dal) Short Definition: lean. lean, needy, poor man, weaker ...
/hebrew/1800.htm - 5k

3326. yatsua -- a couch, bed
... bed, lean-to. Passive participle of yatsa'; spread, ie A bed; (architecture) an
extension, ie Wing or lean-to (a single story or collectively): ...
/hebrew/3326.htm - 6k

March 6. "Lean not unto Thine Own Understanding" (Prov. Iii. 5).
... MARCH 6. "Lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. iii. 5). "Lean
not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Faith ...
/.../simpson/days of heaven upon earth /march 6 lean not unto.htm

Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity. Trust in the Lord with all ...
... Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,
and lean not unto thine own understanding. Trust in ...
/.../lyra germanica the christian year/twenty-second sunday after trinity trust.htm

The Secret of victory
... spiritual act. The word here literally signifies to lean on, as a feeble hand
might on a staff, or a tremulous arm on a strong one. And ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the secret of victory.htm

On the Holy Ghost and his Descent Upon the Apostles
... (Gen.41). He saw in the dream seven fat cows coming up out of a river, followed
by seven lean cows; and the lean cows ate up the fat cows. ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 9 on the holy.htm

A Prisoner who Became a Mighty Ruler
... the bank of the Nile. The poorly fed, lean cows ate up the seven
well-fed, fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. Afterward he slept and ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/a prisoner who became a.htm

Asa's Prayer
... 'We lean on Thee' as the wounded Saul leaned upon his spear. ... Or do you lean lightly,
as a man that does not feel much the need of a support? ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/asas prayer.htm

Here Beginneth the History of Joseph and his Brethren
... seven oxen ascend to the land which were fair and right fat, and were fed in a fat
pasture; he saw other seven come out of the river, poor and lean, and were ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here beginneth the history of 2.htm

But Origen Also, You Will Tell Us, in Composing his Work Called ...
... No man begins by cutting the trunk of a tree when he is intending to lean against
it; and no man first impugns the faith of another and then invokes his faith ...
/.../36 but origen also you.htm

Hindrances to Holiness.
... here who are satisfied that this blessing is attainable, who are satisfied that
God can thus keep them, as we have been singing, if they were to lean the whole ...
//christianbookshelf.org/booth/godliness/chapter xi hindrances to holiness.htm

No Sorrow Like Messiah's Sorrow
... for instance, if the question of Jonadab to Amnon (2 Samuel 13:4) , were chosen
for the subject of discourse, Why art thou, being a king's son, lean from day ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xxiii no sorrow like.htm

Lean (22 Occurrences)
... 4. (vi) To rest or rely, for support, comfort, and the like; -- with on, upon, or
against. 5. (vi) To cause to lean; to incline; to support or rest. ...
/l/lean.htm - 14k

Lean-fleshed (3 Occurrences)
Lean-fleshed. Leanfleshed, Lean-fleshed. Leaning . Multi-Version
Concordance Lean-fleshed (3 Occurrences). Genesis 41 ...
/l/lean-fleshed.htm - 7k

Di'lean (1 Occurrence)
Di'lean. Dilean, Di'lean. Dilemma . Multi-Version Concordance Di'lean (1
Occurrence). Joshua 15:38 Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel, (See RSV). ...
/d/di'lean.htm - 6k

Ill-favored (5 Occurrences)
... Genesis 41:3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river,
ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the ...
/i/ill-favored.htm - 8k

Ill-favoured (4 Occurrences)
... Ill-favoured (4 Occurrences). Genesis 41:4 And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed
kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. (See JPS) ...
/i/ill-favoured.htm - 7k

Cuckoo (2 Occurrences)
... (Hebrews shahaph), from a root meaning "to be lean; slender." This bird is mentioned
only in Leviticus 11:16 and Deuteronomy 14:15 (RV, "seamew"). ...
/c/cuckoo.htm - 9k

Kine (24 Occurrences)
... women of Samaria. In Genesis 41:1-36 is the narration of Pharaoh's dream
of the seven fat and seven lean kine. In Isaiah's vision ...
/k/kine.htm - 16k

Leaning (11 Occurrences)
... 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Lean. 2. (n.) The act, or state, of inclining; inclination;
tendency; as, a leaning towards Calvinism. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/l/leaning.htm - 10k

Leaned (14 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Lean. Multi-Version Concordance
Leaned (14 Occurrences). John 13:25 So he, having his head ...
/l/leaned.htm - 10k

Incline (38 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To deviate from a line, direction, or course, toward an object; to lean;
to tend; as, converging lines incline toward each other; a road inclines to ...
/i/incline.htm - 18k

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