Leasing
Leasing (כָּזָב, kazab', Ps 2:6), an old English word equivalent to lying or lies, as the term is elsewhere rendered.
(עוֹר, or, 2Ki 1:6, properly skin, as elsewhere rendered, i.e. on a person or animal, also as taken off, hide, sometimes as prepared or tanned, Le 11:32; Le 13:48 sq.; Nu 31:20; in the N.T. only in the adj. δερμάτινος, "leathern," Mt 3:4; lit. of skin, as in the parallel passage, Mr 1:6). A girdle of leather is referred to in the above passage (2Ki 1:6) as characteristic of Elijah, which, with the mantle of hair, formed the humble attire that the prophets usually wore. In like manner John the Baptist had his raiment of camels' hair and a leathern girdle about his loins (Mt 3:4). Strong and broad girdles of leather are still much used by the nomade tribes of Western Asia (see Hackett's Illustr. of Script. p. 96). SEE SKIN; SEE DRESS.
We learn from the monuments [see cut on page 308] that the ancient Egyptians were well acquainted with the various processes of tanning and working in leather, and from them the Hebrews undoubtedly derived their knowledge of the art of preparing leather for a variety of useful purposes. It appears that the Egyptian tan was prepared in earthen vessels, and that the workmen could preserve skins either with or without the hair. The preparation of leather was an important branch of Egyptian industry (see Wilkinson's Egyptians, 2:93, 99, 105). Leather appears to have been used by the ancient Assyrians in some cases for recording documents upon (Layard's Nineveh, 2:147). SEE TANNER.
