The Early Hebrew pictograph is , a shepherd's staff. The shepherd staff was used to direct sheep by pushing or pulling them. It was also used as a weapon against predators to defend and protect the sheep.

The meaning of this letter is toward as moving something in a different direction. This letter also means authority, as it is a sign of the shepherd, the leader of the flock. It also means yoke, a staff on the shoulders as well as tie or bind from the yoke that is bound to the animal.

This letter is used as a prefix to nouns meaning “to” or “toward”.

The Modern Hebrew name of this letter is “lamed”, similarly is the Greek name “lamda”. The Arabic name however is “lam” retaining an older two letter root name for the letter and the probable original name. The phonetic sound for this letter is “l”.

The original pictograph for this letter, , has remained virtually unchanged through the ages. The Middle Semitic remained the same but changed slightly to in the Late Semitic script becoming the ל in the Modern Hebrew script. The Early Semitic is the origin of the Greek L (upside down) and the Roman L.