Topical Encyclopedia
Etymology and Meaning:The name "Luz" is believed to mean "almond tree" or "separation." It is a significant location in biblical history, primarily known for its association with the patriarch Jacob.
Biblical References:Luz is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis. In
Genesis 28:19 , it is recorded that Jacob, after experiencing a divine vision, renamed the place Bethel, which means "House of God": "He called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz."
Historical and Geographical Context:Luz was an ancient Canaanite city located in the land of the Hittites. It is traditionally identified with the site of Bethel, situated north of Jerusalem. The city held strategic importance due to its location along key trade routes.
Significant Events:1.
Jacob's Vision: The most notable event associated with Luz is Jacob's dream of a ladder reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. This vision, as described in
Genesis 28:10-22, marked a pivotal moment in Jacob's life, leading to his covenant with God. Jacob's renaming of Luz to Bethel signified the transformation of the site into a sacred place of worship.
2.
Conquest by the Israelites: In the Book of Judges, Luz is mentioned again in the context of the Israelite conquest of Canaan.
Judges 1:22-26 recounts how the house of Joseph attacked Bethel, formerly known as Luz. The spies sent by the Israelites encountered a man coming out of the city and promised to spare him and his family if he showed them the entrance to the city. The man complied, and the city was captured: "So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family."
3.
Rebuilding of Luz: The man who helped the Israelites later went to the land of the Hittites and built a city, which he also named Luz. This indicates the continued significance of the name and its legacy beyond the original location.
Theological Significance:Luz, later Bethel, holds profound theological importance as a place where God reaffirmed His covenant with Jacob, promising him descendants and land. This event underscored God's faithfulness and the continuation of the Abrahamic covenant through Jacob. The transformation of Luz into Bethel symbolizes the sanctification of ordinary places through divine encounter and revelation.
Cultural and Religious Impact:Bethel became a central site for worship and pilgrimage in Israelite history. It was one of the locations where the patriarchs built altars to God, and it continued to be a place of religious significance throughout the biblical narrative. The account of Luz/Bethel serves as a reminder of God's presence and guidance in the lives of His people, as well as the importance of dedicating places and moments to divine worship and remembrance.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Luzseparation; departure; an almond
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Luz(almond tree). It seems impossible to discover with precision whether Luz and Bethel represent one and the same town--the former the Canannite, the latter the Hebrew, name--or whether they were distinct places, though in close proximity. The most probable conclusion is that the two places were, during the times preceding the conquest, distinct, Luz being the city and Bethel the pillar and altar of Jacob that after the destruction of Luz by the tribe of Ephraim the town of Bethel arose. When the original Luz was destroyed, through the treachery of one of its inhabitants, the man who had introduced the Israelites into the town went into the "land of the Hittites" and built a city which he named after the former one. (Judges 1:28) Its situation, as well as that of the land of the Hittites," has never been discovered, and is one of the favorable puzzles of Scripture geographers.
ATS Bible Dictionary
LuzThe ancient name of a part at least of Bethel,Genesis 28:19John 16:2 18:13; afterwards given to a smaller place founded by a refugee from Bethel,Jude 1:26. See Bethel,Jude 1:26. SeeBETHEL.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A nut-bearing tree, the almond.
(1.) The ancient name of a royal Canaanitish city near the site of Bethel (Genesis 28:19;35:6), on the border of Benjamin (Joshua 18:13). Here Jacob halted, and had a prophetic vision. (seeBETHEL.)
(2.) A place in the land of the Hittites, founded (Judges 1:26) by "a man who came forth out of the city of Luz." It is identified with Luweiziyeh, 4 miles north-west of Banias.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
n.) A bone of the human body which was supposed by certain Rabbinical writers to be indestructible. Its location was a matter of dispute.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
LUZ(luz):The Hebrew word means "almond tree" or "almond wood" (OHL, under the word). It may also mean "bone," particularly a bone of the spine, and might be applied to a rocky height supposed to resemble a backbone (Lagarde, Uebersicht., 157). Winckler explains it by Aramaic laudh, "asylum," which might be suitably applied to a sanctuary (Geschichte Israels). Cheyne (EB, under the word) would derive it by corruption from chalutsah, "strong (city)."
(1) This was the ancient name of Bethel (Genesis 28:19Judges 1:23; compareGenesis 35:6;Genesis 48:3Joshua 16:2;Joshua 18:13). It has been thought thatJoshua 16:2 contradicts this, and that the two places were distinct. Referring toGenesis 28:19, we find that the name Bethel was given to "the place," ha-maqom, i.e. "the sanctuary," probably "the place" (28:11, Hebrew) associated with the sacrifice of Abraham (12:8), which lay to the East of Bethel. The name of the city as distinguished from "the place" was Luz. As the fame of the sanctuary grew, we may suppose, its name overshadowed, and finally superseded, that of the neighboring town. The memory of the ancient nomenclature persisting among the people sufficiently explains the allusions in the passages cited.
(2) A Bethelite, the man who betrayed the city into the hands of the children of Joseph, went into the land of the Hittites, and there founded a city which he called Luz, after the ancient name of his native place (Judges 1:26). No satisfactory identification has been suggested.
W. Ewing
Strong's Hebrew
3870.Luz -- earlier name of Bethel, also a Hittite city... 3869, 3870.
Luz. 3871 . earlier name of Bethel, also a Hittite city.
Transliteration:
Luz Phonetic Spelling: (looz) Short Definition:
Luz.
...3869.luz -- almond tree, almond wood
... 3868, 3869.luz. 3870 . almond tree, almond wood. Transliteration:luz Phonetic
Spelling: (looz) Short Definition: almond.... 3868, 3869.luz. 3870 ....
3868.luz -- to turn aside, depart
... 3867b, 3868.luz. 3869 . to turn aside, depart. Transliteration:luz Phonetic
Spelling: (looz) Short Definition: devious.... 3867b, 3868.luz. 3869 ....
3891. lazuth -- deviation, crookedness
... Word Origin fromluz Definition deviation, crookedness NASB Word Usage devious
(1). perverse. From luwz; perverseness -- perverse. see HEBREW luwz. 3890, 3891...
Library
The Same is Proved from the visions which Appeared to Jacob.
... God face to face, and my soul rejoiced.' [2155] And again, in other terms, referring
to the same Jacob, it says the following: And Jacob came toLuz, in the...
Chapter xlviii
... 3, 4. And Jacob said to Joseph: God Almighty appeared unto me inLuz in the land
of Canaan and he blessed me, and He said to me: Behold, I am about to make...
Chapter xxxv
... Jacob. And Jacob came toLuz, which is in the land of Canaan"that is
to say, Bethel"he and all the people that were with him....
Ebenezer!
... which had been his pillow, and pouring oil upon it, and calling upon the name of
the Lord, naming the place Bethel, though the name thereof wasLuz at the first...
Names and Titles of the Antichrist
... where it occurred. Abram and Sarai will at once occur to mind. For a place,
takeLuz, which was changed to Bethel! " "House of God...
Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
... Beth-el heretofore wasLuz: of which the Rabbins upon Judges 1:23, &c.
do not a little trifle. Sometimes it is called Beth-aven....
The Heavenly Pathway and the Earthly Heart
... top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name
of that city was calledLuz at the first. And Jacob vowed...
To the Editors of El Espanol
... in indignation at this omission becomes suddenly argumentative, and puts a case
to the heretics, which he deems in point; 'Si vieran laluz publica las obras...
Chapter xxviii
... be revived. 19. And he called the name of that place Bethel, whereas the
name of the city had formerly beenLuz. Beth-'el means...
Chapter xxxiv
... Jacob. And Jacob came toLuz, which is in the land of Canaan"that is
to say, Bethel"he and all the people that were with him....
Thesaurus
Luz (7 Occurrences)... (2.) A place in the land of the Hittites, founded (Judges 1:26) by "a man who came
forth out of the city of
Luz." It is
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
LUZ.
...Beth-el-luz (1 Occurrence)
Beth-el-luz. Beth-elite, Beth-el-luz. Bethel-sarezer .
Multi-Version Concordance Beth-el-luz (1 Occurrence). Joshua...
Beth-el (65 Occurrences)
... Genesis 28:19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el. But the name
of the city wasLuz at the first. (ASV BBE DBY JPS WBS)....
Almond (7 Occurrences)
... The Hebrew wordluz, translated "hazel" in the Authorized Version (Genesis 30:37),
is rendered in the Revised Version "almond." It is probable thatluz denotes...
Bethel (67 Occurrences)
... It was originally the royal Canaanite city ofLuz (Genesis 28:19).... 2. The Sanctuary:
The town was originally calledLuz (Genesis 28:19, etc.)....
Ataroth (7 Occurrences)
... Joshua 16:2 It went out from Bethel toLuz, and passed along to the border of the
Archites to Ataroth; (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)....
Passes (74 Occurrences)
... sea. (See RSV). Joshua 16:2 And it went out from Beth-el-luz, and passed
along unto the border of the Archites to Ataroth. (See RSV)....
Nether (19 Occurrences)
... Joshua 18:13 And the border went over from thence towardLuz, to the side ofLuz,
which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the...
Beth-hor'on (12 Occurrences)
... Joshua 18:13 And the border passed along from thence toLuz, to the side of
Luz--the same is Beth-el--southward; and the border went down to Atroth-addar, by...
Atroth-addar (2 Occurrences)
... Joshua 18:13 And the border passed along from thence toLuz, to the side ofLuz (
the same is Beth-el ), southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar...
Resources
What is the significance of Bethel in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWho were the Ephrathites? | GotQuestions.orgLuz: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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