| 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. (see BETHEL.) (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. Noah Webster's 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. Int. 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 28:19 Judges 1:23; compare Genesis 35:6; Genesis 48:3 Joshua 16:2; Joshua 18:13). It has been thought that Joshua 16:2 contradicts this, and that the two places were distinct. Referring to Genesis 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 As the fame of the sanctuary grew, we may suppose, its name overshadowed, and finally superseded, that of the neighboring town.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 |  | Multi-Version Concordance Luz (7 Occurrences) Genesis 28:19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Genesis 35:6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Genesis 48:3 Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Joshua 16:2 It went out from Bethel to Luz, and passed along to the border of the Archites to Ataroth; (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Joshua 18:13 The border passed along from there to Luz, to the side of Luz (the same is Bethel), southward. The border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies on the south of Beth Horon the lower. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Judges 1:23 The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Judges 1:26 The man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) |
