לוּז
𐤋𐤅𐤆
Luz
H3870 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Luz — a proper noun designating notable locations in the Hebrew Bible. Most commonly refers to a Canaanite city in the hill country, later associated with the Israelite site of Bethel. In another instance, designates a city founded by a person migrating from the original Luz, presumably outside of Canaan. The word serves as a toponym rather than bearing a descriptive meaning in biblical usage.
Semantic Range
proper name of a city in the hill country near Bethel, name of a city built outside Canaan by a former inhabitant, possibly 'almond tree' if understood as a common noun; exclusively a toponym in biblical use
Root / Etymology
The word is likely derived from the Hebrew root ל-ו-ז (לוז), meaning 'almond tree' or 'twisted, to turn aside,' but its use as a place name suggests the meaning as a toponym, possibly 'Almond Tree (Place).' The connection to almonds is based on occurrences of the unrelated common noun לוּז for 'almond tree' (Genesis 30:37; likely from the 'twist' of its branches). As a proper noun, the significance is attached more to location than descriptive quality.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the biblical narrative, Luz appears first as a Canaanite town (Genesis 28:19), which Jacob renamed Bethel after his vision, indicating a shift from a (possibly pagan) local name to one bearing Israelite religious significance. The name persists in Joshua (16:2; 18:13), suggesting the older identity remained alongside the newer Israelite name. Later, in Judges 1:26, a man from Luz settles in the land of the Hittites and builds a new Luz, extending the toponym into northern or eastern regions. 'Luz' is not used to describe people or religious practices but exclusively as a geographical marker. English translations render 'Luz' directly, though the semantic content is opaque without historical-linguistic background. The name may overlap with related agricultural or arboreal terms, but in the context of the Hebrew Bible, it strictly identifies locations and their inherited identity at the intersection of Canaanite and Israelite history.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably from לוּז (as growing there); Luz, the name of two places in Palestine; Luz.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
לוז (l-w-z) — to turn aside, to twist, almond tree
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3868 | לוּז | the deviating one |
| H3869 | לוּז | almond tree |
| H3891 | לְזוּת | and deviating-perverseness of |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3870-03 |
ל֗וּזָ/ה | luzah | HNp/Sd |
to Luz | toward Luz | 4 |
H3870-02 |
ל֥וּז | luz | HNp |
Luz | Luz | 3 |
H3870-01 |
בְּ/ל֖וּז | beluz | HR/Np |
at Luz | in Luz | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3870-02 |
Genesis 28:19 | ל֥וּז | luz | HNp |
Luz | Luz |
H3870-03 |
Genesis 35:6 | ל֗וּזָ/ה | luzah | HNp/Sd |
to Luz | toward Luz |
H3870-01 |
Genesis 48:3 | בְּ/ל֖וּז | beluz | HR/Np |
at Luz | in Luz |
H3870-03 |
Joshua 16:2 | ל֑וּזָ/ה | luzah | HNp/Sd |
to Luz | toward Luz |
H3870-03 |
Joshua 18:13 | ל֗וּזָ/ה | luzah | HNp/Sd |
to Luz | toward Luz |
H3870-03 |
Joshua 18:13 | ל֨וּזָ/ה֙ | luzah-2 | HNp/Sd |
of Luz | toward Luz |
H3870-02 |
Judges 1:23 | לֽוּז | luz | HNp |
Luz | Luz |
H3870-02 |
Judges 1:26 | ל֔וּז | luz | HNp |
Luz | Luz |