Names, Nations, and the New Testament by Madelyn Rose Craig

Author:Madelyn Rose Craig
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christianity, Old Testament, Origin Studies, Apologetics, New Testament
Publisher: Madelyn Rose Craig
Published: 2020-09-24T16:00:00+00:00

26: Lud

Lud is the fourth listed son of Shem in Scripture, his name appearing as לוּד in Hebrew (Gen. 10:22, 1Ch. 1:17).1 Scripture rarely mentions Lud and his people. This is likely due to their proximity to Abraham’s descendants. Lud and his people seemed to have moved far from the rest of his brothers and were consequently influenced by Japheth’s sons. They are often confused with their cousins the Ludim, the Libyans, but they were not near each other in the slightest – on the opposite sides of the Mediterranean, in fact. The Lydians, as the descendants of Lud were called, are mentioned in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah. Within a prophecy about Egypt, Ezekiel writes, “The allies of Egypt will fall,” allies which include Lydia (Ezk. 30:5-6). The Lydians served in the army of Tyre, who hung “their shields and helmets” on the walls of the city, for they were skilled archers (Ezk. 27:10, Isa. 66:19). They are also included among those who will hear proclaimed the glory of God (Isa. 66:19).

Where is This Name Found?

While we know little about Lud and his people from Scripture, other nations recorded parts of their history under similar names. Josephus knew Lud as Laud and his people as the Laudites and the Lydians.2 The Book of Jasher knew him as Lud and son of Shem, yet also gave him two unknown sons: Pethor and Bizayon.3 If Pethor was real, he may have founded the city of the same name on the Euphrates, settling there instead of with his father (Num. 22:5).4 The Jubilees says the portion of land for Lud was northwest of his brother Asshur, placing him in Anatolia, modern-day Turkey.5 The Etymologies by Isidore states Lud was the ancestor of the Lydians.6

Due to their immersion with the people of Anatolia, who were mainly of Japhetic descent, there are relatively few records of the early Lydians. You may have noticed that Anatolia was prime ground for early settlements. Descendants of Javan, Gomer, Asshur, and obviously Lud, among others, settled in this area at one time or another. This land choice is unsurprising as this area was part of a crossway into much of the north and east. But back to the Lydian records, the texts that exist are difficult to translate, and the writing, though distinct, resembles more of Japheth’s people than of Shem’s.7,8

According to Herodotus, the Lydians received their name from a man named Lydus, descended from a man born of a god – perhaps extrapolating from Lud’s history – and were previously called Meiones.9,10 The Assyrians knew the Lydians as “matu Lu-ud-di,” during the reign of King Gyges of Lydia.11 Though a few other texts mention the Lydians, they are given so little notice that one may assume Lydia was rather insignificant to the vast scope of history. The Babylonians called the Lydians “uru Lu-u-du.”12 Texts from Babylon during the reign of Nabonidus state that he killed the king of Lydia; during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, there is a record of oil sent to a Lydian named Zabiria.

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