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לֹד

𐤋𐤃

Lod

H3850 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain (proper noun; place-name)

Definition

Lod – a town located in the southern part of the plain of Sharon, west of Jerusalem, identifiable with the modern city of Lod (Lydda). In biblical contexts, it denotes a specific settlement, most commonly referenced as the site repopulated by Judahites returning from Babylonian exile. The term consistently refers to this geographic locality.

Semantic Range

Lod (ancient town west of Jerusalem), locality settled by Judahite returnees, geographic site in the plain of Sharon, place of administration in later periods

Root / Etymology

etymology uncertain. The word is a place-name not transparently derived from an attested Hebrew root. It may originate from a non-Hebrew (possibly ancient Canaanite or pre-Israelite) substrate name, as is common with some geographical names in the southern Levant.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Lod is first attested in 1 Chronicles 8:12, where it is listed among cities rebuilt by descendants of Benjamin, and then prominently in Ezra 2:33 and Nehemiah 7:37, as a location settled by returnees from Babylonian exile in the Persian period. In all occurrences, it functions as a specific place-name rather than as a common noun or generic term. The Greek rendering in the Septuagint is 'Λύδδα' (Lydda), a form later used in New Testament contexts (Acts 9:32, 9:38). Standard English translations render it as 'Lod' or occasionally 'Lydda' where New Testament context is intended. Unlike some biblical place-names, Lod does not acquire symbolic or broader metaphorical meaning. By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Lydda refers to a prominent administrative center in Judea. The English word 'Jew' does not appear in these contexts, though later references in Greco-Roman sources often use it to designate inhabitants of the region; in biblical usage, 'Lod' does not bear ethnic or religious significance beyond its identification with returnees from exile.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root of uncertain signification; Lod, a place in Palestine; Lod.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לוד (uncertain) (l-w-d (uncertain)) — uncertain; proper place-name

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3850-01 לֹד֙ lod HNp Lod Lod 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3850-01 Ezra 2:33 לֹד֙ lod HNp Lod Lod
H3850-01 Nehemiah 7:37 לֹד֙ lod HNp Lod Lod
H3850-01 Nehemiah 11:35 לֹ֥ד lod HNp Lod Lod
H3850-01 1 Chronicles 8:12 לֹ֖ד lod HNp Lod Lod
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