לוּדִי
𐤋𐤅𐤃𐤉
Ludi
H3866 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A descendant or member of the people or land associated with Lud; more specifically, one belonging to the group or region called Ludim. Used primarily in the plural, designating a people group of uncertain but likely non-Israelite origin, possibly located in North Africa or the eastern Mediterranean. In biblical texts, the term usually refers to a distinct ethnic or territorial group referenced among various peoples, often in lists of nations or warriors.
Semantic Range
descendant of Lud, member of the ethnic group or nation called Ludim, inhabitant of the territory referred to as Lud; collective term for a people group likely situated in North Africa or the eastern Mediterranean
Root / Etymology
From the root לוּד, likely a personal name referencing the progenitor Lud (cf. Genesis 10:13), with the gentilic suffix indicating descent or association. The root לוּד is not productive elsewhere in Hebrew; it is used almost exclusively as a proper name for an individual and the people descended from him.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the genealogies of Genesis (e.g., Gen 10:13; 1 Chr 1:11), the Ludim are presented as descendants of Mizraim (Egypt), situating them geneologically in relation to Egypt and other North African peoples. Elsewhere (e.g. Jeremiah 46:9; Ezekiel 27:10; Ezekiel 30:5; Isaiah 66:19), the Ludim or Ludiy are mentioned among military forces or as distant peoples. Their exact geographical identification remains debated: ancient sources and some translations associate them with the Lydians of Asia Minor (Lydia), but the biblical context often places them alongside African or Near Eastern nations. The Septuagint at times equates Ludim with Lydia, but historical and archaeological evidence does not decisively support this identification. English translations have historically rendered לוּדִי as 'Lydian' or 'Ludim,' but the ethnic, geographic, and linguistic evidence is more ambiguous. In all biblical occurrences, the term designates a non-Israelite people typically named among other groups encountered or referenced by Israelites and Judahites; it does not refer to inhabitants of the later Greek Lydian kingdom per se.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or לוּדִיִּי; patrial from לוּד; a Ludite or inhabitants of Lud (only in plural); Ludim. Lydians.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
לוד (l-w-d) — progenitor name Lud, designation of belonging to Lud
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3865 | לוּד | and Lud |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3866-01 |
לוּדִ֧ים | ludim | HNgmpa |
Ludim | Lud-descendants | 2 |
H3866-02 |
לודיים | lvdyym | HNp |
the Ludites | Lud-descendants | 1 |
H3866-03 |
וְ/לוּדִ֕ים | veludim | HC/Np |
and the Ludim | and Lud-descendants | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3866-01 |
Genesis 10:13 | לוּדִ֧ים | ludim | HNgmpa |
Ludim | Lud-descendants |
H3866-03 |
Jeremiah 46:9 | וְ/לוּדִ֕ים | veludim | HC/Np |
and the Ludim | and Lud-descendants |
H3866-02 |
1 Chronicles 1:11 | לודיים | lvdyym | HNp |
the Ludites | Lud-descendants |
H3866-01 |
1 Chronicles 1:11 | לוּדִ֧ים | ludim | HNp |
Ludites | Lud-descendants |