3864. Lubim
Lexical Summary
Lubim: Lubim

Original Word: לוּבִי
Part of Speech: Noun
Transliteration: Luwbiy
Pronunciation: loo-BEEM
Phonetic Spelling: (loo-bee')
KJV: Lubim(-s), Libyans
NASB: Lubim, Libya, Libyans
Word Origin: [partrial from a name probably derived from an unused root meaning to thirst, i.e. a dry region]

1. apparently a Libyan or inhabitant of interior Africa (only in plural)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
A dry region; apparently a Libyan or inhabitant of interior Africa

Or Lubbiy (Dan. 11:43) {loob-bee'}; partrial from a name probably derived from an unused root meaning to thirst, i.e. A dry region; apparently a Libyan or inhabitant of interior Africa (only in plural):

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
inhab. of N. Africa
NASB Translation
Libya (1), Libyans (1), Lubim (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[לוּב], לוּבִים, לֻבִֿים

name, of a people, plural Lybians, in North Africa, west of Egypt; — Nahum 3:9 ( + מּוּט), 2 Chronicles 12:3 (ᵐ5 Λιβυες; + מִצְרַיִם, סֻכִּיִּים, כּוּשִׁים), 2 Chronicles 16:8 ᵐ5 Λιβυες; (+ כּוּוִים); לֻבִֿים Daniel 11:43 (see Baer; with מִצְרַיִם, כֻּשִֿׁים), Theod. Λιβυων; probably = לְהָבִים (q. v.) Genesis 10:13 = 1 Chronicles 1:11 A ᵐ5L Λαβιειμ; read לוּבים perhaps also Jeremiah 46:9 (for HCT לוּדִים, compare StaJavan 5f.), ᵐ5 Λυδοι (מּוּט ib. = Λιβυες); ᵐ5 Sm Co StaJavan 6 Berthol read לוּב Ezekiel 30:5 (for HCT כּוּב, q. v.) See WMMAs.Eur.115.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Identity

The term לוּבִי designates the people of Libya—North African neighbors west of Egypt—often rendered “Lubim” or “Libyans.” In Scripture they appear as a distinct ethnic group allied with Egypt and Cush (Ethiopia/Sudan). Egyptian reliefs and Classical writers confirm that Libyan warriors served as mercenaries for the Pharaohs, matching the Biblical portrayal of a semi-nomadic, war-ready people dwelling along the southern Mediterranean coast.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. 2 Chronicles 12:3 records Shishak’s invasion of Judah with “the Lubim, the Sukkites, and the Cushites.”
2. 2 Chronicles 16:8 recalls Asa’s deliverance: “Were not the Cushites and the Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.”
3. Daniel 11:43 foresees a future ruler who will seize Egypt’s wealth: “the Libyans and Cushites will submit to him.”
4. Nahum 3:9 speaks of Thebes: “Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were her allies.”

Historical Background

Archaeology places Libyan tribes—chiefly the Meshwesh and Tjehenu—along Egypt’s western frontier from the Late Bronze Age onward. Their feared archers and charioteers often hired out to Egyptian kings, explaining why Solomonic-era Judah faced them in Shishak’s coalition (circa 925 B.C.). Libyan dynasties later ruled parts of Egypt (Twenty-second and Twenty-third Dynasties), so their political identity blended with Egypt yet remained distinct enough for Biblical writers to name them separately.

Military Role in Old Testament Conflicts

The Chronicler twice highlights overwhelming Lubian manpower. Shishak’s force (2 Chronicles 12) overwhelms Rehoboam, underscoring divine chastisement for forsaking the LORD. By contrast, the deliverance under Asa (2 Chronicles 16) demonstrates that no coalition—however vast—can prevail when God defends His covenant people. The pairing “Cushites and Libyans” suggests a trans-Nile confederation extending from Nubia to Cyrenaica, symbolizing the breadth of opposition the LORD can overturn.

Prophetic and Eschatological Notes

Daniel 11:43 places the Libyans in an eschatological horizon, portraying their submission to a northern invader who captures Egypt’s treasures. Whether read historically (the Seleucid Antiochus IV or a later Hellenistic king) or futuristically (a final antichrist figure), the passage affirms God’s foreknowledge of regional powers and their eventual subjugation. Nahum 3:9 shows the collapse of worldly security: even when mighty Thebes counted Libya among her allies, she fell. God’s judgments reach beyond Israel to the nations, fulfilling His sovereignty declared in Genesis 10’s table of nations.

Theological and Ministry Reflections

1. God Rules Over the Nations: The rise and fall of Libyan armies illustrates Psalm 22:28, “For dominion belongs to the LORD.” Modern readers can trust that present-day geopolitical shifts likewise serve His purposes.
2. Reliance on God, Not Numbers: Asa’s victory over an army “vast as the sand on the seashore” (paraphrasing 2 Chronicles 16:8) invites believers to measure threats by divine, not human, calculus.
3. Missionary Impulse: Acts 2:10 lists “visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs,” but in verse 10 also mentions “Libya near Cyrene,” hinting that the Gospel reached Libyans early. The Old Testament groundwork of God’s dealings with Libya prepares the later New Testament inclusion of North Africans in Christ’s kingdom.

Summary

The לוּבִי stand as a testimony that distant peoples are neither overlooked in redemptive history nor beyond divine judgment and grace. From Shishak’s coalition to Daniel’s prophecy, their presence underscores the global stage upon which God vindicates His name and invites all nations to acknowledge Him.

Forms and Transliterations
וְהַלּוּבִ֗ים וְלֻבִ֥ים וְלוּבִ֔ים והלובים ולבים ולובים לוּבִ֥ים לובים lū·ḇîm lūḇîm luVim vehalluVim veluVim wə·hal·lū·ḇîm wə·lu·ḇîm wə·lū·ḇîm wəhallūḇîm wəluḇîm wəlūḇîm
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Chronicles 12:3
HEB: עִמּוֹ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לוּבִ֥ים סֻכִּיִּ֖ים וְכוּשִֽׁים׃
NAS: number: the Lubim, the Sukkiim
KJV: with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims,
INT: from Egypt the Lubim the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians

2 Chronicles 16:8
HEB: הֲלֹ֧א הַכּוּשִׁ֣ים וְהַלּוּבִ֗ים הָי֨וּ לְחַ֧יִל ׀
NAS: Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense
KJV: Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge
INT: were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim become army

Daniel 11:43
HEB: חֲמֻד֣וֹת מִצְרָ֑יִם וְלֻבִ֥ים וְכֻשִׁ֖ים בְּמִצְעָדָֽיו׃
NAS: of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians
KJV: things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians
INT: beauty of Egypt and Libyans and Ethiopians his heels

Nahum 3:9
HEB: קֵ֑צֶה פּ֣וּט וְלוּבִ֔ים הָי֖וּ בְּעֶזְרָתֵֽךְ׃
NAS: Put and Lubim were among her helpers.
KJV: Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
INT: limits Put and Lubim were among her helpers

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3864
4 Occurrences


lū·ḇîm — 1 Occ.
wə·hal·lū·ḇîm — 1 Occ.
wə·lu·ḇîm — 2 Occ.

3863
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