Lexical Summary Luz: Luz Original Word: לוּז Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Luz Probably from luwz (as growing there); Luz, the name of two places in Palestine -- Luz. see HEBREW luwz NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originprobably from the same as luz Definition earlier name of Bethel, also a Hittite city NASB Translation Luz (8). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. לוּז proper name, of a location 1. former name of Bethel Genesis 28:19 (J), Genesis 35:6 (E), Genesis 48:3 (P), Joshua 18:13 (twice in verse) (P), Judges 1:23; apparently distinct from Biblical מִבֵּיתאֵֿל לוּ֫זָה Joshua 16:2 (J E; but ׳ל here perhaps explanatory gloss, see Di); ᵐ5 Λουζα, Genesis 28:19 [Ουλαμ]μαυς 2 city in hands of Hittites Judges 1:26 (on conjectures as to site see GFM); ᵐ5 Λουζα. לוח (√ of following, meaning unknown; compare perhaps Arabic Topical Lexicon Overview of Occurrences Genesis 28:19; Genesis 35:6; Genesis 48:3; Joshua 16:2; Joshua 18:13 (twice within the verse); Judges 1:23; Judges 1:26 Historical Setting Luz first appears in the patriarchal narratives as the Canaanite name of a settlement later called Bethel by Jacob. By the time of the Conquest the older name still lingered in boundary descriptions (Joshua 16:2; 18:13). During the early settlement period, an unnamed informant spared by the house of Joseph relocated northward and founded a second city named Luz in Hittite territory (Judges 1:26), preserving the designation even after Israelite control of the central hill country was secure. Geographical Location Primary Luz/Bethel: Located on the central ridge route, roughly ten miles north of Jerusalem near modern Beitin. Its position made it a strategic lookout over the approach from Ai and the eastern hill country, and a natural tribal border marker between Benjamin and Ephraim. Secondary Luz: Probably in the northern Lebanon region (land of the Hittites here denoting the Neo-Hittite states), exact location unknown. Biblical Narrative and Themes 1. Patriarchal Worship (Genesis 28:19; 35:6; 48:3) Theological Significance Transformation and Identity: The shift from Luz (“almond tree”) to Bethel (“house of God”) illustrates how divine encounter redefines places and people. Jacob’s stone pillow becomes a pillar; a Canaanite town becomes a covenant landmark. Covenant Continuity: Jacob’s rehearsal in Genesis 48:3 stresses that the God who appeared at Luz is the same who now blesses Joseph’s sons, linking personal revelation with generational promise. Worship Centrality: Later prophets recall Bethel both positively (as a sacred site) and negatively (as a center of calf worship), reminding believers that a place of encounter must remain aligned with revealed truth or risk corruption. Archaeology and Extra-Biblical Data Excavations at Beitin have uncovered Middle Bronze fortifications and an Iron Age cultic complex, consistent with a thriving city in Jacob’s era and a fortified town in the time of the Judges. No definitive remains of the second Luz have yet been identified, corroborating the text’s portrayal of a lesser-known settlement outside Israel’s core. Prophetic and Typological Implications The ladder vision at Luz prefigures the mediating work of Jesus Christ (John 1:51), where the true Bethel—God’s dwelling with humanity—is realized in the incarnate Son. The renaming thus anticipates the New Testament doctrine of believers as living stones in a spiritual house. Lessons for Ministry and Discipleship • Expectation of Encounter: Ordinary settings may become “Bethel” when God speaks; believers should cultivate responsiveness to divine initiative. Key References for Further Study Genesis 28–35; Joshua 16–18; Judges 1; John 1:51; 1 Peter 2:4-5 Forms and Transliterations בְּל֖וּז בלוז ל֑וּזָה ל֔וּז ל֗וּזָה ל֙וּזָה֙ ל֥וּז לֽוּז׃ לוז לוז׃ לוזה bə·lūz beLuz bəlūz lū·zāh luz lūz Luzah lūzāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 28:19 HEB: אֵ֑ל וְאוּלָ֛ם ל֥וּז שֵׁם־ הָעִ֖יר NAS: the name of the city had been Luz. KJV: of that city [was called] Luz at the first. INT: Bethel however had been Luz the name of the city Genesis 35:6 Genesis 48:3 Joshua 16:2 Joshua 18:13 Joshua 18:13 Judges 1:23 Judges 1:26 8 Occurrences |
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shine, gleam, flash (of star, lightning, etc.), or Syriac 
wipe out, efface with reference to smooth surface; but this = לחה).