Libnah

Places in Scripture

The Old Testament uses the name Libnah for two different places.

• Wilderness campsite: Libnah appears in the list of wilderness stages in Numbers 33:20-21. The Israelites departed from Rimmon-parez and camped at Libnah, then departed from Libnah and camped at Rissah. It is not mentioned outside this list.
• Town of Judah: All other references are to this town. After striking Makkedah, Joshua fought against Libnah and struck the town and its king (Joshua 10:29-30). The king of Libnah also appears in the list of conquered kings (Joshua 12:15). When the land was divided, Libnah was among the lowland towns allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:42), and it later became one of the towns given to the descendants of Aaron the priest (Joshua 21:13; 1 Chronicles 6:57).

Libnah During the Monarchy

• Revolt: In the days of Jehoram king of Judah, Edom revolted from Judah, and "then Libnah revolted at the same time" (2 Kings 8:22). 2 Chronicles 21:10 gives the reason: "because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers."
• Assyrian attack: In the time of Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria departed from Lachish and warred against Libnah. Rabshakeh, returning from Jerusalem, found the king warring against Libnah (2 Kings 19:8; Isaiah 37:8).
• Hometown of a queen mother: Hamutal, the mother of the Judean kings Jehoahaz and Zedekiah, was "the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah" (2 Kings 23:31; 24:18; Jeremiah 52:1). This Jeremiah is a different person from the prophet Jeremiah. Jehoahaz reigned only three months before Pharaoh-nechoh king of Egypt deposed him and carried him away (2 Kings 23:33-34).

Background

The Hebrew name Livnah is understood to be related to a root meaning "to be white." The Judean Libnah was a town in the low hill country (the lowland, or Shephelah) southwest of Jerusalem. It lay near Lachish and Makkedah and appears to have stood on a route along the border of Philistine territory. Its modern site has not been determined; several candidates, including Tel Burna, have been proposed. The location of the wilderness Libnah is unknown. Some scholars identify it with "Laban" in Deuteronomy 1:1.

Interpretation and Issues

• Relationship between the two sites: The wilderness Libnah and the Judean Libnah are generally regarded as distinct places that merely share a name.
• Nature of the revolt: 2 Kings 8:22 does not describe the circumstances of the revolt in detail, so interpretations differ. One view connects it to the town's position on the Philistine border; another reads it as a priestly town's reaction against Jehoram's apostasy. Both views are interpretations rather than statements made directly by the text.
• Libnah does not appear in the New Testament.