🔼The name Libya: Summary
- Meaning
- Land Of Lions, Land Of Zeal
- Etymology
- From לב (leb), heart or emotions.
🔼The name Libya in the Bible
The name Libya belongs to a vast Berber state directly to the west of Egypt, home to the Lehabim and the Lubim (which were arguably the same people). In Biblical times, Libya controlled most of the northern coast of Africa, excluding the Phoenician city Carthage and the Greek city Cyrene, which in the classical period were both home to extensive Jewish populations and formidable wisdom schools. Another noted feature of the Libyan realm were the treacherous "sandbanks" of Syrtis.
In the New Testament, Libya is mentioned in Acts 2:10 only.
🔼Etymology of the name Libya
The name Libya appears to derive from the name by which the Egyptians first referred to their western neighbors: the Libu. It's no longer clear what that name may have meant to anyone back then, but it probably stuck until the classical period also because it so perfectly matched the Hebrew (Phoenician) words for courage, zeal and lion:
לב לבי כלב לבן להב
The unused verb לבב (labab) probably had to do with having, forming or using the emotional (animal) part of consciousness, in contrast to the rational and word-filled mind that is unique to humans. Nouns לבב (lebab) and לב (leb) both mean heart: the seat of one's sentiments, courage and resolve. The opposite of having a heart is being either ignorant, indifferent or cowardly, but a big heart that's not properly governed by a strong mind may cause more damage than good, and be the source of all sorts of foolish bravery, massive fear or whole-hearted zeal.
One of the few words for lion, namely לבי (lebi), strongly resembles an adjective that would mean "courageous". The Hebrew word for dog, namely כלב (keleb), could be construed as a compound of כל (kal), meaning all, plus the word לב (leb), heart or courage: all-heart, entirely courageous (but not very clever). Noun כלוב (kelub) describes a cage with birds or a basket with fruits, and is perhaps illustrative of the limited rational capacities of a dog who is otherwise "all heart".
Verb לבן (laben) means to be or become white in the sense of a blank slate, meaning that "all-heart" also implies "little rational wisdom" or even "little record of wrong doings". Noun לבנה (lebanah) describes the moon, which in turn signifies roused feelings and very little rational (or solar) enlightenment. Adjective לבן (laban) means white (i.e. blank, un-written upon: stupid). Nouns לבנה (lebonah) and לבונה (lebonah) describe frankincense. Noun לבנה (lebneh) describes the poplar. Noun לבנה (lebenah) means brick, and the denominative verb לבן (laban) means to make bricks.
The unused verb להב (lahab) probably meant to flame or burn. Nouns להב (lahab) and להבה (lehaba) mean flame, but also denoted the blade or a sword or tip of a spear.
The Greek spelling of our name, namely Λιβυη (Libue), was most probably informed by one of quite a few Aramaic variants of the word for heart, specifically ליבא (liba).
🔼Libya meaning
What the name originally meant to either the Egyptians of the Libyans (who may not even have referred to themselves as Libu) is no longer clear, but when the Mediterranean was dominated by the Hebrew speaking Phoenicians, Libya was doubtlessly thought of as Land Of Lions or Land Of Zeal.
By the classical period, when restraint and reason began to be considered more virtuous than sentiment and unbridled enthusiasm, both personally and in matters of statecraft, military strategy and wisdom in general, the name Libya may have lost some of its shine and may have rather seemed adjacent to a term like Zealot or even Ham (the condemned son of Noah). This may explain why in the Greek period, the name of the city of Cyrene (means Gentlemen) began to be applied to the whole region: Cyrenaica.