Libnah
LIBNAH
LIBNAH (Heb. לִבְנָה).
(1) Station of the Israelites on the route of the Exodus, between Rimmon-Perez and Rissah (Num. 33:20–21). It is perhaps identical with Laban (Deut. 1:1).
(2) Canaanite city-state in the Shephelah which Joshua conquered and destroyed after Makkedah and before Lachish (Josh. 10:29ff.; 12:15). It was allotted to the levites (Josh. 21:13; i Chron. 6:42) and was included in the fourth district of Judah which extended over the eastern Shephelah (Josh. 15:42). The city revolted against Joram, king of Judah, at the same time as Edom, but was subdued (ii Kings 8:22; ii Chron. 21:10). Hamutal, the mother of kings Jehoahaz and Zedekiah, was a native of Libnah (ii Kings 23:31; 24:18; Jer. 52:1). It was attacked by Sennacherib after the fall of Lachish (ii Kings 19:8; Isa. 37:8). Eusebius identifies it with Lobana, a village of Eleutheropolis (Onom. 120:23ff.). The identification of the ancient city with Tell al-Ṣāfi, the crusader Blanche-Garde ("the white tower"; cf. Heb. lavan, "white"; see *Gath, now identified with this site), has been superseded in scholarly opinion by that with Tell Birnāt, 2 mi. (3.2 km.) northwest of Bet Guvrin or with nearby Tell-al-Judayda.
bibliography:
Albright, in: basor, 15 (1924), 9; Elliger, in: pjb, 30 (1934), 58ff.; Z. Kallai, Naḥalot Shivtei Yisrael (1967), 319–20; Abel, Geog, 2 (1938), 369–70; em, 4 (1962), 421–3.
[Michael Avi-Yonah]