Libnah
Libnah is a location mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Negev in modern-day Egypt. Known today as Wadi el Beidha. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Libnah appears in Numbers 33:20-21 as a stopping place during Israel's wilderness wanderings: 'They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.' This Libnah is distinct from the Judahite city of the same name and represents one of the many encampments Israel made during their forty years of desert sojourning between Egypt and Canaan. The name Libnah means 'whiteness,' possibly referring to the white chalk or limestone terrain of the area. While no events are specifically recorded at this encampment, each station in the wilderness itinerary of Numbers 33 represents a place where God sustained His people with manna, water, and protection. The wilderness journey itself is a foundational narrative of faith, testing, and divine provision. Moses compiled this itinerary at God's command (Numbers 33:2), preserving these place names as a memorial of the journey. Libnah stands among these waypoints as a quiet testimony to God's faithfulness in leading Israel through the barren wilderness toward the land of promise.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The wilderness encampment of Libnah has been tentatively associated with Wadi el-Beidha, a location in the northeastern Sinai or western Negev region near the border of modern Egypt and Israel. The Arabic name 'Beidha' means 'white,' potentially preserving the meaning of the Hebrew 'Libnah.' However, the identification of most wilderness stations in Numbers 33 remains highly speculative, as the nomadic encampments left minimal archaeological traces. The region is characterized by arid desert terrain with chalk and limestone formations that could account for the name's etymology. No excavations have targeted this specific identification. The broader Sinai wilderness region has been surveyed extensively, revealing scattered evidence of ancient transient habitation.
Verse Appearances (2)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]