Lydia (Place) — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Name designating a geographical area occurring in Jeremiah 46:9, Ezekiel 27:10, and 30:5 in the NLT. In other versions, it is listed as “Lud” (see NLT mg) or “Ludim.” But the identification of Lydia with Lud or Ludim in the OT is not certain. Jeremiah mentions Lud in connection with the North African countries of Put (Libya) and Ethiopia (Jer 46:9). Ezekiel mentions Lud in connection with Put and Persia (Ez 27:10), as well as Arabia (30:5). Josephus considered the Lydians to have been founded by Lud (Antiquities 1.6.4).

Show passage in OET: JER 46:9

OET-RV JER 46:9

9 Go up, you horses.
⇔ ≈ Be angry, you chariots.
⇔ Let the soldiers go out,
⇔ Kush (Ethiopia) and Libya,
⇔ men skillful with a shield,
⇔ ≈ and Ludia, men skillful at using bows and arrows.’

OET-LV JER 46:9

9 Go _up Oh_horses and_drive _madly Oh_chariotry and_ the_warriors Kūsh/(Cush) and_Pūţ who_wield _of (of)_a _shield and_Lūdī who_wield _of (of)_those _who_bend _of (of)_a _bow _let _them _go _forth.

Show passage in OET: EZE 27:10

OET-RV EZE 27:10

10 Warriors from Paras (Persia), Ludia, and Libya were in your army.
⇔ They hung their shields and helmets within you.
⇔ They displayed your splendour.

OET-LV EZE 27:10

10 Pāraş and_Lūd and_Pūţ they _were in_army _of_your men _of your _war _of_your shield and_helmet they _hung _up in_you they they _gave splendour _of_your.

Show passage in OET: EZE 30:5

OET-RV EZE 30:5

5 Kush and Put, Ludia, all Arav, and Libya, together with the people belonging to the agreement—they’ll all be killed by the sword.

OET-LV EZE 30:5

5 Kūsh/(Cush) and_Pūţ and_Lūd and_all (the)_foreigner and_Kūⱱ/(Chub) and_the _sons of _the _land _of of_the _covenant with_them by_sword they _will _fall.

Jump to OET JER 46:9 section.

Jump to OET EZE 27:10 section.

Jump to OET EZE 30:5 section.

In any event, it appears that Lydia refers to a province in the western part of the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey) bounded on the north by Mysia, on the east by Phrygia, on the south by Caria, and on the west by the Greek cities in Ionia. It is listed among the provinces taken by the conquering Romans from the Syrian king Antiochus the Great and given to Eumenes II, the king of Pergamum, after the battle of Magnesia in 190 BC.

The capital of Lydia, Sardis, was considerably inland, and the province never showed any significant maritime development. Herodotus referred to Lydia as a fertile land and to its abundance of silver (Persian Wars 5.49), while Tacitus spoke of the rich countries around Sardis (Annals 4.55). According to Herodotus, the Lydians “were the first nation to introduce the use of gold and silver coin, and the first who sold goods by retail” (Persian Wars 1.94).

By NT times, Lydia had become a part of the Roman province of Asia, having been given to Rome in 133 BC by the Pergamene king Attalus III. Five of the churches to which the book of Revelation was addressed were in Lydia (Ephesus, Smyrna, Sardia, Philadelphia, and Laodicea).