Ludim

Ludim was the first son of Mizraim (Egypt) in the Table of Nations (Gen. 10:13; 1 Chr. 1:11), and thus represented a people descended from Ham through the Egyptian line. They are associated in prophetic texts with the Egyptian military sphere: Jeremiah 46:9 names the Ludim alongside the Ethiopians (Cush) and the Libyans (Phut/Lubim) as African archers who handle and bend the bow in Egypt's army. Ezekiel also links Lud and Phut with Egypt (Ezek. 30:5).

The Ludim may be identified with the Libyan people known as the Libu in Egyptian sources, or with another North African ethnic group who served as mercenaries in the Egyptian military. Their appearance in Ezekiel's oracle against Egypt (Ezek. 30:5) alongside Ethiopia, Libya, Arabia, and the mixed peoples suggests they inhabited the western or southwestern fringes of the Egyptian sphere of influence. The Ludim should be distinguished from the Semitic Lud, son of Shem, who is the ancestor of the Asian Lydians, though the names are related and the traditions have sometimes been conflated in interpretation.