I. Name
Heb. laylâ is based on a common Semitic vocable for ‘night’; cf. Ug. ll, Old South Ar. ll, Canaanite l[el]a (EA 243:13), Ar. lail(at), Akk. liliātu (‘evening’). The term is not used in the formation of personal names in East or West Semitic onomastica. Outside the Hebrew Bible, ‘night’ is sometimes ascribed divine status.
II. Identity
‘Night’ was deified in some areas of the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world. It was occasionally venerated as a god in Hatti (dIšpant-), just like ‘good [i.e…