Joshua 19:43 — Word Study
WLCוְאֵיל֥וֹן וְתִמְנָ֖תָה וְעֶקְרֽוֹן׃
BSAElonʼÊylôwn [a judge and leader, strong and mighty] TimnahTimnâh [a town in the hill country, a portion or allotment] EkronʻEqrôwn [a major Philistine city, a place of strength and refuge]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְאֵיל֥וֹן | and Elon | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וְתִמְנָ֖תָה | and Timnah | Conjunction, noun proper, suffix |
| וְעֶקְרֽוֹן׃ | and Ekron | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Elon, Timnah, Ekron, |
| KJV | And Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, |
| ASV | and Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron, |
| YLT | and Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, |
| WEB | Elon, Timnah, Ekron, |
| BBE | And Elon and Timnah and Ekron |
The translations agree on the names listed in this verse.
The verse consists of a single main clause listing three significant locations.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, AdamClarke & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Joshua 19:43
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Allotment of Dangenerated
Joshua 19:43 lists Elon, Timnah, and Ekron as part of the territory given to the tribe of Dan. These locations are significant in the history of Israel, representing both geographical and cultural aspects of the tribe's inheritance. This allocation is part of a larger narrative where the land is divided among the tribes of Israel, as seen throughout the book of Joshua.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 38:12 | After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah. |
| 2 | Judges 14:1–2 | One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman. |
| 3 | Joshua 15:45 | Ekron, with its towns and villages; |
| 4 | 1 Samuel 5:10 | So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!” |
| 5 | Amos 1:8 | I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord GOD. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אֵילֹון, ve.'ei.Longenerated
The name אֵילֹון (Elon) is derived from the word for 'oak-grove' and signifies strength, reflecting the character of a judge mentioned in the Bible. Elon is noted as a leader in Israel, emphasizing his role and significance within the community.
Elon appears multiple times in the Old Testament, linking him not only to a specific location but also to a figure of authority and might, as indicated by the amplification.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is presented in the Berean Standard Bible, and the translations agree on the names listed: Elon, Timnah, and Ekron.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse is straightforward, with a series of noun phrases connected by conjunctions. The finite verb is absent, as the focus is on naming the locations.
The Hebrew word order emphasizes the names of the places, highlighting their importance in the context of the tribal allotments.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates אֵילֹון as αιλων, indicating a direct correspondence in the naming of the location, which shows a consistent understanding of the place's significance.
This choice reflects the translators' intent to preserve the meanings and associations of these locations as they were known in the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 19:43 mentions Elon, Timnah, and Ekron as towns in the territory of Dan. Elon was a judge known for his strength, Timnah is a town in the hill country, and Ekron was a major city of the Philistines.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Elon was a judge in Israel, and his name means strong or mighty, reflecting his leadership.
Timnah is a town in the hill country of Judah, associated with the meaning 'portion'.
Ekron was one of the five major Philistine cities and is mentioned in connection with the Ark of the Covenant.
These towns represent the heritage and geographical boundaries of the tribe of Dan in Israel.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do the names of these towns tell us about the tribe of Dan's identity?
- How do the locations mentioned in this verse relate to the overall narrative of land allotment in Joshua?
- In what ways do the historical roles of Elon, Timnah, and Ekron influence our understanding of Israel's history?
- What can we learn from the significance of names and places in the biblical text?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 19:43 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd Elon,.... Of Elon no mention is made elsewhere; and Thimnathah is a different place from Timnah in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:10.
Read John Gill on Joshua 19 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, Elon , [ wª-'Eeylown (H356), an oak]. It probably stood in a well-wooded region.
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 19 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(41-46) All the towns mentioned here are identified by Conder. Zorah—Sur’ahEshtaol—Eshû’aIr-shemesh—Ain Sheme Shaalabbin—SelbîtAjalon—YâloJethlah—(Ruin) Beit TulAre all in sheet 17Elon—Beit ElloThimnathah—(Ruin) TibnehSheet 14Ekron-(akir, sheet 16)13For Gath-rimmon, Conder suggests Gath; but this he identifies with Tell-es-Safi, which is well within the territory of Judah (to the south of sheet 16). Me-jarkon, “the yellow water,” is thought to be the river ’Aujeh (sheet 13), and Rakkon, Tell-er-Rakkeit, to the north of the mouth of it. Japho is Jaffa, on the same sheet.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 19 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 43. Thimnathah] Probably the same as Timnah. See Clarke on Joshua 15:57. Ekron] A well-known city of the Philistines and the metropolis of one of their five dynasties,
Read AdamClarke on Joshua 19 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges43. Elon] The site of this place is still undiscovered. For Thimnathah see above, ch. Joshua 15:1; for Ekron, Joshua 13:3.
Read Cambridge on Joshua 19 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleDAN’S LOT, Joshua 19:40-48.[The territory assigned to Dan was the smallest of all the tribe divisions. But it was not without advantages.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Joshua 19 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
Tyndale line
And Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron,
and Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron,
and Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron;
And Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron,
And Elon, and Temnathah, and Ekron,
Strictly literal
and Elon, and Timnathah, and Ekron,
and Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron,
and Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron,
And Elon, and Thimnathah, and 'Ekron,
It also included Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
From the Latin
Elon and Themna and Acron,
Simplified
Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
And Elon and Timnah and Ekron
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the names listed: Elon, Timnah, and Ekron, with no variations noted in their respective texts.
וְאֵיל֥וֹן וְתִמְנָ֖תָה וְעֶקְרֽוֹן׃
3 of the 3 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Joshua 19:43
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אֵלוֹן (Elon) refers to a name that encompasses several figures and a location in the Old Testament. It includes a Hittite who was the father-in-law of Esau, a judge from the tribe of Zebulun, and a town in Dan. The name is derived from the word for 'oak-grove' and is associated with strength, as indicated by its meaning 'terebinth, mighty.'
אֵלוֹן n.pr.m.
son of Zebulun
a Hittite, father-in-law of Esau
a judge of Isr., of tribe of Zeb.
n.pr.loc. a town of Dan
base
H356 אֵלוֹן . son of Zebulun
. a Hittite, father-in-law of Esau
. a judge of Isr., of tribe of Zeb.
. a town of Dan
356 'Eylown ay-lone'
or (shortened) ;Elown {ay-lone'}; or Eylon {ay- lone'}; from
352; oak-grove; Elon, the name of a place in Palestine, and
also of one Hittite, two Israelites:--Elon.
see HEBREW for 0352
אֵלוֹן (e.lon) — Elon.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.26.34;
father of: Adah (H5711H)
§ Elon = "terebinth, mighty"
1) Hittite, father-in-law of Esau
2) second son of Zebulun
3) Zebulonite judge of Israel
4) town in Dan
אֵלוֹן (e.lon) — Elon.
A man of the tribe of Zebulun living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Gen.46.14;
son of: Zebulun (H2074);
brother of: Sered (H5624) and Jahleel (H3177)
Also named: e.lo.ni (אֵלֹנִי "Elonite" H0440)
§ Elon = "terebinth, mighty"
1) Hittite, father-in-law of Esau
2) second son of Zebulun
3) Zebulonite judge of Israel
4) town in Dan
אֵלוֹן (e.lon) — Elon.
§ Elon = "terebinth, mighty"
town in Dan
אֵלוֹן (e.lon) — Elon.
A Judge living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jdg.12.11
§ Elon = "terebinth, mighty"
1) Hittite, father-in-law of Esau
2) second son of Zebulun
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
Elon
Oak. (1.) A city of Dan (Josh. 19:43). (2.) A Hittite, father of Bashemath, Esau’s wife (Gen. 26:34). (3.) One of the sons of Zebulun (Gen. 46:14). (4.) The eleventh of the Hebrew judges. He held office for ten years (Judg. 12:11, 12). He is called the Zebulonite.
(an oak). A Hittite, whose daughter was one of Esau’s wives. (Genesis 26:34; 36:2) (B.C. 1797.) The second of the three sons attributed to Zebulun, (Genesis 46:14; Numbers 26:26) and the founder of the family of the Elonites. (B.C. 1695.) Elon the Zebulonite, who judged Israel for ten years, and was buried in Aijalon in Zebulun. (Judges 12:11,12) (B.C. 1174-1164). On of the towns in the border of the tribe of Dan. (Joshua 19:43)
oak; grove; strong
תִּמְנָה (timnah) refers to a location in the hill country of Judah and on its border, likely meaning 'portion' or 'territory.' It is identified as the name of two places in Palestine, also known as Timnath or Thimnathah. The entries consistently describe its geographical significance without notable disagreement.
תִּמְנָה, תִּמְנָ֫תָה n.pr.loc. (prob. = portion, territory)
place in hill-country of Judah
place on border of Judah
base
H8553 תִּמְנָה, תִּמְנָ֫תָה . place in hill-country of Judah
. place on border of Judah
8553 Timnah tim-naw'
from 4487; a portion assigned; Timnah, the name of two places
in Palestine:--Timnah, Timnath, Thimnathah.
see HEBREW for 04487
תִּמְנָה (tim.nah) — Timnah.
§ Timnath or Timnah or Thimnathah = "portion"
a town on the northern boundary of Judah later assigned to Dan
תִּמְנָה (tim.nah) — Timnah.
§ Timnath or Timnah or Thimnathah = "portion"
a town in the hill country of Judah
Conj | N-proper | Suff — Conjunction · noun proper · suffixHC/Npl/Sd
tim'-na (timnah, timnathah (Jos 19:43; Jud 14:1,2,5), "allotted portion; Codex Vaticanus Thamnatha; also several Greek variations; King James Version has Timnath in Ge 38:12,13,14; Jud 14:1,2,5; and Thimnathah in Jos 19:43):
(1) A town in the southern part of the hill country of Judah (Jos 15:57). Tibna proposed by Conder, a ruin 8 miles West of Bethlehem, seems too far N. (PEF, III, 53, Sh XVII). It is possible this may be the "Timnah" of Ge 38:12,13,14.
Timnah
A portion. (1.) A town of Judah (Josh. 15:10). The Philistines took possession of it in the days of Ahaz (2 Chr. 28:18). It was about 20 miles west of Jerusalem. It has been identified with Timnatha of Dan (Josh. 19:43), and also with Timnath (Judg. 14:1,5).
(2.) A city in the mountains of Judah (Josh.15:57)= Tibna near Jeba’.
(3.) A “duke” or sheik of Edom (Gen. 36:40).
(portion). A place which formed one of the landmarks on the north boundary of the allotment of Judah. (Joshua 15:10) It is probably identical with the Thimnathah of (Joshua 19:43) and that again with the Timnath, or, more accurately, Timnathah, of Samson (Judges 14:1,2,5) and the Thamnatha of the Maccabees. The modern representative of all these various forms of the same name is probably Tibneh, a village about two miles west of Ain Shems (Beth-shemesh). In the later history of the Jews, Timnah must have been a conspicuous place. It was fortified by Bacchides as one of the most important military posts of Judea. 1 Macc. 9:50. A town in the mountain district of Judah. (Joshua…
forbidding
עֶקְרוֹן (Eqrown) refers to a Philistine city in ancient Palestine, known as one of the five principal cities of the Philistines. The name may mean 'emigration' or 'torn up by the roots.' It is located in the lowlands of Judah and was later assigned to the tribe of Dan.
עֶקְרוֹן 22 n.pr.loc. Eḳrôn;—Philistine city, one of the famous five
base
H6138 עֶקְרוֹן
6138 `Eqrown ek-rone'
from 6131; eradication; Ekron, a place in Palestine:--Ekron.
see HEBREW for 06131
עֶקְרוֹן (eq.ron) — Ekron.
Ekron = "emigration" or "torn up by the roots"
the most northerly of the 5 principal cities of the Philistines; located in the lowlands of Judah and later given to Dan
Also named: eq.ro.ni (עֶקְרוֹנִי "Ekron" H6139)
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
Ekron
Firm-rooted, the most northerly of the five towns belonging to the lords of the Philistines, about 11 miles north of Gath. It was assigned to Judah (Josh. 13:3), and afterwards to Dan (19:43), but came again into the full possession of the Philistines (1 Sam. 5:10). It was the last place to which the Philistines carried the ark before they sent it back to Israel (1 Sam. 5:10; 6:1-8). There was here a noted sanctuary of Baal-zebub (2 Kings 1: 2, 3, 6, 16). Now the small village Akir. It is mentioned on monuments in B.C. 702, when Sennacherib set free its king, imprisoned by Hezekiah in Jerusalem, according to the Assyrian record.
(torn up by the roots; emigration), one of the five towns belonging to the lords of the Philistines, and the most northerly of the five. (Joshua 13:3) Like the other Philistine cities its situation was in the lowlands. It fell to the lot of Judah. (Joshua 15:45,46; Judges 1:18) Afterwards we find it mentioned among the cities of Dan. (Joshua 19:43) Before the monarchy it was again in full possession of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 5:10) Akir , the modern representative of Ekron, lies about five miles southwest of Ramleh . In the Apocrypha it appears as ACCARON. 1Macc 10:89 only.
The most northern city of the Philistines, allotted to Judah by Jos 15:45, but afterwards given to Da 12:13, though it does not appear that the Jews ever peaceably possessed it. It is memorable for its connection with the captivity of the ark and its restoration to the Jews, 1Sa 5:10 6:1-18. The fly-god was worshipped here, 2Ki 1:2. Its ruin was foretold, Am 1:8 Zep 2:4 Zec 9:5,7. Robinson found its site at the Moslem village Akir, some ten miles northeast of Ashdod. There are no ruins.
barrenness; torn away