אַכְזִיב
Akzib, the name of two places in Palestine
Definition
Akzib is the name of two distinct towns in ancient Israel. The first, mentioned in Joshua 15:44, was a city in the lowland territory allotted to the tribe of Judah. The second, referenced in Joshua 19:29 and Judges 1:31, was a coastal city within the territory of Asher, which the tribe failed to conquer from the Canaanites. The name itself, derived from a root meaning 'deceitful,' is prophetically used in Micah 1:14 as a wordplay, where the prophet declares that the houses of Achzib (Akzib) will become 'deceitful' or a disappointment to the kings of Israel.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a proper noun for place names in four Old Testament verses. It appears in geographical allotment lists in Joshua 15:44 (Judah) and Joshua 19:29 (Asher), in a historical account of failed conquests in Judges 1:31 (Asher), and in a prophetic oracle of judgment in Micah 1:14, where its meaning is leveraged for a pun.
Etymology
The name Akzib (אַכְזִיב) is derived from the root אַכְזָב (H391, 'akzav'), meaning 'to lie' or 'to be deceptive.' It is related to the noun for a 'wadi' or seasonal stream that dries up in the summer, thus proving unreliable or 'deceitful' to those depending on its water. The place name likely reflects the geographical nature of such a site or was given as a descriptive label.
Semantic Range
The primary theological significance of Akzib emerges in Micah 1:14, where the prophet uses the town's name as a prophetic sign-act. The inherent meaning of 'deceit' or 'disappointment' in the name becomes a message of judgment: what was once a place will become a symbol of failed hope for Israel's leadership. This illustrates the Hebrew prophetic practice of using wordplay and etymology to convey divine messages about consequence and covenant failure.
In the ancient Near East, place names often carried descriptive or historical significance. A town named 'Deceitful' or 'Disappointment' (Akzib) might have been located near an unreliable water source, a critical factor for settlement. Its mention in the conquest narratives (Judges 1:31) highlights the ongoing struggle between the Israelites and Canaanites and the incomplete fulfillment of territorial promises, a key theme in the book of Judges.
אַכְזָב ('akzav, H391) — The root noun meaning 'deceit,' 'lie,' or a disappointing/dry wadi, from which Akzib is directly derived.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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