עַשְׁתְּרָתִי
an Ashterathite or inhabitant of Ashtaroth
Definition
The term עַשְׁתְּרָתִי (ʻAshtᵉrâthîy) is a gentilic noun meaning 'an Ashterathite'—that is, an inhabitant or native of the city or region of Ashtaroth. This designation identifies a person by their geographic origin, specifically from the place named Ashtaroth, which was a significant city in the Transjordan region. The word appears only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 11:44, where it describes Uzzia, one of King David's mighty men, as 'the Ashterathite.' This single usage provides a straightforward ethnic or geographic label without additional semantic layers.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exactly once in the Hebrew Bible, in 1 Chronicles 11:44, within a list of David's mighty warriors. The context is purely genealogical and geographical, serving to specify the hometown or region of the individual named Uzzia. There are no patterns of usage across different books or literary contexts, as it is a hapax legomenon (a word occurring only once). Its sole function is to denote origin from Ashtaroth.
Etymology
The word is derived as a patrial (gentilic) noun from the place name עַשְׁתָּרוֹת (ʻAshtârôth, H6252), meaning 'Ashtaroth.' The suffix -ִי (-î) is a common Hebrew ending used to form demonyms, indicating 'belonging to' or 'from' a place. The root of the place name itself is associated with the Canaanite goddess Ashtoreth (Astarte), a fertility deity, suggesting the city may have been a center for her worship historically.
Semantic Range
The designation 'Ashterathite' connects an individual to the city of Ashtaroth, a location with deep historical and religious significance in the ancient Near East. Ashtaroth was a major city in Bashan, often associated with the worship of the goddess Ashtoreth. For an Israelite audience, this label would have evoked not just a geographic origin but also the cultural and religious milieu of a region that was formerly Canaanite and later contested Israelite territory. Understanding this helps modern readers see how David's army incorporated men from diverse, even formerly pagan, regions into his unified force.
No direct synonyms exist for this specific gentilic. Related patrial forms include: יְרוּשָׁלְמִי (Yᵉrûshâlᵉmî, H3399) — an inhabitant of Jerusalem; בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי (Bêyth hal-Lachmî, H1036) — an inhabitant of Bethlehem.
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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