חֲצַר שׁוּעָל
Chatsar-Shual, a place in Palestine
Definition
Chatsar-Shual is a proper noun referring to a specific town or settlement in ancient Palestine, located within the tribal territories of Judah and Simeon. Its name, meaning 'Village of the Fox' or 'Enclosure of the Fox,' likely described a place known for foxes or perhaps metaphorically for its cunning inhabitants or strategic location. In the biblical record, it appears in lists of towns allotted to the tribe of Simeon within Judah's territory (Joshua 19:3) and later as a place where descendants of Judah lived after the exile (Nehemiah 11:27).
Biblical Usage
This place name is used exclusively in geographical and genealogical lists within the Old Testament. It appears four times: in the allotment for the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:3), in a list of towns in the Negev of Judah (Joshua 15:28), in a Simeonite genealogy (1 Chronicles 4:28), and in a list of towns resettled after the Babylonian exile (Nehemiah 11:27). Its usage is consistent as a locative marker within tribal boundaries.
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew words: חָצֵר (chatser, H2691), meaning 'village,' 'settlement,' or 'enclosed court,' and שׁוּעָל (shu'al, H7776), meaning 'fox.' Thus, it literally translates to 'Village of the Fox.' This type of compound name is common for places in the Hebrew Bible, often describing a geographical feature or local fauna.
Semantic Range
While the place name itself is not theologically loaded, its inclusion in tribal allotments (Joshua 19:3) and post-exilic resettlement lists (Nehemiah 11:27) underscores God's faithfulness in fulfilling the promise of land to the tribes of Israel. Its presence across different historical books highlights the continuity of God's people and their connection to specific locations promised to them.
In the ancient Near East, place names often derived from observable characteristics of the location. A 'Village of the Fox' suggests an area where foxes were commonly seen, possibly indicating a somewhat remote or rugged terrain suitable for these animals. Foxes were considered clever but also destructive (as in Song of Solomon 2:15), so the name might carry a subtle connotation about the nature of the place or its people.
No direct synonyms as a proper place name. Related are other compound place names beginning with 'Chatsar-', such as Chatsar-Gaddah (H2693) and Chatsar-Susah (H2704).
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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