כּוּן
Kun, a place in Syria
Definition
Kun (also spelled Chun in the KJV) is a proper noun referring to a city or region in Syria (Aram) that was conquered by King David's army under the command of Joab. The single biblical reference (1 Chronicles 18:8) lists it alongside other captured cities like Tibhath and Berothai, from which David took a large quantity of bronze. Its location is not precisely known today, but it was part of the Aramean kingdom of Zobah. The name itself likely means 'established' or 'firm,' possibly describing the nature of the settlement.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 18:8. It appears in a historical, military context within a list of cities conquered from Hadadezer, king of Zobah, during the expansion of David's kingdom. The usage is purely geographical, identifying a place from which spoils of war were taken.
Etymology
The name Kun (כּוּן) is almost certainly derived from the common Hebrew root כּוּן (H3559, *kûn*), which carries the core meaning 'to be firm, established, prepared, or set up.' As a place name, it likely functioned as a descriptor, meaning something like 'The Established Place' or 'The Foundation.'
Semantic Range
As a conquered Aramean city, Kun represents the geopolitical reach and military success of King David's united kingdom of Israel. Its mention alongside other cities and the specific note of plundered bronze highlights the tangible wealth and resources acquired through these campaigns, which were used in later projects like Solomon's Temple (1 Chronicles 18:8). For the original readers of Chronicles, this name was part of a record of national triumph and divine favor during the Davidic golden age.
Tibhath (H2880) — Another Aramean city conquered alongside Kun in 1 Chronicles 18:8. Berothai (H1268) — A city of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, listed with Kun as a source of captured bronze.
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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