מַדְמַנָּה
Madmannah, a place in Palestine
Definition
Madmannah is a proper noun referring to a town located in the territory of Judah, within the Negev region of ancient Palestine. It is listed among the cities allotted to the tribe of Judah in the southern district (Joshua 15:31). The name also appears in a genealogical context in 1 Chronicles 2:49, where it is mentioned as a son of Caleb, likely indicating a clan or settlement named after an individual. In both biblical references, Madmannah functions as a geographical identifier for a specific community within Judah's inheritance.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a place name in the Old Testament. It occurs twice: first in the geographical list of cities in Joshua 15:31, and second in the tribal genealogy of Judah in 1 Chronicles 2:49. In Joshua, it is grouped with other southern towns like Ziklag and Hormah. In Chronicles, it is listed as a 'son' of Caleb, which is a common biblical pattern for denoting a founding ancestor of a town or clan. There is no narrative usage; it appears only in these two descriptive lists.
Etymology
The name Madmannah (מַדְמַנָּה) is a variation or dialectical form of Madmenah (מַדְמֵנָה, H4087), which likely derives from the root דמן (d-m-n), meaning 'dung' or 'manure.' This root is associated with fertility and composting. As a place name, it probably denotes a 'dunghill' or, more positively, a 'fertile place' or 'manured field,' suggesting an agricultural settlement known for its productive soil.
Semantic Range
Place names in ancient Israel often described physical characteristics of the location. A name derived from 'dung' would not have carried the purely negative connotation it often does today; instead, it pointed directly to agricultural fertility, which was vital for survival. Being listed in Judah's inheritance (Joshua 15:31) and connected to Caleb's lineage (1 Chronicles 2:49) culturally signifies its integration into the tribal identity and land allotment system of Israel, marking it as a legitimate part of the promised land.
Madmenah (H4087) — The more common spelling/variant of the same place name, also meaning 'dunghill' or 'manured field.'
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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