מַרְעֲלָה
Maralah, a place in Palestine
Definition
Maralah is a proper noun referring to a town or location within the territory allotted to the tribe of Zebulun during the division of the Promised Land (Joshua 19:11). It is listed among the border cities defining Zebulun's inheritance, situated between Sarid and Dabbasheth. As a place name, it carries no other distinct meanings or senses in the biblical text. Its sole purpose is to geographically locate a point in the tribal allotment described in the book of Joshua.
Biblical Usage
The word 'Maralah' is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Joshua 19:11. Its usage is strictly geographical, appearing in the context of listing the border towns that marked the territory given to the tribe of Zebulun after the Israelite conquest of Canaan. There are no patterns of usage beyond this single, descriptive occurrence in a historical-geographical list.
Etymology
The name Maralah (מַרְעֲלָה) is derived from the Hebrew root רָעַל (rāʿal, H7477), which means 'to quake,' 'to shake,' or 'to tremble.' This suggests the name likely means 'earthquake,' 'trembling,' or 'place of shaking.' It is a feminine noun form of this root. The etymology implies the location may have been known for seismic activity or was metaphorically named for a tumultuous event, though the biblical text itself provides no narrative explaining the name's origin.
Semantic Range
As a place name in an ancient tribal boundary list, Maralah reflects the Israelite practice of precisely defining tribal territories based on towns and geographical features. Understanding its location—even if uncertain today—highlights the concrete, land-based nature of God's covenant promises to the tribes of Israel. The name's potential meaning ('earthquake') may indicate a local geographical characteristic known to the original audience but lost to modern readers, showing how place names often preserved cultural or environmental memory.
No direct synonyms exist as it is a unique proper noun. Related are other Zebulunite border towns listed in Joshua 19:10-16, such as Sarid (H8301) and Dabbasheth (H1708), but these are distinct locations.
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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