נֶקֶב
Nekeb, a place in Palestine
Definition
Nekeb is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine, mentioned only once in the Bible. It is listed as a town on the border of the territory allotted to the tribe of Naphtali (Joshua 19:33). The name itself, derived from a common noun, suggests its geographical character, likely indicating a 'hollow' or 'dell' in the landscape. As a border town, its inclusion served to define the tribal inheritance precisely, though no further narrative or historical details about the site are provided in Scripture.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in a geographical list. It appears in Joshua 19:33 within the detailed description of the boundaries and cities given to the tribe of Naphtali. Its usage is purely locative, serving to specify a point on the tribal frontier. There are no patterns of usage, as it is a hapax legomenon (a word occurring only once).
Etymology
The word נֶקֶב (Neqeb) is identical to the common noun H5345 (נֶקֶב), which means a 'hole,' 'perforation,' or 'hollow.' As a place name, it is therefore descriptive, likely derived from the physical terrain of the location, such as a depression or valley. This follows a common Hebrew practice of naming locations after their natural features.
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near Eastern context, place names were often descriptive of the landscape or commemorated an event. Nekeb, meaning 'dell,' fits this pattern, helping travelers and inhabitants identify the location by its topography. Its sole biblical mention as a border marker underscores the importance of precise territorial definitions for tribal identity and inheritance in ancient Israel, a concept central to the covenant promises of land.
גַיְא (gay', H1516) — a broader term for valley or ravine, not specifically a hollow. עֵמֶק (ʿēmeq, H6010) — a wide valley or plain, typically larger than a dell.
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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