קִרְיַת סַנָּה
Kirjath-Sannah or Kirjath-Sepher, a place in Palestine
Definition
קִרְיַת סַנָּה (Kirjath-Sannah) is a proper noun referring to a Canaanite city in the hill country of Judah, later renamed Debir. The name itself has two attested forms: Kirjath-Sannah, meaning 'city of branches' or 'city of palm fronds,' and Kirjath-Sepher, meaning 'city of the book' or 'city of scribes' (Joshua 15:15, 49). This dual naming likely reflects either two distinct names for the same location or a scribal tradition that preserved an alternate name. The city was a significant Canaanite stronghold conquered by the Israelites under Othniel, as recorded in the conquest narratives (Joshua 15:15-16; Judges 1:11-12).
Biblical Usage
This place name is used exclusively in the historical books of Joshua and Judges, specifically in the context of the Israelite conquest and allotment of the Promised Land. It appears in Joshua 15 during the description of Judah's territorial inheritance (verses 15, 49) and in Judges 1 during the account of the tribe of Judah's subsequent military campaigns to secure its territory (verses 11, 12). The usage consistently portrays it as a fortified Canaanite city that was a key military objective.
Etymology
The name is a compound of קִרְיָה (qiryâh, H7151), meaning 'city,' and either סַנָּה (sannâh), a feminine form related to סַנְסִן (sansin, H5577) meaning 'branch' or 'palm frond,' yielding 'city of branches,' or סֵפֶר (sēpher, H5612), meaning 'book' or 'writing,' yielding 'city of the book/scribe.' The latter may indicate it was a center of learning or record-keeping in Canaanite culture.
Semantic Range
This place name is significant in the theology of conquest and covenant fulfillment. Its capture, particularly through the heroic act of Othniel (Judges 1:12-13), demonstrates God's faithfulness in giving the land to Judah as promised. Othniel's victory here foreshadows his later role as Israel's first judge-deliverer (Judges 3:9), linking the conquest era with the period of the judges. Understanding the name's meaning ('city of the book') can also symbolically point to the unfolding of God's written plan for His people in the land.
In its original Canaanite setting, the name Kirjath-Sepher ('city of the book') suggests it may have been an administrative or scribal center, possibly housing important archives or a school for scribes. This highlights the advanced literary culture among the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan. The alternate name, Kirjath-Sannah ('city of branches'), could refer to a local geographical feature, such as a grove of palms, common in the Shephelah region.
דְּבִיר (Debir, H1688) — The name given to the city after its conquest (Joshua 15:15).; חֶבְרוֹן (Hebron, H2275) — Another major Canaanite city in the same hill country of Judah, conquered by Caleb (Joshua 14:13-14).
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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