תְּקוֹעַ
Tekoa, a place in Palestine
Definition
Tekoa is a proper noun referring to a town in ancient Judah, located about 10 miles south of Jerusalem. It is best known as the hometown of the prophet Amos (Amos 1:1) and the 'wise woman' whom Joab sent to King David (2 Samuel 14:2). The town also served as a strategic military fortress, fortified by King Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:6) and used as a rallying point for King Jehoshaphat's army (2 Chronicles 20:20). In the prophetic literature, it is mentioned as a place from which a warning trumpet (shofar) is blown, symbolizing an alarm (Jeremiah 6:1).
Biblical Usage
The name Tekoa appears in historical, genealogical, and prophetic contexts across seven Old Testament verses. It is used as a simple geographical identifier in genealogies (1 Chronicles 2:24, 4:5) and military histories (2 Chronicles 11:6, 20:20). Its most significant usages are narrative and prophetic: as the origin of the key figure in 2 Samuel 14 and, most importantly, as the defining hometown of the prophet Amos (Amos 1:1). Jeremiah 6:1 uses it metaphorically as a vantage point for sounding an alarm against Jerusalem.
Etymology
The name תְּקוֹעַ (Tᵉqôwaʻ) is derived from the root תָּקַע (tāqaʿ, H8629), meaning 'to blow, clap, strike, or thrust.' This root is often associated with blowing a trumpet or ram's horn (shofar). Tekoa is a feminine form of the related noun תָּקוֹעַ (tāqôaʿ, H8619), which can mean 'a blast' or 'a trumpet.' Thus, the town's name likely carries the sense of 'a place of blowing' or 'a trumpet blast,' which fits its prophetic association with sounding an alarm (Jeremiah 6:1).
Semantic Range
Tekoa holds theological significance primarily through its association with the prophet Amos, a shepherd called by God from this remote town to pronounce judgment on the northern kingdom of Israel. This underscores God's pattern of calling prophets from humble origins (Amos 7:14-15). The town's etymological link to 'blowing a trumpet' connects it to themes of divine warning, judgment, and the call to repentance, as seen in Jeremiah 6:1. Its mention in the story of the wise woman (2 Samuel 14) also relates to themes of reconciliation and cunning wisdom used within God's providential plans.
Tekoa was a Judean town in a relatively arid, hilly region suitable for herding flocks, which aligns with Amos's occupation as a shepherd (Amos 1:1). Its location on a high ridge made it a strategic military outpost with a clear view toward the Dead Sea and Jerusalem, explaining its use as a fortress and signal point. Being from Tekoa marked Amos as a provincial outsider to the religious centers of Bethel and Samaria, which likely influenced the confrontational nature of his message against established power structures.
None directly applicable as a place name. For the root concept: תָּקַע (tāqaʿ, H8629) — the verbal root meaning 'to blow' (a trumpet).
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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