תִּמְנִי
a Timnite or inhabitant of Timnah
Definition
The Hebrew word תִּמְנִי (Timnîy) is a gentilic noun meaning 'a Timnite' or 'an inhabitant of Timnah.' It specifically denotes someone from the town of Timnah, a location in the tribal territory of Judah (Joshua 15:57) that was also contested by the Philistines. In its single biblical occurrence, it refers to Samson's father-in-law, who is called 'the Timnite' (Judges 15:6). The term functions purely as a geographical identifier, with no other attested meanings or senses in the biblical text.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Judges 15:6. It appears in the context of the conflict between Samson and the Philistines, where the Philistines burn Samson's wife and her father, who is identified as 'the Timnite.' The usage is straightforward, serving solely to specify the man's origin from the town of Timnah within the narrative of the Judges period.
Etymology
תִּמְנִי (Timnîy) is a patrial noun derived directly from the place name תִּמְנָה (Timnâh, H8553), meaning 'Timnah.' The formation follows a common Hebrew pattern for creating gentilics (words denoting inhabitants) by adding the suffix '-î' to a place name. Its meaning is entirely dependent on and derived from its associated location.
Semantic Range
Identifying someone as 'the Timnite' places them within the complex cultural and political landscape of the Judges period. Timnah was a town on the border between Israelite (Judah) and Philistine territory. Calling Samson's father-in-law 'the Timnite' highlights the cross-cultural and politically tense nature of Samson's marriage (Judges 14), as he married a Philistine woman from a disputed region. The label underscores the theme of conflict and intermingling between Israel and its neighbors.
Other gentilic nouns follow similar patterns, such as יְבוּסִי (Yᵉbûwçîy, H2983) — an inhabitant of Jebus (Jerusalem), or פְּלִשְׁתִּי (Pᵉlishtîy, H6430) — a Philistine. תִּמְנִי is distinguished solely by its reference to the specific town of Timnah.
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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