יִתְלָה
Jithlah, a place in Palestine
Definition
Jithlah (יִתְלָה) is a proper noun referring to a town in the territory allotted to the tribe of Dan, as recorded in Joshua 19:42. It is listed among the cities given to the Danites after they failed to fully possess their initial coastal allotment. The name likely signifies a high or elevated place, derived from the Hebrew root meaning 'to hang' or 'to be high.' As a geographical location, it represents one of the many settlements distributed during the Israelite conquest and settlement of Canaan under Joshua's leadership.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 19:42, within a list of cities given to the tribe of Dan. Its usage is strictly as a proper noun for a place name within a geographical and tribal allotment context. There are no other occurrences or varied usages in the biblical text.
Etymology
The name יִתְלָה (Yithlâh) is derived from the Hebrew root תָּלָה (H8518), meaning 'to hang' or 'to suspend.' In a geographical sense, this likely evolved to mean 'a high place' or 'an elevated location,' suggesting the town was situated on a hill or prominence. It is a proper noun formed as a verb-like construction, possibly meaning 'it will hang' or 'it is high,' reflecting a descriptive name for the town's physical setting.
Semantic Range
As a place name in ancient Israel, Jithlah was part of the tribal inheritance system, reflecting the distribution of the Promised Land among the twelve tribes. Its inclusion in the Danite list (Joshua 19:40-48) highlights the challenges the tribe faced in securing their territory, as they later migrated north (Judges 18). Place names often described geographical features, and 'Jithlah' likely indicated a settlement on a hill, which was common for defense and visibility in the ancient Near East.
גִּבְעָה (Gibʿâh, H1389) — A common Hebrew word for 'hill' or 'high place,' whereas יִתְלָה is a specific proper name. רָמָה (Rāmâh, H7414) — Means 'height' or 'high place,' used for various towns, but not the same location as Jithlah.
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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