Anab
Anab is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Anab es Seghireh. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Anab appears in the Old Testament in two passages related to Joshua's campaigns against the Anakim, the giant inhabitants of Canaan. In Joshua 11:21, the text records that Joshua 'cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel.' Again in Joshua 15:50, Anab is listed among the cities of the hill country district allocated to the tribe of Judah. The association with the Anakim is significant: the Anakim were the feared giant inhabitants who had so discouraged the earlier generation of Israelite spies (Numbers 13:28, 33). Joshua's thorough defeat of these formidable peoples, including their remnants at Anab, demonstrated the fulfillment of God's promise to give Israel the land regardless of the military obstacles. Anab thus stands as a monument to Israel's faithfulness under Joshua in completing the conquest begun but not finished by the earlier generation. Its inclusion in Judah's inheritance confirms that even this formerly Anakim-held town became part of God's gift to his people.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Anab is identified with Khirbet Anab es-Seghireh ('the lesser ruin of Anab'), located in the Judean hills southwest of Hebron, near the modern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat. The site sits in the southern Shephelah at the transition to the hill country. A neighboring site, Khirbet Anab el-Kebire ('the greater ruin of Anab'), may represent an associated settlement. Surface surveys have confirmed Iron Age and possibly Late Bronze Age pottery at the site, consistent with the period of Joshua's campaigns. The area around Anab is characterized by terraced agricultural land and ancient cisterns. No major stratigraphic excavation has been conducted at the site, and the identification, while widely accepted, rests primarily on toponymic and surface survey evidence.
Verse Appearances (2)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]