Dannah
Dannah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Zanuta. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Dannah appears only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 15:49, listed among the cities allocated to the tribe of Judah in the hill country. It is grouped with Socoh and other towns in the second district of Judah's highland territories. While the text provides no narrative events associated with Dannah, its inclusion in the tribal allotment lists is itself significant: these detailed boundary and city rosters in Joshua 13–21 represent an ancient administrative document reflecting Israel's early territorial organization under the covenant. The city's name in Hebrew may be related to a root meaning "judgment" or "sentence," though this etymology remains uncertain. As a settled agricultural community in the Judean highlands, Dannah would have participated in the broader socioeconomic and religious life of Judah — subject to the rhythms of the festival calendar, the obligations of tithing, and the levitical service that connected outlying towns to the worship life centered at the tabernacle and later the Jerusalem temple.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Dannah is tentatively identified with Khirbet Zanuta (also rendered Khirbet id-Deir), located in the southern Judean hills approximately fifteen kilometers southwest of Hebron. The site has not been subjected to systematic modern excavation, though surface surveys have identified Iron Age pottery sherds consistent with occupation during the period of the Israelite monarchy. The region surrounding the proposed site is characterized by limestone terrain typical of the Judean highlands, suitable for the dry-farming and pastoral activities that sustained Iron Age Judean settlements. The identification remains provisional, awaiting more thorough archaeological investigation.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →