Bible Word Study
אַחְלָב
ʼAchlâb · Achlab, a place in Palestine
אַחְלָב
Achlab, a place in Palestine
Definition
Achlab is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine. It is identified as a town within the territory allotted to the tribe of Asher during the conquest of Canaan, as recorded in Judges 1:31. The name itself, derived from a root meaning 'fatness' or 'fertility', likely describes the town's location in a productive, agriculturally rich area. This single biblical reference indicates it was one of the settlements from which the Asherites failed to fully drive out the Canaanite inhabitants.
Biblical Usage
The word אַחְלָב (ʼAchlâb) is used only once in the Old Testament, in Judges 1:31. It appears in the context of listing the towns within the inheritance of the tribe of Asher from which they did not dispossess the native Canaanite population. Its usage is strictly geographical, identifying a specific place name within a historical narrative of incomplete conquest.
Etymology
The name Achlab is derived from the same Hebrew root as the noun חֶלֶב (cheleb, H2459), which means 'fat,' 'fatness,' or 'the best part.' In a geographical context, this root often signifies fertility and richness of the soil. Thus, the place name likely means 'fertile place' or 'place of fatness/richness,' describing its productive, arable land.
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near Eastern context, place names were often descriptive of a location's physical characteristics. Naming a town 'Achlab' (Fertility) would immediately communicate its value as a source of agricultural wealth and sustenance. This cultural practice turns a simple name into a functional label, highlighting why such a town would be a desirable part of a tribe's territorial inheritance. Its mention in Judges 1:31 also reflects the ongoing cultural and religious tension between the Israelites and the Canaanites they were commanded to displace. חֶלֶב (cheleb, H2459) — The root noun meaning 'fat, fatness, the best part,' from which Achlab is derived, describing richness or fertility.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]