Bible Word Study
בֵּית עֲנוֹת
Bêyth ʻĂnôwth · Beth-Anoth, a place in Palestine
בֵּית עֲנוֹת
Beth-Anoth, a place in Palestine
Definition
Beth-Anoth is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine. It is identified as a town within the tribal territory of Judah, as listed in Joshua 15:59. The name itself means 'house of replies' or 'house of answers,' which may suggest a place associated with oracles or divine responses. As a geographical name, its primary significance is its inclusion in the biblical record of Judah's inheritance.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 15:59, within a list of cities allotted to the tribe of Judah. Its usage is purely geographical, serving to document the territorial boundaries and settlements of the tribe. There are no other occurrences or contextual patterns.
Etymology
The name Beth-Anoth is a compound of two Hebrew elements. The first is 'Bêyth' (H1004), meaning 'house' or 'household.' The second is derived from the plural form of the root 'ʻānâh' (H6030), which carries meanings related to 'answering,' 'responding,' or 'afflicting.' Thus, the name literally translates to 'house of answers' or 'house of replies.'
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near Eastern context, place names often held descriptive or functional significance. A name meaning 'house of answers' could imply the location was once a site for seeking divine oracles, possibly through a local shrine. This contrasts with a modern understanding of a place name as merely a neutral geographical identifier, reminding us that ancient names often embedded a story or purpose. No direct synonyms as a proper place name. Related geographically: בֵּית לֶחֶם (Bêyth Lechem, H1035) — another Judahite town compound with 'house.'
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]