Bible Word Study
כְּסִיל
Kᵉçîyl · Kesil, a place in Palestine
כְּסִיל
Kesil, a place in Palestine
Definition
כְּסִיל (Kesil) is a proper noun referring to a town in the territory of Judah, located in the Negev region of southern Palestine. It is listed among the cities allotted to the tribe of Judah in the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 15:30). The name is identical to the common Hebrew noun meaning 'fool' or 'stupid one' (H3684), but in this context, it functions solely as a geographical place name. There are no other major senses or meanings for this word as a proper noun; its single biblical occurrence is strictly locational.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 15:30, within a list of cities in the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. The context is purely geographical and administrative, detailing the allotment of land following the conquest. No patterns of usage exist beyond this single, catalog-style reference.
Etymology
The word is derived from the root כְּסִיל (kᵉsîyl, H3684), which as a common noun means 'fool' or 'stupid one,' often implying moral dullness or stubbornness. As a place name, Kesil likely borrowed this existing term, though the reason for the naming is not explained in Scripture. It shares its form with the noun but functions distinctly as a proper noun without carrying the moral connotation in its geographical usage.
Semantic Range
As a place name in ancient Judah, Kesil was part of the Negev, a semi-arid southern region. Its inclusion in Joshua's city list signifies its incorporation into the tribal territory and the fulfillment of God's promise of land to Israel. The name's potential connection to the word for 'fool' might reflect a local characteristic or story now lost, but the biblical text does not explore this, treating it neutrally as a location. No direct synonyms exist as a proper place name. For the root meaning: כְּסִיל (kᵉsîyl, H3684) — the common noun meaning 'fool,' from which the place name is derived.
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]