Bible Word Study
שַׁחֲצוֹם
Shachătsôwm · Shachatsom, a place in Palestine
שַׁחֲצוֹם
Shachatsom, a place in Palestine
Definition
Shachatsom (שַׁחֲצוֹם) is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine. It appears only once in the Bible as a place name, listed among the towns allotted to the tribe of Issachar during the division of the Promised Land (Joshua 19:22). The precise location of Shachatsom is unknown to modern archaeology, but it was part of the territory assigned to Issachar. The name itself is derived from a root meaning 'proudly' or 'haughtily,' which may hint at some characteristic of the place or its inhabitants, though the biblical text provides no further narrative details.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 19:22. It functions solely as a geographical proper noun within a list of boundary towns for the tribe of Issachar. There are no other contexts or patterns of usage, as it is a single-occurrence place name.
Etymology
The name Shachatsom (שַׁחֲצוֹם) is derived from the same root as the Hebrew noun שַׁחַץ (shachats, H7830), which means 'pride' or 'haughtiness.' It is a nominal form, likely indicating a place characterized by or associated with this quality. The exact morphological derivation is uncertain, but it clearly connects to the concept of pride.
Semantic Range
As a place name in a tribal boundary list, Shachatsom reflects the Israelite practice of meticulously documenting territorial allotments as a fulfillment of God's covenant promise of land. The meaning of the name ('proudly') might reflect a local geographical feature (e.g., a prominent hill), a historical event, or a trait of its settlers, common in ancient Semitic toponymy. Its exact significance is lost to history, but its inclusion sanctified even this obscure location as part of God's promised inheritance. There are no direct synonyms for this proper place name. It is related etymologically to: שַׁחַץ (shachats, H7830) — the root noun meaning 'pride' or 'haughtiness,' 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]