Bible Word Study
תֹּכֶן
Tôken · Token, a place in Palestine
תֹּכֶן
Token, a place in Palestine
Definition
Tochen (תֹּכֶן) is a proper noun referring to a specific place in ancient Palestine. It is mentioned only once in the Old Testament as one of the settlements belonging to the tribe of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:32). The name itself is identical to the common Hebrew noun meaning 'measure' or 'proportion' (H8506), which may suggest the location was known for being a measured or allotted portion of land. As a place name, its primary significance is geographical, identifying a town within the tribal inheritance.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a place name in a single genealogical and geographical list. It appears in 1 Chronicles 4:32 within a record of the towns where the families of the tribe of Simeon lived. The context is a historical inventory of settlements, indicating Tochen was a recognized location during the time the chronicler compiled this record.
Etymology
The word תֹּכֶן (Tochen) as a place name is derived directly from the identical common noun תֹּכֶן (token, H8506), which means 'measure,' 'weight,' or 'proportion.' This suggests the place was likely named for its function or character, perhaps as a standard or measured portion of territory. It shares a root with verbs related to weighing or measuring.
Semantic Range
As a place name listed among Simeon's towns, Tochen represents the tangible fulfillment of God's promise to allot the land of Canaan to the tribes of Israel. Its inclusion in a tribal list underscores the importance of land inheritance and tribal identity in ancient Israelite society. The name's connection to 'measure' may reflect the practice of apportioning land by lot or measurement. None directly applicable as synonyms for a proper place name. For the related common noun meaning: תֹּכֶן (token, H8506) — the common noun for 'measure' or 'proportion' 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]