Bible Word Study
זָנוֹחַ
Zânôwach · Zanoach, the name of two places in Palestine
זָנוֹחַ
Zanoach, the name of two places in Palestine
Definition
Zanoah is the name of two distinct towns in ancient Judah. The first, mentioned in Joshua 15:34, was located in the lowland (Shephelah) region of Judah. The second, referenced in Joshua 15:56, was situated in the hill country of Judah. Both towns were re-inhabited after the Babylonian exile, as noted in Nehemiah 11:30. The name itself means 'rejected' or 'cast off,' deriving from its Hebrew root.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a proper noun for place names in the Old Testament. It appears in historical and geographical contexts: in the tribal allotment lists of Joshua (Joshua 15:34, 15:56), in a genealogical record in 1 Chronicles 4:18, and in the post-exilic records of Nehemiah detailing the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall (Nehemiah 3:13) and the resettlement of Judah (Nehemiah 11:30).
Etymology
The name Zanoah (זָנוֹחַ) is derived from the Hebrew root זָנַח (zānach, H2186), which means 'to reject,' 'cast off,' 'forsake,' or 'spurn.' This root is used in significant theological contexts elsewhere, such as in Lamentations 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:15. The place name likely reflects a geographical feature or historical event associated with rejection or abandonment.
Semantic Range
While primarily a geographical marker, the etymology of Zanoah ('rejected') can serve as a poignant reminder within its biblical context. Its mention in the post-exilic books of Nehemiah, where people are returning to formerly 'rejected' or desolate lands, subtly underscores themes of God's restoration and the reversal of judgment. It illustrates how God can reclaim and repurpose what was once cast off, tying into broader biblical narratives of redemption. In the ancient Near East, place names often described a location's physical characteristic, an event that occurred there, or expressed a hope or lament. A name meaning 'rejected' might indicate land that was considered barren, a site of a military defeat, or an area abandoned for a time. The fact that two different towns bore this name suggests it was a descriptive term rather than a unique identifier. Its listing among towns resettled after the exile (Nehemiah 11:30) highlights the practical reality of reclaiming and restoring depopulated areas. There are no direct synonyms for this proper noun. Its conceptual root relates to: זָנַח (zānach, H2186) — the verbal root meaning 'to reject' or 'cast off,' from which Zanoah 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]