בֵּית עֲנָת
𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤏𐤍𐤕
Bêyth ʻĂnâth
H1043 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A toponymic designation meaning 'house of Anat,' referring to a settlement named after the West Semitic goddess Anat. The term primarily identifies a specific town located in the territory allotted to the tribe of Naphtali in the Hebrew Bible. The expression combines the word for 'house' or 'dwelling' with a proper name used for a Canaanite/Levantine deity, indicating the foundation and/or continued naming of the site in relation to Anat.
Semantic Range
place name (designating a settlement), house or sanctuary dedicated to Anat, marking a geographic location associated historically with both Canaanite and later Israelite populations
Root / Etymology
Compound of two elements: בֵּית (bêt), meaning 'house' or 'dwelling', from the root בנה (to build), and עֲנָת (Anat), a theophoric element representing the name of a prominent West Semitic/Canaanite goddess. The formation follows a common naming convention for ancient Levantine settlements, designating location as the 'house' or sanctuary of a deity.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בֵּית עֲנָת (Bêyth ʻĂnâth) appears in Joshua 19:38 as an Israelite settlement in Naphtaliite territory, and is later recalled in Judges 1:33. The name preserves evidence of the persistence or legacy of pre-Israelite religious traditions within local toponymy, as Anat was a Canaanite goddess of war and fertility. The town itself is listed as a Naphtaliite possession even though it is described, in the period of the Judges, as a place where resident Canaanites remained. The addition of a theophoric element in place-naming was common in the ancient Levant. Later translations might render the name as 'Beth-anath' or similar anglicizations, but these fail to convey the original reference to the deity Anat. Notably, the presence of a goddess name in a northern Israelite context provides insight into the religious complexity of Iron Age Canaan and Israelite settlement patterns. The orthographical variation observed ('עֲנָת' for 'עֲנוֹת') reflects slight manuscript traditions with no significant change in pronunciation or meaning. Modern identifications tentatively locate Beth-Anath with sites in upper Galilee.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
an orthographical variation for בֵּית עֲנוֹת; Beth-Anath, a place in Palestine; Beth-anath.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בנה (b-n-h) — to build, construct, establish (family)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1004 | בַּיִת | in the houses |
| H1005 | בַּיִת | the built-house |
| H1006 | בַּיִת | the house |
| H1007 | בֵּית אָוֶן | house-of |
| H1008 | בֵּית־אֵל | in house of |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1043-01 |
עֲנָ֖ת | anat | HNp |
Anath | House of Anat | 3 |
H1043-02 |
וּ/בֵית | uveyt | HC/Np |
and Beth | and house-of | 2 |
H1043-03 |
בֵית | veyt | HNp |
Beth | house-of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1043-02 |
Joshua 19:38 | וּ/בֵית | uveyt | HC/Np |
and Beth | and house-of |
H1043-01 |
Joshua 19:38 | עֲנָ֖ת | anat | HNp |
anath | House of Anat |
H1043-03 |
Judges 1:33 | בֵית | veyt-2 | HNp |
Beth | house-of |
H1043-01 |
Judges 1:33 | עֲנָ֔ת | anat | HNp |
Anath | House of Anat |
H1043-02 |
Judges 1:33 | וּ/בֵ֣ית | uveyt | HC/Np |
and Beth | and house-of |
H1043-01 |
Judges 1:33 | עֲנָ֔ת | anat-2 | HNp |
Anath | House of Anat |