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עֵין חַדָּה

𐤏𐤉𐤍 𐤇𐤃𐤄

Eyn Chadah

H5876 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עין, חדד to spring forth, flow, eye; to be sharp, keen

Definition

ʻÊyn Chaddâh is a toponym designating a specific location known as 'Spring of Chaddah' or 'Spring of Sharpness.' The name combines the word for a natural spring (water source) with a secondary element derived from a root connoting sharpness or keen quality. The term thus refers to a geographic site identified by the presence of a spring, with an epithet likely referring to a distinctive characteristic of the spring's water, terrain, or local feature.

Semantic Range

spring, fountain; (in combination) a place identified by a spring associated with sharpness, keen quality, or possibly a personal or clan name

Root / Etymology

עֵין (ʿēn, 'spring, fountain') from the root עין (to eye, to spring forth) + חַדָּה (Chaddah), feminine form related to חָדַד (chadad, 'to be sharp, keen'). The toponym is constructed of two semantically separate elements: a term for a water source and a descriptive or personal proper name formed from the root for 'sharpness.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

ʻÊyn Chaddâh is referenced in Joshua 19:21 as part of the territory of the tribe of Issachar. The typical meaning of עֵין ('spring, fountain') is common in biblical toponyms, reflecting the centrality of freshwater sources in the Levantine landscape and Israelite settlement patterns. The second element, חַדָּה, is less frequently attested and represents a descriptive term possibly referring to the character of the water (perhaps particularly 'clear,' 'cold,' or otherwise notable), to sharp terrain, or the name of an otherwise unknown person or clan. Unlike more prominent springs such as עֵין גֶּדִי (En-gedi), ʻÊyn Chaddâh is a minor locality, and its precise archaeological identification is uncertain. Later translations sometimes use the constructed form 'En-haddah' or 'En-chaddah,' but these simply transliterate the Hebrew rather than interpret its meaning. The use of the term 'Palestine' for the location is anachronistic; in the biblical context, the reference is to the land apportioned among the Israelite tribes, specifically within Issachar's inheritance during the early monarchic or pre-monarchic period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עַיִן and the feminine of a derivative from חָדַד; fountain of sharpness; En-Chaddah, a place in Palestine; En-haddah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חדד (ḥ-d-d) — sharpness, keenness, pointedness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H111 אֲדַד Hadad
H2299 חַד sharp
H2300 חָדַד was made sharp
H2301 חֲדַד Chadad
H2303 חַדּוּד sharp points of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5876-01 חַדָּ֖ה chadah HNp haddah Sharpness 1
H5876-02 וְ/עֵ֥ין veeyn HC/Np and En and there is not 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5876-02 Joshua 19:21 וְ/עֵ֥ין veeyn-2 HC/Np and En and there is not
H5876-01 Joshua 19:21 חַדָּ֖ה chadah HNp haddah Sharpness
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