צֶרֶת הַשַּׁחַר
𐤑𐤓𐤕 𐤄𐤔𐤇𐤓
Tseret Hashachar
H6890 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place name occurring in the Hebrew Bible, meaning 'brightness (splendor) of the dawn'; the expression likely denotes a location whose name evokes either the brilliance or visibility of sunrise as a distinguishing feature. Not used for a person or group, but exclusively as a specific geographic toponym.
Semantic Range
(as a proper noun) a place name; (in constituent parts) splendor, brightness, dawn, daybreak, morning light
Root / Etymology
From the combination of צֶרֶת (tseret, akin to 'splendor' or 'brightness') and שַׁחַר (shachar, 'dawn', 'daybreak'), with the definite article (ה) interposed before shachar. Both constituent roots are well attested in Hebrew: צֶרֶת is related to brightness or splendor (root: צרר), and שַׁחַר denotes dawn or early light. The precise meaning of צֶרֶת as a noun is rare and possibly archaic, known primarily from proper naming.
Historical & Contextual Notes
צֶרֶת הַשַּׁחַר appears only as a place name (Joshua 13:19), in a territorial list concerning the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben in the Transjordan region. The phrase is not reused elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible or in known ancient translations as a common noun. Some English translations render the name as 'Zareth-shahar,' a direct transliteration that obscures its descriptive meaning; others attempt 'the splendor of the dawn.' Regional identifications in secondary literature place the site in the area east of the Jordan River near the Dead Sea, although its exact location remains uncertain. The lexical elements of the name may have symbolic significance relating to the landscape (perhaps a hill or cliff visible at sunrise), but there is no record of the location being attached to later Judean or Israelite religious, ethnic, or political identity. The compounded form is unique in biblical Hebrew. Later Jewish tradition and translations sometimes transliterate the name rather than attempt to convey its descriptive sense.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as צֶרֶת and שַׁחַר with the article interposed; splendor of the dawn; Tsereth-hash-Shachar, a place in Palestine; Zareth-shahar.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שחר (š-ḥ-r) — dawn, daybreak, early light, to seek early
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4891 | מִשְׁחָר | earliest dawn-light |
| H7815 | שְׁחוֹר | black soot |
| H7835 | שָׁחַר | dawn-light |
| H7836 | שָׁחַר | I earnestly-seek you |
| H7837 | שַׁחַר | the dawn |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6890-01 |
הַשַּׁ֖חַר | hashachar | HNp |
Shahar | the dawn-light | 1 |
H6890-02 |
וְ/צֶ֥רֶת | vetseret | HC/Np |
and Zereth | and Dawn-Splendor | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6890-02 |
Joshua 13:19 | וְ/צֶ֥רֶת | vetseret | HC/Np |
and Zereth | and Dawn-Splendor |
H6890-01 |
Joshua 13:19 | הַשַּׁ֖חַר | hashachar | HNp |
Shahar | the dawn-light |