צָרְתָן
𐤑𐤓𐤕𐤍
Tsaretan
H6891 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Tsar'tan — a town or region located in the Jordan Valley, near the site where the Jordan River was crossed by the Israelites and associated with significant industrial and historical activities. The term refers primarily to a specific geographic location, likely a settlement or a district known for its proximity to the Jordan River and certain stone or clay-working activities. The primary sense is geographical, denoting a distinct place whose exact location is not securely identified in modern scholarship.
Semantic Range
geographical location (town or district, Tsar'tan); region by the Jordan River; site associated with stone or bronze casting; specific topographical feature of the Jordan Valley
Root / Etymology
The name צָרְתָן (Tsar'tan) is likely related to the root צרת (root uncertain) or possibly to צָרַד (ṣārad, 'to lay in rows,' compare צְרֵדָה Ts'redah, H6888, as in Joshua 3:16), though the precise formation is debated. There may be an association with words referring to form, shape, or perhaps to a landscape feature. However, the etymology remains uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, Tsar'tan appears in descriptions of the Jordan Valley during the Israelite entry into Canaan (Joshua 3:16), and notably in the context of Solomon's administrative and construction activities (1 Kings 7:46; 2 Chronicles 4:17), where the 'plain of the Jordan in the district of Tsar'tan' provided the clay ground for casting bronze pillars and implements for the temple. The area referenced is sometimes located northeast of Jericho, possibly near Tell es-Saidiyeh or another site along the Jordan, but its identification is not definitive. English translations sometimes render it as 'Zarthan' or 'Zaretan,' and occasionally relate it to Ts'redah due to similarities in spelling and context. The term is strictly a toponym, not an ethnonym or a reference to personal or religious identity. The presence of clay/stone industry in the narrative context may have influenced the association with other Hebrew terms for shaping or forming. The later Greek and Latin traditions sometimes conflate the name with adjacent sites, but in the Hebrew Bible it denotes a specific and recognizable locality in the central Jordan Valley.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
perhaps for צְרֵדָה; Tsarethan, a place in Palestine; Zarthan. q
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צרת (ṣ-r-t) — to form, to shape, to bind in rows (uncertain)
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6891-01 |
צָֽרְתָ֔ן | tsaretan | HNp |
Zaretan | Tsar'tan | 2 |
H6891-02 |
צָרְתַ֜נָ/ה | tsaretanah | HNp/Sd |
Zarethan | toward Tsar'tan | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6891-01 |
Joshua 3:16 | צָֽרְתָ֔ן | tsaretan | HNp |
Zaretan | Tsar'tan |
H6891-02 |
1 Kings 4:12 | צָרְתַ֜נָ/ה | tsaretanah | HNp/Sd |
Zarethan | toward Tsar'tan |
H6891-01 |
1 Kings 7:46 | צָרְתָֽן | tsaretan | HNp |
Zarethan | Tsar'tan |