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קִרְיַת סַנָּה

𐤒𐤓𐤉𐤕 𐤎𐤍𐤄

Qireyat Sanah

H7158 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קרי, סנה (alt: ספר) to call together, to designate a settlement, to branch (uncertain), book (record, document)

Definition

A toponym denoting a specific locality in the southern hill country associated with the tribe of Judah, rendered as 'Qiryat Sanah'—potentially meaning 'City of Sanah' or, via alternative tradition, 'City of the Book.' The term designates a specific settlement referred to both as 'Qiryath-Sannah' and, in variant tradition, 'Qiryat Sepher.' Semantic range includes the use as a geographic place name, with possible explanatory nuance tied to the meaning of the second element (either related to branches or to books/scrolls).

Semantic Range

city (as a specific settlement), city of branches (uncertain botanical reference), city of the book/document (byvariant tradition), toponym designating a Judahite town

Root / Etymology

From קִרְיָה (qiryah, 'city' or 'settlement') and סַנָּה (sannah, of uncertain meaning, possibly connected to a plant or branch per comparison to סַנְסִן sansin, though exact root is unclear); the alternate form סֵפֶר (sepher, 'book' or 'document') yields the variant reading Qiryath-Sepher, 'City of the Book.' Thus, etymology ultimately uncertain but likely based on the combination of 'city' with either a plant or literary term.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קִרְיַת סַנָּה appears in Joshua 15:49, naming a Judahite town in the Shephelah, also identified as קִרְיַת סֵפֶר (Qiryath-Sepher) in Joshua 15:15 and Judges 1:11. The alternate designation 'City of the Book' may reflect later traditions romanticizing the site as a scribal or learned center; however, this is not established in the earliest texts. English traditions (e.g., 'Kirjath-sannah', 'Kirjath-sepher') render a direct transliteration, but later translations often choose 'city of books' or similar for Sepher, which may overinterpret the term contextually. The precise meaning of סַנָּה is debated; some see a link to plant life or branches (cf. סַנְסִן sansin), but this lacks clear evidence. Variants in ancient manuscripts reflect uncertainty in the transmitted name. The term is best treated as a toponym whose secondary element's meaning is uncertain. There is no evidence to apply later or doctrinally loaded terms (such as 'Jewish' or 'Jew') to the area's inhabitants at this historical stage; its identity is Judahite/Israelite town from monarchic or pre-exilic periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or קִרְיַת סֵפֶר; from קִרְיָה and a simpler feminine from the same as סַנְסִן, or (for the latter name) סֵפֶר; city of branches, or of a book; Kirjath-Sannah or Kirjath-Sepher, a place in Palestine; Kirjath-sannah, Kirjath-sepher.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קריה; יער (q-r-y; y-ʿ-r) — settlement, assembled town, forest, wooded area

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7151 קִרְיָה Settlement-of
H7154 קִרְיַת בַּעַל Settlement-of
H7157 קִרְיַת יְעָרִים in Town of Forests

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7158-03 סֵֽפֶר sefer HNp Sepher record of 4
H7158-01 קִרְיַת qireyat HNp Kiriath Settlement of Forests 4
H7158-02 סַנָּ֖ה sanah HNp sannah Qiryat-Sanah 1
H7158-04 וְ/קִרְיַת veqireyat HC/Np and Kirjath and Qiryat-Sanah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7158-01 Joshua 15:15 קִרְיַת qireyat HNp Kiriath Settlement of Forests
H7158-03 Joshua 15:15 סֵֽפֶר sefer HNp Sepher record of
H7158-01 Joshua 15:16 קִרְיַת qireyat HNp Kiriath Settlement of Forests
H7158-03 Joshua 15:16 סֵ֖פֶר sefer HNp Sepher record of
H7158-04 Joshua 15:49 וְ/קִרְיַת veqireyat HC/Np and Kirjath and Qiryat-Sanah
H7158-02 Joshua 15:49 סַנָּ֖ה sanah HNp sannah Qiryat-Sanah
H7158-01 Judges 1:11 קִרְיַת qireyat HNp Kiriath Settlement of Forests
H7158-03 Judges 1:11 סֵֽפֶר sefer HNp Sepher record of
H7158-01 Judges 1:12 קִרְיַת qireyat HNp Kiriath Settlement of Forests
H7158-03 Judges 1:12 סֵ֖פֶר sefer HNp Sepher record of
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