אַשְׁכְּנַז
𐤀𐤔𐤊𐤍𐤆
Ashekenaz
H813 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Ashkenaz — a personal name designating a descendant of Japheth in the table of nations (Genesis 10:3; 1 Chronicles 1:6), and, by extension, the people or territory associated with this figure. The term refers originally to an ethnolinguistic group or region in the early Iron Age, located in the vicinity north/northeast of ancient Israel. The semantic range of the name in the Hebrew Bible encompasses the individual progenitor, his descendants, and the nation or geographical region associated with them.
Semantic Range
progenitor of a people (son of Gomer), descendants as an identifiable group, territory or region associated with Ashkenaz, sometimes a northern nation in prophetic literature
Root / Etymology
etymology uncertain. The term is likely of non-Hebrew (foreign) origin and is listed among the sons of Gomer (son of Japheth) in Genesis 10:3. There is no clear connection to a known Semitic root. The precise linguistic origin and original meaning remain obscure.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the biblical context, Ashkenaz designates a group or region traditionally associated with peoples north or northeast of Israel; its location has been variously identified in later interpretation with regions in the vicinity of Armenia or the Black Sea, but the text itself does not specify a precise location. In Jeremiah 51:27, Ashkenaz appears alongside Ararat and Minni, again indicating a northern people engaged in anti-Babylonian conflict in the prophetic oracles. In the postbiblical period, particularly in medieval Jewish tradition, 'Ashkenaz' becomes associated with the Frankish–Germanic lands, giving rise to the term 'Ashkenazi' for Jews with cultural roots in central and eastern Europe. However, these postbiblical associations are distinct from the biblical referent, which pertains to an ethnolinguistic group or territory descended from Japheth/Gomer. English Bible translations typically transliterate the name as 'Ashkenaz,' which is accurate for the context, but later uses of related terms are anachronistic for the ancient setting.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of foreign origin; Ashkenaz, a Japhethite, also his descendants; Ashkenaz.
Bantu Hebrew
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אשכנז (uncertain) (ʾ-š-k-n-z (uncertain)) — ethnonym, personal name, eponymous ancestor
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H813-01 |
אַשְׁכֲּנַ֥ז | ashekanaz | HNp |
Ashkenaz | Ashkenaz | 2 |
H813-02 |
וְ/אַשְׁכְּנָ֑ז | veashekenaz | HC/Np |
and Ashkenaz | Ashkenaz | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H813-01 |
Genesis 10:3 | אַשְׁכֲּנַ֥ז | ashekanaz | HNp |
Ashkenaz | Ashkenaz |
H813-02 |
Jeremiah 51:27 | וְ/אַשְׁכְּנָ֑ז | veashekenaz | HC/Np |
and Ashkenaz | Ashkenaz |
H813-01 |
1 Chronicles 1:6 | אַשְׁכֲּנַ֥ז | ashekanaz | HNp |
Ashkenaz | Ashkenaz |