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אַשְׁנָה

𐤀𐤔𐤍𐤄

Ashenah

H823 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ישן to be old, to become old, to sleep

Definition

Proper name of two distinct settlements in the territory of Judah during the biblical period. Refers specifically to (1) a town in the lowland (Shephelah) region of Judah and (2) a town mentioned among the towns of Judah listed in Joshua. The word is used solely as a toponym and does not have an independent semantic meaning apart from these places.

Semantic Range

(Proper noun) name of two towns in Judah; geographic toponym; possibly 'old (town)' if based on the root

Root / Etymology

Probably derived from the Hebrew root ישן (y-sh-n), 'to be old, to sleep,' giving the sense of 'old place' or 'settlement with ancient origins,' but this is uncertain. The two towns could have received their name due to their perceived antiquity or long-standing settlement. Alternatively, the name may be an unrelated local term with an uncertain derivation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

אַלשְׁנָה (Ashnah) appears twice in the geographic listings of the Book of Joshua (Josh 15:33, 43), each time designating a different town in the lowlands of Judah. The towns likely served distinct purposes or populations. There is no evidence that these locations were significant beyond these biblical mentions, and their identification in later tradition is only tentative. The association with יְשָׁנָה (Yeshanah), another biblical town, is based on similarity in form but is not certain. Some English Bible translations render these as 'Ashnah' without further comment; the name has not shifted meaning across periods and is only attested as a toponym. The English term 'Palestine' used by Strong's is anachronistic for the biblical period; these towns were within the territory of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably a variation for יְשָׁנָה; Ashnah, the name of two places in Palestine; Ashnah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ישן (y-š-n) — to be old, to become old, to sleep

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3462 יָשֵׁן I sleep
H3463 יָשֵׁן like a sleeping one
H3464 יָשֵׁן sleeping one
H3465 יָשָׁן the aged one
H3466 יְשָׁנָה the Ancient-place

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H823-01 וְ/אַשְׁנָֽה veashenah HC/Np and Ashnah and Ashnah 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H823-01 Joshua 15:33 וְ/אַשְׁנָֽה veashenah HC/Np and Ashnah and Ashnah
H823-01 Joshua 15:43 וְ/אַשְׁנָ֖ה veashenah HC/Np and Ashnah and Ashnah
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