תַּעֲנָךְ
𐤕𐤏𐤍𐤊
Taanakhe
H8590 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name of a Canaanite city in the Jezreel Valley, south of Megiddo. Refers specifically to the ancient urban site known as Ta'anak (Taanach), which functioned as a strategic fortified settlement during the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age. In the Hebrew Bible, denotes the physical location and its inhabitants, particularly in narratives related to conquest, settlement, and territorial administration. Rarely, the name is used to reference events associated with the site (such as battles).
Semantic Range
(proper noun) Ta'anak, Taanach (ancient city south of Megiddo); the physical city; its territory or region; by extension, events or narratives associated with the city
Root / Etymology
The etymology of תַּעֲנָךְ is uncertain. Some have proposed a non-Hebrew (perhaps Canaanite) origin, but there is no widely accepted derivation from a Semitic root. The name appears with minor orthographic variation (תַּעֲנָךְ / תַּעְנָךְ), suggesting a possible adaptation or transcription of an older toponym.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Ta'anak was an important Canaanite city cited in several biblical passages (e.g., Joshua 12:21, Judges 5:19), particularly in connection with the list of towns allotted to the tribe of Manasseh but not fully conquered (Joshua 17:11-13). In the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:19), the city is the stage for a decisive battle against Canaanite kings. Archaeological evidence confirms continuous occupation from the Early Bronze Age through the Iron Age, including Egyptian and later Israelite presence. The transliteration 'Ta'anak' or 'Taanach' follows the Hebrew pattern; the English 'Taanach' derives from traditional translation and, later, patterns found in the King James Version. The name was not associated with religious identity or ethnic labels like 'Jew' in biblical contexts but solely as a geographic designation. The city is referenced exclusively as a place name, with no associated demonym in biblical Hebrew. LXX (Septuagint) forms reflect attempts to render the consonantal structure in Greek. The meaning and function of the name remained constant across biblical periods; the site’s prominence, however, declined after the monarchic era.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or תַּעְנָךְ; of uncertain derivation; Taanak or Tanak, a place in Palestine; Taanach, Tanach.
Bantu Hebrew
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תענך (t-ʿ-n-k) — proper place name, Taʿanak (ancient city)
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8590-02 |
תַּעְנַךְ֙ | taenakhe | HNp |
Taanach | Ta'anak | 6 |
H8590-01 |
בְּ/תַעְנַ֖ךְ | betaenakhe | HR/Np |
at Taanach | in Taʿanak | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8590-02 |
Joshua 12:21 | תַּעְנַךְ֙ | taenakhe | HNp |
Taanach | Ta'anak |
H8590-02 |
Joshua 17:11 | תַעְנַךְ֙ | taenakhe | HNp |
Taanach | Ta'anak |
H8590-02 |
Joshua 21:25 | תַּעְנַךְ֙ | taenakhe | HNp |
Taanach | Ta'anak |
H8590-02 |
Judges 1:27 | תַּעְנַ֣ךְ | taenakhe | HNp |
Taanach | Ta'anak |
H8590-01 |
Judges 5:19 | בְּ/תַעְנַ֖ךְ | betaenakhe | HR/Np |
at Taanach | in Taʿanak |
H8590-02 |
1 Kings 4:12 | תַּעְנַ֖ךְ | taenakhe | HNp |
Taanach | Ta'anak |
H8590-02 |
1 Chronicles 7:29 | תַּעְנַ֣ךְ | taenakhe | HNp |
Taanach | Ta'anak |