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גִּבְעֹנִי

𐤂𐤁𐤏𐤍𐤉

Giveoni

H1393 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גבע hill, rise, height

Definition

An inhabitant or member of Gibeon, a city in the central hill country of ancient Canaan. Refers specifically to people identified with Gibeon, either ethnically as original Hivite (Canaanite) population or politically as residents under Israelite administration. In some contexts, especially after the conquest narratives, the term denotes individuals or groups associated with the servile status imposed by the Israelites following their treaty with Gibeon.

Semantic Range

resident of Gibeon, member of the Gibeonite community, person of Gibeonite descent, ethnic or political designation

Root / Etymology

Patrial noun formed from גִּבְעוֹן (Gibeon), itself probably derived from the root גבע ('hill, height'). Thus, גִּבְעֹנִי literally denotes 'a person from Gibeon.' The -ִי (yod-suffix) functions as a standard patrial/ethnic designation in Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, 'Gibeonite' (גִּבְעֹנִי) is used primarily to denote members of the Gibeon community, particularly in the context of the Israelite conquest, where the Gibeonites negotiate a treaty with Joshua (Joshua 9). They are identified with the local Hivite (a Canaanite people) population but later become subject to servitude within the Israelite community (Joshua 9:27), assigned to menial tasks for the altar. The term retains this ethnic and socio-political significance in subsequent texts (2 Samuel 21; Nehemiah 3:7) but is not used interchangeably with 'Israelite' or later ethnic designations such as 'Judahite' or 'Judean.' English translations often render גִּבְעֹנִי as 'Gibeonite,' which is accurate but can obscure the specific Canaanite origin and unique treaty status of this group in Israelite society. In Second Temple texts, the label remains, but its ethnic implications give way to more generic designations of status. The term should not be conflated with the later term 'Jew,' which refers to a later identity and context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

patrial from גִּבְעוֹן; a Gibonite, or inhabitant of Gibon; Gibeonite.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גבע (g-b-ʿ) — hill, rise, height

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1360 גֶּבֶא from a collecting-pool
H1375 גְּבִיעַ goblet of
H1387 גֶּבַע in Gebaʿ
H1388 גִּבְעָא Hill-Town
H1389 גִּבְעָה in the hill-height

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1393-02 הַ/גִּבְעֹנִֽים hagiveonim HTd/Ngmpa the Gibeonites the Gibeonites 4
H1393-01 הַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֗י hagiveoni HTd/Ngmsa the Gibeonite the Gibeonite man 2
H1393-03 לַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֖ים lagiveonim HRd/Ngmpa to the Gibeonites to the Gibeonites 1
H1393-04 וְ/הַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֞ים vehagiveonim HC/Td/Ngmpa and the Gibeonites and the Gibeonites 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1393-02 2 Samuel 21:1 הַ/גִּבְעֹנִֽים hagiveonim HTd/Ngmpa Gibeonites the Gibeonites
H1393-03 2 Samuel 21:2 לַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֖ים lagiveonim HRd/Ngmpa to the Gibeonites to the Gibeonites
H1393-04 2 Samuel 21:2 וְ/הַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֞ים vehagiveonim HC/Td/Ngmpa and the Gibeonites and the Gibeonites
H1393-02 2 Samuel 21:3 הַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֔ים hagiveonim HTd/Ngmpa the Gibeonites the Gibeonites
H1393-02 2 Samuel 21:4 הַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֗ים hagiveonim HTd/Ngmpa the Gibeonites the Gibeonites
H1393-02 2 Samuel 21:9 הַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֗ים hagiveonim HTd/Ngmpa of the Gibeonites the Gibeonites
H1393-01 Nehemiah 3:7 הַ/גִּבְעֹנִ֗י hagiveoni HTd/Ngmsa the Gibeonite the Gibeonite man
H1393-01 1 Chronicles 12:4 הַ/גִּבְעוֹנִ֛י hagiveoni HTd/Ngmsa the Gibeonite the Gibeonite man
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