גּוֹזָן
𐤂𐤅𐤆𐤍
Gozan
H1470 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A region or district named Gozan, associated primarily with the location to which groups from the northern Israelite kingdom were exiled by the Assyrians in the 8th century BCE. The term designates a specific geographic locality, not a quarry or general place of stone-cutting, and is attested exclusively as a proper noun referring to a place outside the land of Israelite settlement.
Semantic Range
Geographic region named Gozan, proper noun designating area associated with exile; not used for quarry or stone-cutting; always a specific locale in Mesopotamian region
Root / Etymology
The word גּוֹזָן (Gôzân) is often linked to the root גּוּז (to cut off, to cut), presumably based on phonetic resemblance; however, it appears as a toponym, and its relationship to the root meaning 'to cut' is speculative. Most modern lexicographers treat it as a loanword or foreign place name of uncertain etymology, possibly of Assyrian or wider Mesopotamian origin. Root/etymology: uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, גּוֹזָן (Gozan) is principally referenced in narratives of Israelite exile (e.g., 2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; 1 Chronicles 5:26), describing the destination to which people of the northern kingdom were deported by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the late 8th century BCE. The region is historically associated with the Habur River in northern Mesopotamia—a major tributary of the Euphrates. While the initial Strong's gloss suggested 'quarry' based on folk etymology, no evidence supports usage in that sense: the term is not used for stone-quarries elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, nor does it function as a common noun. The English rendering 'Gozan' preserves the proper-name status of the term. Later biblical references (post-exilic, e.g., in 1 Chronicles) retain the exile-association but do not reflect any shift in meaning. The English term 'Jew' is occasionally used in translations to refer to exiled northern Israelites, but this is historically inaccurate for the time period and people associated with Gozan.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably from גּוּז; a quarry (as a place of cutting stones); Gozan, a province of Assyria; Gozan.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
גוז (g-w-z) — to cut off, cut, remove
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1468 | גּוּז | he has swiftly vanished |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1470-01 |
גּוֹזָ֖ן | gozan | HNp |
of Gozan | Gozan | 5 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1470-01 |
2 Kings 17:6 | גּוֹזָ֖ן | gozan | HNp |
of Gozan | Gozan |
H1470-01 |
2 Kings 18:11 | גּוֹזָ֖ן | gozan | HNp |
of Gozan | Gozan |
H1470-01 |
2 Kings 19:12 | גּוֹזָ֖ן | gozan | HNp |
Gozan | Gozan |
H1470-01 |
Isaiah 37:12 | גּוֹזָ֖ן | gozan | HNp |
Gozan | Gozan |
H1470-01 |
1 Chronicles 5:26 | גּוֹזָ֔ן | gozan | HNp |
of Gozan | Gozan |