דַּבֶּשֶׁת
𐤃𐤁𐤔𐤕
Dabeshet
H1708 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper place name; a locality identified in the territorial boundary descriptions of the ancient Israelite tribes, probably situated in the northwestern region associated with the tribe of Asher. The precise meaning of the name is uncertain; it functions as a toponym without additional contextual meaning in the biblical record.
Semantic Range
proper place name, toponym; (if related to the root) possibly hill, mound, but attested only as a place name
Root / Etymology
Uncertain. The name דַּבֶּשֶׁת (Dabbesheth) may appear to derive from the same root as דַּבֶּשֶׁת (dabbeshet, Strong's H1707), meaning 'hump' or 'protuberance,' possibly alluding to a hill or prominent geographical feature, but there is no firm evidence connecting the specific place name to this etymology. Alternatively, the root is uncertain and the name may be pre-Israelite or otherwise opaque.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Dabbesheth appears once in the Hebrew Bible (Joshua 19:11) as a boundary marker for the territory of the tribe of Asher during the early distribution of land among the Israelite tribes. Its precise location is uncertain; some have proposed identification with sites near the northwestern coastal plain, but this remains speculative. The name's resemblance to דַּבֶּשֶׁת (dabbeshet, 'hump') has led some scholars to guess that it refers to a hill-like characteristic, but the biblical text does not clarify this. In modern Bible translations and scholarship, the term is typically rendered as a transliteration rather than an attempted translation. Later periods do not reference this place name, and it has no attested use outside the territorial description in Joshua. The term does not denote an ethnic or religious identity, nor does it have known cultic or symbolic associations.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
the same as דַּבֶּשֶׁת; Dabbesheth, a place in Palestine; Dabbesheth.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דבשׁ (d-b-sh) — uncertain; possibly hump, swell, knob
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1708-01 |
בְּ/דַבָּ֑שֶׁת | bedabashet | HR/Np |
Dabbesheth | in Dabbesheth | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1708-01 |
Joshua 19:11 | בְּ/דַבָּ֑שֶׁת | bedabashet | HR/Np |
Dabbesheth | in Dabbesheth |