כּוֹר עָשָׁן

𐤊𐤅𐤓 𐤏𐤔𐤍

Kor Ashan

H3565 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כור to smelt, refine, furnace, kiln, produce smoke

Definition

A place name, signifying 'Furnace of Smoke' or possibly 'Kiln of Smoke'; refers to a settlement or locality in the southern region associated with Judahite/Simeonite territory. The semantic nuance suggests a site marked by visible smoke or perhaps industry (such as metalworking or pottery).

Semantic Range

furnace of smoke, kiln of smoke, place characterized by smoke or smelting, place name, locality in southern Israelite territory

Root / Etymology

Composed of two Hebrew words: כּוּר (kûr, 'furnace, kiln, smelting pot') and עָשָׁן (‘āshān, 'smoke'). The name is constructed as a genitive compound, literally 'furnace (of) smoke.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

כּוֹר עָשָׁן occurs in Joshua 15:42 and 1 Samuel 30:30 as a place allotted to the descendants of Simeon within the territory of Judah. The alternate form כּוֹר עָשָׁן (Kor-ashan) appears in some textual traditions, while 1 Samuel 23:23 references a place גרשן (Chorashan), possibly due to scribal confusion or dialectal variation—the two names may refer to the same locality. The biblical context suggests a site in the southern hill country, perhaps known for industrial activity (kilns, smelting) or visible smoke, either from natural features or human activity. Later English translations have sometimes attempted to identify Chor-ashan with other archaeological sites; however, its exact location remains uncertain. The use of 'Cor-Ashan' or 'Chorashan' in older English Bibles can obscure the original meaning embedded in the Hebrew. This toponym should not be read as an ethnic or religious designation, but as a descriptive place name reflecting physical or economic characteristics of the region. The absence of this term in later post-exilic or Second Temple literature suggests the location did not retain significant status or became lost to collective memory beyond the monarchy period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from כּוּר and עָשָׁן; furnace of smoke; Cor-Ashan, a place in Palestine; Chorashan.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עשן (ʿ-š-n) — smoking, producing smoke, emitting vapor

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6225 עָשַׁן smoke
H6226 עָשֵׁן smoke-filled
H6227 עָשָׁן smoke
H6228 עָשָׁן smoke

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3565-02 בְּ/בוֹר bevor HR/Np in Bor in Furnace-of-Smoke in Kor Ashan 1
H3565-01 עָשָׁ֖ן ashan HNp -ashan smoke Kor Ashan 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3565-02 1 Samuel 30:30 בְּ/בוֹר bevor HR/Np in Bor in Furnace-of-Smoke in Kor Ashan
H3565-01 1 Samuel 30:30 עָשָׁ֖ן ashan HNp -ashan smoke Kor Ashan