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מַחֲנַיִם

𐤌𐤇𐤍𐤉𐤌

Machanayim

H4266 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חנה to encamp, pitch camp, establish a camp

Definition

A proper place-name meaning 'Two Camps' or 'Double Camp,' referring specifically to a location mentioned in the Hebrew Bible east of the Jordan River. The term originates as a dual form of the word for 'camp,' denoting either two encampments or a place where two camps met or were present. In narrative contexts, it is used both as a descriptive term for a specific event—a meeting point of two camps—and as the stable geographic name of a settled location.

Semantic Range

proper place-name referring to a specific site east of the Jordan River; figuratively, the meeting or presence of two encampments; used poetically or literally as 'Two Camps' in narrative or etiological explanations

Root / Etymology

The word is a dual form derived from the root מחנה (mḥnh), meaning 'camp' or 'encampment.' The dual ending -ַיִם (ayim) is used to indicate two of something, so מַחֲנַיִם means 'two camps' or 'double camp.' The original lexical meaning refers to a place characterized by the presence or meeting of two camps.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name מַחֲנַיִם first appears in connection with Jacob's journey in Genesis 32, where the site receives its name from Jacob upon encountering a company of divine messengers ('camps of God') and juxtaposing them with his own camp, interpreting the situation as two encampments. Subsequently, Machanayim became an established settlement east of the Jordan, within the territory assigned to Gad and later associated with the tribal border of Manasseh. In the period of the Israelite monarchy, Machanayim served as a significant fortified city, notably as a refuge for David during Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 17–19). The place-name consistently refers to this geographical location in both narrative and administrative texts. The later Greek and English renderings, such as 'Mahanaim,' transliterate the name and sometimes gloss it as 'the two camps.' The term is a specific toponym rather than a generic term for encampment.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

dual of מַחֲנֶה; double camp; Machanajim, a place in Palestine; Mahanaim.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חנה (ḥ-n-h) — to encamp, pitch camp, establish a camp

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2583 חָנָה to set up camp
H2588 חָנוּת the vaulted cells
H2595 חֲנִית spear
H4264 מַחֲנֶה in the encampment
H4265 מַחֲנֵה־דָן encampment of

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4266-02 מַֽחֲנָֽיִם machanayim HNp to Mahanaim Two Camps 6
H4266-01 מַחֲנָ֑יְמָ/ה machanayemah HNp/Sd to Mahanaim Two Camps-ward 3
H4266-03 מִ/מַּחֲנַ֨יִם mimachanayim HR/Np from Mahanaim from Two Camps 2
H4266-05 בְ/מַחֲנַ֔יִם vemachanayim HR/Np in Mahanaim in Two Camps 1
H4266-04 וּ/מִֽ/מַּחֲנַ֖יִם umimachanayim HC/R/Np and from Mahanaim and from Two Camps 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4266-02 Genesis 32:3 מַֽחֲנָֽיִם machanayim HNp Mahanaim Two Camps
H4266-04 Joshua 13:26 וּ/מִֽ/מַּחֲנַ֖יִם umimachanayim HC/R/Np and from Mahanaim and from Two Camps
H4266-03 Joshua 13:30 מִ/מַּחֲנַ֨יִם mimachanayim HR/Np from Mahanaim from Two Camps
H4266-02 Joshua 21:38 מַחֲנַ֖יִם machanayim HNp Mahanaim Two Camps
H4266-02 2 Samuel 2:8 מַחֲנָֽיִם machanayim HNp to Mahanaim Two Camps
H4266-03 2 Samuel 2:12 מִֽ/מַּחֲנַ֖יִם mimachanayim HR/Np from Mahanaim from Two Camps
H4266-02 2 Samuel 2:29 מַחֲנָֽיִם machanayim HNp to Mahanaim Two Camps
H4266-01 2 Samuel 17:24 מַחֲנָ֑יְמָ/ה machanayemah HNp/Sd to Mahanaim Two Camps-ward
H4266-01 2 Samuel 17:27 מַחֲנָ֑יְמָ/ה machanayemah HNp/Sd to Mahanaim Two Camps-ward
H4266-05 2 Samuel 19:33 בְ/מַחֲנַ֔יִם vemachanayim HR/Np in Mahanaim in Two Camps
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