מַקֵּדָה
𐤌𐤒𐤃𐤄
Maqedah
H4719 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Makkedah; a proper noun designating a settlement in the southern part of Canaan, most notably referenced in the context of the Israelite conquest narratives as the site of a military engagement and the execution of local rulers. While the form of the name may be related to terms denoting herding or enclosures for livestock, in the biblical corpus it functions solely as a place name, without lexical use as a common noun.
Semantic Range
proper name of a place (Makkedah); possible etymological sense of enclosure, fold, or herding site (hypothetical, not attested in common noun usage)
Root / Etymology
Root probably נקד (n-q-d), 'to mark, spot, speckle' or as a denominative in the sense of 'herder' or 'keeper of flocks' from נָקֹד (nākōd), and related to נֹקֵד (nōqēd), 'herdsman.' The toponym מַקֵּדָה may carry the sense of 'place of (sheep)folds' or 'herding site,' but direct derivation is uncertain and debated. The actual lexical function in the text is that of a proper noun, not the root meaning itself.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מַקֵּדָה appears in the context of the Israelite conquest narrative (Joshua 10) as a Canaanite town conquered by Joshua. The name does not recur as a common noun or descriptor for herding or livestock enclosures elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, and its proposed etymological ties to livestock or herding remain speculative, inferred from related roots and word forms. Later tradition sometimes associated the site with various archaeological locations in the Shephelah, but its precise historical identification remains uncertain. English translations that render the name as 'fold' or suggest specific function within the text are not supported by usage in the biblical record, where it is exclusively a place name. Older translations that refer to 'Makkedah' as a city of 'the Jews' reflect post-biblical terminology; in the historical biblical context, it was a Canaanite site at the time of the Israelite conquest and is later referenced as part of Israelite territorial allotments.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as נָקֹד in the denominative sense of herding (compare נֹקֵד); fold; Makkedah, a place in Palestine; Makkedah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נקד (n-q-d) — to mark, to spot, to speckle; to herd (speculative)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5348 | נָקֹד | the spot-marked ones |
| H5349 | נֹקֵד | flock-marker |
| H5350 | נִקֻּד | pricked biscuits |
| H5351 | נְקֻדָּה | spots of |
| H5353 | נְקוֹדָא | Marked-One |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4719-02 |
מַקֵּדָֽה | maqedah | HNp |
Makkedah | Makkedah | 5 |
H4719-01 |
בְּ/מַקֵּדָֽה | bemaqedah | HR/Np |
at Makkedah | in Makkedah | 2 |
H4719-03 |
מִ/מַּקֵּדָ֖ה | mimaqedah | HR/Np |
from Makkedah | from Makkedah | 1 |
H4719-04 |
וּ/מַקֵּדָ֑ה | umaqedah | HC/Np |
and Makkedah | Makkedah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
9 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4719-02 |
Joshua 10:10 | מַקֵּדָֽה | maqedah | HNp |
Makkedah | Makkedah |
H4719-01 |
Joshua 10:16 | בְּ/מַקֵּדָֽה | bemaqedah | HR/Np |
at Makkedah | in Makkedah |
H4719-01 |
Joshua 10:17 | בְּ/מַקֵּדָֽה | bemaqedah | HR/Np |
at Makkedah | in Makkedah |
H4719-02 |
Joshua 10:21 | מַקֵּדָ֖ה | maqedah | HNp |
Makkedah | Makkedah |
H4719-02 |
Joshua 10:28 | מַקֵּדָה֩ | maqedah | HNp |
Makkedah | Makkedah |
H4719-02 |
Joshua 10:28 | מַקֵּדָ֔ה | maqedah-2 | HNp |
Makkedah | Makkedah |
H4719-03 |
Joshua 10:29 | מִ/מַּקֵּדָ֖ה | mimaqedah | HR/Np |
from Makkedah | from Makkedah |
H4719-02 |
Joshua 12:16 | מַקֵּדָה֙ | maqedah | HNp |
of Makkedah | Makkedah |
H4719-04 |
Joshua 15:41 | וּ/מַקֵּדָ֑ה | umaqedah | HC/Np |
and Makkedah | Makkedah |