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סְנָאָה

𐤎𐤍𐤀𐤄

Senaah

H5570 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A toponym designating a locality or settlement known as Senaah, occurring in post-exilic texts as a significant place whose inhabitants returned from the Babylonian exile. The primary reference is geographic, not descriptive, and the term functions as a proper name. There is some ancient association with the idea of 'thorny' or 'thorn-bushes,' though the connection is lexically unclear.

Semantic Range

a place name (Senaah), descendants or inhabitants of Senaah, possibly connected to 'thorny' as a root meaning, used exclusively as a proper name in post-exilic genealogical lists and builder attributions

Root / Etymology

Possibly related to a root סנא meaning 'to prick' or 'thorny,' but this root is otherwise unattested in Biblical Hebrew. The exact derivation and relationship to any known verbal root is uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

סְנָאָה appears only in post-exilic texts (Ezra 2:35; Nehemiah 7:38; Nehemiah 3:3, as Hassenaah), identifying descendants of exilic returnees from a settlement or region named Senaah. The term is not used as an adjective or common noun in Biblical Hebrew, and no ethnic or religious significance can be safely attributed beyond geographic identity. The tradition that connects the name to the concept of 'thorn' may reflect a now-lost local feature or folk etymology, but this is not lexically certain. English Bibles often transliterate the place name directly; the Septuagint renders it as Σεναα, phonetically reflecting the Hebrew. In Nehemiah, 'Hassenaah' reflects the definite article (הַסְּנָאָה), denoting a person or family associated with the place. There is no evidence to connect this name with later ethnic or religious identities.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to prick; thorny; Senaah, a place in Palestine; Senaah, Hassenaah (with the article).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סנא (s-n-ʾ) — to prick, to be thorny

Root סנא to prick, to be thorny (root meaning; unattested in usage)

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5570-02 סְנָאָ֔ה senaah HNp Senaah Senaah Senaah 2
H5570-01 הַ/סְּנָאָ֑ה hasenaah HTd/Np Hassenaah the Senaah the Senaah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5570-02 Ezra 2:35 סְנָאָ֔ה senaah HNp Senaah Senaah Senaah
H5570-01 Nehemiah 3:3 הַ/סְּנָאָ֑ה hasenaah HTd/Np Hassenaah the Senaah the Senaah
H5570-02 Nehemiah 7:38 סְנָאָ֔ה senaah HNp Senaah Senaah Senaah
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