קַרְתָּה
𐤒𐤓𐤕𐤄
Qaretah
H7177 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name designating a settlement or city. Refers specifically to 'Kartah', an Israelite settlement designated for Levites in the territory of Zebulun (Joshua 21:34). Primary lexical meaning: a city or fortified town, as a place name.
Semantic Range
city, fortified settlement; proper name of a Levitical town (Kartah)
Root / Etymology
From the root קרת, related to קִרְיָה (qiryāh, 'city') or קֶרֶת (qéret, 'town, city'). The form is a proper noun, likely exhibiting a regional or dialectal variant of 'city'. Root meaning and lexical meaning align in this case, both denoting a population center.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term קַרְתָּה is attested only as a place name—a Levitical city within Zebulun's allocation (Joshua 21:34, 1 Chronicles 6:58 [Eng. v. 77]). Unlike more common terms for 'city' in the Hebrew Bible (e.g. עִיר, qiryāh), קַרְתָּה appears only as a toponym and not as a generic noun. The presence of the definite article (as some manuscripts suggest: הַקַּרְתָּה) may indicate 'the city' par excellence within a local context. In English translation traditions, the name is often simply transliterated as 'Kartah.' The underlying root is more frequently reflected in Phoenician and Punic toponyms (e.g., Carthage — Qart-hadasht, 'New City'), suggesting west Semitic usage. There is no clear evidence of a later religious or cultural association beyond its function as a Levitical city. No significant semantic shift is detectable due to the name's rarity and context-specific use.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from קֶרֶת; city; Kartah, a place in Palestine; Kartah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קרת (q-r-t) — encircle, build, establish a city
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7178 | קַרְתָּן | Kartan Settlement |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7177-01 |
קַרְתָּ֖ה | qaretah | HNp |
Kartah | Kartah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7177-01 |
Joshua 21:34 | קַרְתָּ֖ה | qaretah | HNp |
Kartah | Kartah |