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תַּחֲנָה

𐤕𐤇𐤍𐤄

tachănâh

H8466 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חנה to pitch a tent, encamp, dwell temporarily

Definition

A temporary encampment or stopping place, particularly used for a group or assembly, often of the Israelites during their journeys. The term designates a site where a group ceases travel and rests, most often for a defined duration, and is typically used in reference to the stages or stops of the Israelites in the wilderness. By extension, it can also refer to the individual location or act of making camp.

Semantic Range

stopping place on a journey, encampment stage, place where a group camps or rests, station in a journey, act of encamping

Root / Etymology

From the root חנה (ḥ-n-h), which means 'to pitch a tent, encamp, dwell temporarily.' תַּחֲנָה is a feminine noun form derived by adding the feminine pattern -ָה to the root. The noun thus denotes either the action of encamping or the established place of encampment. The core root meaning is 'to settle temporarily, to station oneself' and this gives rise to the noun's specific reference to a campsite or encampment.

Historical & Contextual Notes

תַּחֲנָה almost exclusively appears in the plural (תַּחֲנֹת), especially in the wilderness itinerary of Numbers 33, where it designates each distinct stopping place or station in the journey of the Israelites. It is distinct from מַחֲנֶה (machaneh), which often refers to a military camp or larger collective encampment, whereas תַּחֲנָה focuses on the discrete locations or stages along a journey. Later English translations sometimes render תַּחֲנָה as 'camp' or 'station,' but the nuance is that of a defined waystation, not a permanent habitation or base of operations. The term is hardly attested outside the context of the wilderness journey narrative, making its use both technical and limited. It does not carry later connotations of national or military encampments, nor does it imply any religious or ethnic distinction beyond its historical biblical use.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָנָה; (only plural collectively) an encampment; camp.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חנה (ḥ-n-h) — to pitch a tent, encamp, dwell temporarily

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

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8466-01 תַּחֲנֹתִֽ/י tachanoti HNcfpc/Sp1cs my-camp my encampments 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8466-01 2 Kings 6:8 תַּחֲנֹתִֽ/י tachanoti HNcfpc/Sp1cs my-camp my encampments
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