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Joshua 12:21 — Word Study

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WLCמֶ֤לֶךְ תַּעְנַךְ֙ אֶחָ֔ד מֶ֥לֶךְ מְגִדּ֖וֹ אֶחָֽד׃

BSAthe kingmelek [ruler, monarch] of TaanachTaʻănâk [an ancient city in Palestine] oneʼechâd [a single, unique] the kingmelek [sovereign, royal person] of MegiddoMᵉgiddôwn [a strategic city in Israel] oneʼechâd [united, solitary]

Word
Listen & take awayJoshua 12
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 21 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration ('e.Chad) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Joshua 12:21quick helps
In a sentenceThis verse lists two kings and emphasizes their singularity.
Who is speakingThe narrator recounts the conquests of Joshua.
Where we areA record of the defeated kings of Canaan.
The hard wordאֶחָד
Take awayEach king is noted as a unique ruler.
3 commentators on this verse Gill, AdamClarke, Cambridge & more — read them › clause subjectאֶחָד The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Joshua 12:21

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Kings Defeated by Joshuagenerated

20the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;
21the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;
22the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
23the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Gilgal, one;

Joshua 12:21 lists the kings defeated by Joshua, highlighting the significance of each king's reign in the conquest of Canaan. This section of Joshua serves as a record of the victories and the territories taken by the Israelites, showcasing the fulfillment of God's promise to give them the land.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Joshua 17:11Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.
2Judges 5:19Kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no plunder of silver.
31 Kings 4:12Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;
42 Kings 23:29–30At the end of Josiah’s reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went out to confront him, but Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word אֶחָד, 'e.Chadgenerated

The word אֶחָד (*'echad*) means 'one' and is derived from a numeral. It signifies unity and singularity, often used in contexts where something is unique or individual. In this verse, it emphasizes that each king mentioned is distinct and notable.

This adjective appears in various contexts throughout the Hebrew Bible, often denoting not just a numerical value but also a qualitative aspect of being singular or alone, as seen in its use in Genesis 1:5.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations agree on the meaning of אֶחָד as 'one' in all versions.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse contains two main clauses, each centered around the noun phrase מֶ֫לֶךְ (*melek*), meaning 'king.' Each clause follows the structure of stating the king and the city they ruled, with a predicate indicating their singularity.

The repetition of the structure emphasizes the totality of the kings defeated, with the finite verbs implied in the context.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates מֶ֫לֶךְ as βασιλέα (*basilea*), meaning 'king.' This choice reflects the continuity of the concept of kingship from Hebrew to Greek, maintaining the royal authority of the figures mentioned.

The translation of אֶחָד is not explicitly noted in the Septuagint, indicating that the focus may have shifted in translation to the overall narrative rather than the singularity of each king.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Joshua 12:21 lists the king of Taanach and the king of Megiddo, both noted as one. This verse highlights the kings defeated by Joshua, emphasizing their individual significance in the conquest of Canaan.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the term 'king' signify in this context?

In this verse, 'king' refers to a ruler or monarch who held authority over a specific city, representing the defeated powers of Canaan.

Why is the number 'one' emphasized?

The emphasis on 'one' highlights the uniqueness of each king, indicating that each was a significant opponent in the conquest.

What is the significance of Taanach and Megiddo?

Both cities were strategically important in ancient Israel and represented key victories for Joshua and the Israelites.

How does this verse fit into the larger narrative of Joshua?

This verse contributes to the overall theme of conquest and the fulfillment of God's promises to the Israelites regarding the land.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What can we learn about leadership from the kings mentioned in this verse?
  2. How does the concept of singularity apply to our understanding of authority today?
  3. In what ways can we recognize the significance of individual contributions in a larger context?
  4. How does this verse reflect the fulfillment of God's promises to His people?

Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Joshua 12:21 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The king of Taanach, one,.... It was in the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua 17:11; Jerom says (q), in his time it was a large village, distant from Legion on the plain of Esdraelon three miles: the king of

Read John Gill on Joshua 12 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 21. Taanach] A city in the half tribe of Manasseh, to the west of Jordan, not far from the frontiers of Zebulun, Joshua 17:11. This city was assigned to the Levites, Joshua 21:25.

Read AdamClarke on Joshua 12 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

21. Taanach] Almost always in company with Megiddo, one of the chief towns of the rich district which forms the western portion of the great plain of Esdraelon (1 Kings 4:12). It was a city of the Levites (Joshua 21:25), and was famous for the victory of Barak (Judges 5:19). Under the form Ta’annuk it retains its old name with hardly the change of a letter. Megiddo] which commanded one of those passes from the north into the hill country, which were of such critical importance in the history of Judæa. It does not seem to have been really occupied by the Israelites till the time of Solomon, and is famous as the place (i) where Ahaziah died in his flight from Jehu (2 Kings 9:27), and (ii)…

Read Cambridge on Joshua 12 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

WEBWorld English Bible2000

the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

NETBNew English Translation2006

the king of Taanach (one), the king of Megiddo (one),

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

RVARevised Version, American1894

the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

NWBWebster's Bible1833

The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

GNVGeneva Bible1599

The King of Taanach, one: the King of Megiddo, one:

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

The king of Taanach, one; The king of Megiddo, one;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

The king of Ta'anach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

the king of Taanach, the king of Megiddo,

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

The king of Thenac one, the king of Megeddo one,

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The king of Taanach. The king of Megiddo.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clausenoun phrase · predicateמֶ֤לֶךְthe.kingתַּעְנַךְ֙of.Taanachsubjectאֶחָ֔דoneclausenoun phrase · predicateמֶ֥לֶךְthe.kingמְגִדּ֖וֹof.Megiddosubjectאֶחָֽדone

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording for this verse. The Septuagint captures the essence of the Hebrew text, though some words are omitted in its rendering.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

מֶ֤לֶךְ תַּעְנַךְ֙ אֶחָ֔ד מֶ֥לֶךְ מְגִדּ֖וֹ אֶחָֽד׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
מֶ֤לֶךְβασιλέαתַּעְנַךְ֙ταναξמֶ֥לֶךְβασιλέαמְגִדּ֖וֹμαγεδων

4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Joshua 12:21מֶ֫לֶךְ[the] king [the] king ofמֶ֫לֶךְתַּעֲנָךְTaanachTaanachתַּעֲנָךְאֶחָדoneoneאֶחָדמֶ֫לֶךְ[the] king [the] king ofמֶ֫לֶךְמְגִדּוֹMegiddoMegiddoמְגִדּוֹאֶחָדoneoneאֶחָדמָלַךְto reignto reignמָלַךְחָדַדto go eithto go either waחָדַדגָּדַדto cutto cutגָּדַדאַבְדָ֑ןdestructiodestructionאַבְדָ֑ןנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּרNebuchadneNebuchadnezzarנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּראַשּׁוּרAsshurAsshurאַשּׁוּרכֶּ֫בֶשׂlamblambכֶּ֫בֶשׂאַ֫יִלramramאַ֫יִלמְגִדּוֹMegiddoMegiddoמְגִדּוֹבֵּיתBeth-sheanBeth-sheanבֵּיתהֲדַדְרִמּוֹןהֲדַדְרִמּוֹןתַּעֲנָךְTaanachTaanachתַּעֲנָךְ
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Joshua 12:21

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

[the] king of Taanach one [the] king of Megiddo one
מֶ֤לֶךְMe.lekh [the] king of H4428 Noun common · masculine singular construct
2,526× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a king or royal person, like King David or King Saul. It can also describe something related to a king, like the King's Valley in Genesis. The Bible often uses this word to talk about the rulers of Israel.
Amplified meaning
ruler, monarch
Tyndale gloss
King's
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word מֶ֫לֶךְ (*melek*) means 'king.' It is derived from a root that suggests royalty. The term appears in various contexts, including references to specific kings and locations, such as the 'King's Highway' in Numbers 20:17 and the 'King's Valley' in Genesis 14:17. The lexicons note its Aramaic equivalent and mention its use in the context of individuals like Hammelech in Jeremiah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4428 מֶ֫לֶךְ king

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4428 melek meh'-lek

from 4427; a king:--king, royal.

see HEBREW for 04427

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — king.

1) king

Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

הַמֶּלֶךְ (me.lekh) — `the king`.

'the king' or a name, Hammelech in KJV of Jer.36.26; 38.6- a man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

§ A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Highway) (Num.20.17)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

Another name of she.lach (שֶׁ֫לַח "Shelah" H7975A)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — Milcom.

Another name of mo.lekh (מֹ֫לֶךְ "Molech" H4432)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Valley) (Gen.14.17)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

[the] king of Taanach one [the] king of Megiddo one
תַּעְנַךְ֙ta'.naKh Taanach H8590 Noun proper
7× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Taanach was an ancient city in Palestine, conquered by Joshua and given to the Levites. It is mentioned in the book of Joshua as a city near the waters of Megiddo.
Amplified meaning
an ancient city in Palestine
Tyndale gloss
Taanach
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תַּעֲנָךְ (Ta`anak) refers to Taanach, an ancient Canaanite city mentioned in the Old Testament. It is described as being conquered by Joshua and allotted to the half tribe of Manasseh, located in the territory of Issachar. The name is associated with the meaning "sandy." The lexicons indicate uncertainty about its derivation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תַּעֲנָךְ n.pr.loc. in Great Plain

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8590 תַּעֲנָךְ

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8590 Ta`anak tah-an-awk'

or Tanak {tah-nawk'}; of uncertain derivation; Taanak or

Tanak, a place in Palestine:--Taanach, Tanach.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תַּעֲנָךְ (ta.a.nakh) — Taanach.

Taanach or Tanach = "sandy"

an ancient Canaanite city conquered by Joshua and allotted to the half tribe of Manasseh although in the territory of Issachar; given to the Kohathite Levites; located on the west of the Jordan and near the waters of Megiddo

Also named: a.ner (עָנֵר "Aner" H6063H)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ta'-nak (ta`anakh, or ta`nakh; the Septuagint Tanach, with many variants): A royal city of the Canaanites, the king of which was slain by Joshua (12:21). It was within the boundaries of the portion of Issachar, but was one of the cities reckoned to Manasseh (Jos 17:11; 1Ch 7:29), and assigned to the Kohathite Levites (Jos 21:25). The Canaanites were not driven out; only at a later time they were set to taskwork (Jos 17:12 f; Jud 1:27 f). Here the great battle was fought when the defeat of Sisera broke the power of the oppressor Jabin (Jud 5:19). It was in the…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Taanach

A sandy place, an ancient royal city of the Canaanites, on the south-western border of the plain of Esdraelon, 4 miles south of Megiddo. Its king was conquered by Joshua (12:21). It was assigned to the Levites of the family of Kohath (17:11-18; 21:25). It is mentioned in the song of Deborah (Judg. 5:19). It is identified with the small modern village of Ta’annuk.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(sandy), an ancient Canaanitish city whose king is enumerated among the thirty-one kings conquered by Joshua. (Joshua 12:21) It came into the half tribe of Manasseh, (Joshua 17:11; 21:25; 1 Chronicles 7:29) and was bestowed on the Kohathite Levites. (Joshua 21:25) Taanach is almost always named in company with Megiddo, and they were evidently the chief towns of that fine rich district which forms the western portion of the great plain of Esdraelon. (1 Kings 4:12) It is still called Ta’annuk , and) stands about four miles southeast of Lejjun and 13 miles southwest of Nazareth.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A Caanite royal city, Jos 12:21, in the territory of Issachar, but assigned to Manesseh, Jos 17:11; 21:25. There is still a small place called Taannuk on the south border of the plain of Esdraelon, four miles southeast of the site of Megiddo, which is usually named with Taanach, Jud 1:27; 5:19; 1Ki 4:12.

[the] king of Taanach one [the] king of Megiddo one
אֶחָ֔ד'e.Chad one H259 Adj
971× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means one or united, and is used to describe something that is single or unique. It is often translated as one, first, or alone. For example, in Genesis 1:5, God calls the light day and the darkness night, and separates them into one thing from another.
Amplified meaning
a single, unique
Tyndale gloss
one
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶחָד (echad) means 'one' and is derived from a numeral. It encompasses meanings such as each, every, a certain, and can serve as an indefinite article. It is also used as an ordinal to denote 'first' and appears in various combinations, including eleven. The entries consistently emphasize its numerical and qualitative aspects.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶחָד 972 adj.num. one

one

= each, every

= a certain

= indef. art.

only, & (fem.) once

one … another, one … the other

as ordinal first

in combin.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H259 אֶחָד one . one

. = each, every

. = a certain

. = indef. art.

. only, & (fem.) once

. one … another, one … the other

. as ordinal first

. in combin.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

259 'echad ekh-awd'

a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an

ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and,

any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), +

eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only,

other, some, together,

see HEBREW for 0258

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶחָד (e.chad) — one.

1) one (number)

1a) one (number)

1b) each, every

1c) a certain

1d) an (indefinite article)

1e) only, once, once for all

1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one

1g) first

1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

wun.

See NUMBER.

[the] king of Taanach one [the] king of Megiddo one
מֶ֥לֶךְMe.lekh [the] king of H4428 Noun common · masculine singular construct
2,526× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a king or royal person, like King David or King Saul. It can also describe something related to a king, like the King's Valley in Genesis. The Bible often uses this word to talk about the rulers of Israel.
Amplified meaning
sovereign, royal person
Tyndale gloss
King's
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word מֶ֫לֶךְ (*melek*) means 'king.' It is derived from a root that suggests royalty. The term appears in various contexts, including references to specific kings and locations, such as the 'King's Highway' in Numbers 20:17 and the 'King's Valley' in Genesis 14:17. The lexicons note its Aramaic equivalent and mention its use in the context of individuals like Hammelech in Jeremiah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4428 מֶ֫לֶךְ king

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4428 melek meh'-lek

from 4427; a king:--king, royal.

see HEBREW for 04427

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — king.

1) king

Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

הַמֶּלֶךְ (me.lekh) — `the king`.

'the king' or a name, Hammelech in KJV of Jer.36.26; 38.6- a man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

§ A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Highway) (Num.20.17)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

Another name of she.lach (שֶׁ֫לַח "Shelah" H7975A)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — Milcom.

Another name of mo.lekh (מֹ֫לֶךְ "Molech" H4432)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Valley) (Gen.14.17)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

[the] king of Taanach one [the] king of Megiddo one
מְגִדּ֖וֹme.gi.Do Megiddo H4023 Noun proper
12× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Megiddo was an important city in ancient Israel, located near Mount Carmel and Nazareth. It is mentioned in the Bible as a place of crowds and is also known as Armageddon, where many battles took place, including the one described in Revelation 16:16.
Amplified meaning
a strategic city in Israel
Tyndale gloss
Megiddo
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מְגִדּוֹ (Megiddo) refers to an ancient city in Canaan, associated with the tribe of Manasseh. The name is thought to mean "place of crowds." It is located near the plain of Esdraelon and is also linked to the term Armageddon in the New Testament. The entries consistently identify it as a geographical location without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מְגִדּוֹ and מְגִדּוֹן n.pr.loc. old Canaanitish city, assigned to Manasseh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4023 מְגִדּוֹ, מְגִדּוֹן

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4023 Mgiddown meg-id-done'

(Zech. 12 or Mgiddow {meg-id-do'}; from 1413; rendezvous;

Megiddon or Megiddo, a place in Palestine:--Megiddo,

Megiddon.

see HEBREW for 012

see HEBREW for 01413

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מְגִדּוֹ (me.gid.don) — Megiddo.

Megiddo or Megiddon = "place of crowds"

ancient city of Canaan assigned to Manasseh and located on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon 6 miles (10 km) from Mount Carmel and 11 miles (18 km) from Nazareth

Also named: Armageddōn (Ἀρμαγεδδών "Armageddon" G0717)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Megiddo

Place of troops, originally one of the royal cities of the Canaanites (Josh. 12:21), belonged to the tribe of Manasseh (Judg. 1:27), but does not seem to have been fully occupied by the Israelites till the time of Solomon (1 Kings 4:12; 9:15).

The valley or plain of Megiddo was part of the plain of Esdraelon, the great battle-field of Palestine. It was here Barak gained a notable victory over Jabin, the king of Hazor, whose general, Sisera, led on the hostile army. Barak rallied the warriors of the northern tribes, and under the encouragement of Deborah (q.v.), the prophetess, attacked the Canaanites in the great plain. The army of Sisera was thrown into complete confusion, and was engulfed in the waters of the Kishon…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(place of crowns) was in a very marked position on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon, on the frontier line of the territories of the tribes of Issachar and Manasseh, 6 miles from Mount Carmel and 11 from Nazareth. It commanded one of those passes from the north into the hill country which were of such critical importance on various occasions in the history of Judea. Judith 4:7. The first mention occurs in (Joshua 12:21) where Megiddo appears as the city of one of the kings whom Joshua defeated on the west of the Jordan. The song of Deborah brings the place vividly before us, as the scene of the great conflict between Sisera and Barak. When Pharaoh-necho came from Egypt against the king of Assyria, Josiah joined the latter, and was slain at Megiddo. (2 Kings 23:29;

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A town of Manesseh, thought within the bounds of Issachar. It had been a royal city of the Canaanites, and they long retained a foothold in it, Jos 12:21; 17:11; Jud 1:27. It lay in the southwest border of the plain of Esdraelon, near the Kishon, which is probably intended by "the waters of Megiddo," mentioned in the song of Deborah and Barak as the scene of their victory, Jud 5:19,21. In the reign of Solomon, Megiddo was fortified, 1Ki 9:15. Here king Ahaziah died, and King Josiah was defeated, slain, and sorely lamented, 2Ki 9:27; 23:29; Zec 12:11. Robinson…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

his precious fruit; declaring a message

[the] king of Taanach one [the] king of Megiddo one
אֶחָֽד׃'e.Chad one H259 Adj
971× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means one or united, and is used to describe something that is single or unique. It is often translated as one, first, or alone. For example, in Genesis 1:5, God calls the light day and the darkness night, and separates them into one thing from another.
Amplified meaning
united, solitary
Tyndale gloss
one
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶחָד (echad) means 'one' and is derived from a numeral. It encompasses meanings such as each, every, a certain, and can serve as an indefinite article. It is also used as an ordinal to denote 'first' and appears in various combinations, including eleven. The entries consistently emphasize its numerical and qualitative aspects.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶחָד 972 adj.num. one

one

= each, every

= a certain

= indef. art.

only, & (fem.) once

one … another, one … the other

as ordinal first

in combin.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H259 אֶחָד one . one

. = each, every

. = a certain

. = indef. art.

. only, & (fem.) once

. one … another, one … the other

. as ordinal first

. in combin.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

259 'echad ekh-awd'

a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an

ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and,

any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), +

eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only,

other, some, together,

see HEBREW for 0258

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶחָד (e.chad) — one.

1) one (number)

1a) one (number)

1b) each, every

1c) a certain

1d) an (indefinite article)

1e) only, once, once for all

1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one

1g) first

1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

wun.

See NUMBER.

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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