Timnath-heres
 .svg.png){kind=icon} Shown within the Palestinian territories | |
| Location | Kifl Haris, West Bank |
|---|---|
| Region | Salfit Governorate |
| Coordinates | 32°07′10″N 35°09′26″E / 32.119519°N 35.157183°E |
Timnath-heres or Timnath-serah (Hebrew: תמנת חרס) was the town given by the Israelites to Joshua according to the Hebrew Bible. He requested it and the people gave it to him "at the order of the Lord". He built up the town and lived in it (Joshua 19:49-50).
According to the Septuagint version of the Book of Joshua, Joshua placed there "the stone knives, with which he had circumcised the children of Israel".[1]
On his death, he was buried there (Joshua 24:30). Jewish tradition also places the tomb of Caleb there.
Location
The town was located in the mountainous region of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. Some identify the place with the Palestinian village of Kifl Hares, located northwest of Ariel and 6 kilometres west of Salfit in the West Bank; sherds from the Middle Bronze Age, Iron Age II, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine/Umayyad, Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk eras have been found there.[2].
Etymology
In Joshua 19:49-50 and Joshua 24:30, the town is called Timnath-serah, whereas in Judges 2:9 it is named as Timnath-heres.
The name "Timnath-serah" signifies in Hebrew an "extra portion" or "portion of abundance". Similarly, the name "Timnath-heres" means "portion of the sun".[3] In the book of Joshua Chapter 24, verse 30; it is written in thirteen different published editions of the Old Testament as Timnath-Heres or some variation of it where the second word begins with an 'h', or 'H' and ends in 's', either with or without the intermediate dash. The inversion of "serah" to make "heres", as sometimes means sun, as in Job 9:7; some Jews observe, the name signifies the figure of the sun, the Jews say was put on his monument, in commemoration of the miracle of the sun standing still for him.
In the Talmud the town is mentioned in Bava Batra 122b, where "heres" is translated as "earthenware," in reference to fruits in the area being as dry as earthenware prior to the arrival of Joshua.[4] The word's inversion, "serah" is defined as "rotting," that after Joshua's arrival, the fruits became so juicy that they could quickly rot.
References
- ↑ Septuagint, after Joshua 21:42, quoted in Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 21, accessed 23 August 2016
- ↑ Finkelstein, Israel; Lederman, Zvi, eds. (1997). Highlands of many cultures. Tel Aviv: Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University Publications Section. ISBN 965-440-007-3.
- ↑ Dictionary.com, "Timnath-heres", accessed 21 August 2016
- ↑ The Schottenstein Daf Yomi Edition: Talmud Bavli. Tractate Bava Basra Mesorah Publications 2012. Page 112b1.