עֲנָב (a.nav)
a.nav
Anab
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The noun anav is a rare Hebrew place name meaning "fruit." It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both times in Joshua, to identify a specific city located in the mountainous region of southern Judah. Situated roughly eighteen miles southwest of Hebron, this settlement was part of the territory assigned to the tribe of Judah during the initial distribution of the land.
The name itself carries a simple, descriptive significance, likely reflecting the agricultural character of the area or serving as a marker for its produce. Because the references are strictly geographical within the conquest narratives, the word does not carry metaphorical or theological weight in Scripture. It serves primarily as a coordinate in the biblical map, anchoring the historical account of Israel’s settlement in the hill country.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When you encounter the name Anab in the book of Joshua, it serves as a quiet marker on the map of God’s promises. It reminds us that the land given to Israel was not abstract; it consisted of real towns, hills, and valleys where people lived and worked. This specific location in the southern highlands was part of the inheritance assigned to the tribe of Judah, grounding the biblical narrative in actual geography.
While the word itself does not carry deep theological symbolism, its presence highlights the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His covenant. The detailed listing of places like Anab shows that every corner of the promised land was accounted for. For believers today, this attention to detail encourages trust that God is precise and reliable in keeping His word, even when the details seem small or historical.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ Anab1×
- Anab1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- עֲנָ֔ב1×
- וַ/עֲנָ֥ב1×
Key Verses
-
Joshua 15:50
Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
This verse lists Anab among the cities assigned to Judah, confirming its role as a specific territorial marker in the tribal inheritance.
-
Joshua 11:21
Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.
Here Anab is mentioned as one of the fortified hill country towns from which the Anakim were removed, illustrating the completion of the conquest in that region.