Timnah
“Portion; allotted territory”
Summary
A name meaning 'portion' or 'allotted territory,' applied to several places in ancient Palestine, most notably the town associated with Samson's Philistine wife.
☩Timnah of Samson
The most famous Timnah was located on the northwestern border of Judah between Beth-shemesh and Ekron, in the Shephelah or low hill country. This is where Samson went down to find his first wife among the Philistines, encountering a lion in its vineyards. At that time it was a Philistine town, though originally allotted to Dan. The area was thinly populated, as evidenced by the presence of wild lions, and contained vineyards on the surrounding hills. The town was on higher ground than Ashkelon but lower than Zorah.
☩Later History
After the Danites migrated north, Timnah fell alternately to Judah and the Philistines as their conflicts fluctuated. The Philistines captured it during the reign of Ahaz. Sennacherib's records mention capturing a Tamna after the battle of Eltekeh. In the Maccabean period, Bacchides fortified Timnah as one of the most important military posts in Judea. By the time of Vespasian's invasion, it had become the head of a toparchy, the fourth in importance among Judea's fourteen districts.
☩Timnah of Judah's Encounter
A Timnah is mentioned as the place where Judah went to shear his sheep and where Tamar deceived him. This may be the same town in the Shephelah, or it may be a different Timnah located in the hill country of Judah, grouped with Maon, Ziph, and Carmel southeast of Hebron.
☩Modern Identification
The Timnah of Samson is identified with modern Tibneh, a deserted village about two miles west of Ain Shems (Beth-shemesh), on the southern slopes of the Wady es-Surar (Valley of Sorek). The site shows evident signs of antiquity with a spring nearby. Eusebius and Jerome described it as a large village on the road from Lydda (Diospolis) to Jerusalem.
Related Verses5 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Timnah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Timnah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Timnah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.George Morrish, "Timnah," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).