Lexical Summary Yanowach: To rest, to be quiet, to settle down Original Word: יָנוֹחַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Janoah, Janohah From yanach; quiet; Janoach or Janochah, a place in Palestine -- Janoah, Janohah. see HEBREW yanach Brown-Driver-Briggs יָנוֺחַ proper name, of a location in extreme north of Israel 2 Kings 15:29; site dubious, Yânû— (ConderLists 38) near Tyre is probably too far west; GuérinGal. ii. 371 f. proposes Hunîn, west of upper Jordan, compare BuhlGeogr. 237; ᵐ5 Ανιωχ, A ᵐ5L Ιανωχ. יָנ֫וֺחָה proper name, of a location on border of Ephraim Joshua 16:6,7, identification with Yânun southeast from Shechem RobBR iii. 297 compare BuhlGeogr. 178; ᵐ5 Ιανωχα, Ιανωκα. Topical Lexicon Geographic Setting Janoah (alternatively Janohah) lay in the central hill country of Canaan, east of Taanath-shiloh and north-east of Jericho. The site has not been definitively identified, yet its placement along the eastern boundary of Ephraim is clear from the route of the tribal borders in Joshua. Later, 2 Kings suggests a northern extension or second settlement of the same name within the territory of Naphtali. Such duplication of place-names, often reflecting migration or resettlement, is common in the Old Testament record and underscores the reliability of the historical topography preserved in Scripture. Biblical Occurrences 1. Joshua 16:6–7 situates Janoah on the eastern arc of Ephraim’s allotment: “[The boundary] curved eastward to Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to the east of Janoah. From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.” “He captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he deported the people to Assyria.” Historical Background Joshua’s boundary text places Janoah during the tribal allotments soon after the conquest. Its location along a border road implies a role as a patrol point or way-station safeguarding the eastern flank of Ephraim. By the eighth century BC, the same or a later northern Janoah had come under Israelite control in Naphtali. Tiglath-pileser’s capture of the town marks one of the first mass deportations of Israelites, a watershed that foreshadows the fall of Samaria (2 Kings 17) and demonstrates the accuracy of the prophetic warnings issued by Amos and Hosea concerning Assyrian judgment. Theological Threads Rest and Displacement: The probable root nuance of “rest” stands in ironic tension with the town’s history. Janoah became a marker of inheritance-rest in Joshua, yet centuries later its inhabitants were uprooted. This juxtaposition illustrates the covenant principle that true rest is found in faithful obedience; when the nation forsook the LORD, the land no longer afforded security (Deuteronomy 28:64–65). Border Faithfulness: Locations listed in boundary descriptions remind readers that God keeps meticulous record of His promises. Every landmark, including obscure Janoah, testifies that divine allotment is neither random nor forgotten (Joshua 21:45). Judgment and Mercy: The exile of Janoah’s residents under Tiglath-pileser forms part of the broader narrative in which God disciplines His people in order to restore them. Isaiah, ministering during this period, proclaims that “a remnant will return” (Isaiah 10:21), anchoring hope amid national upheaval. Ministry Implications 1. God notices the seemingly insignificant. Janoah never achieves the prominence of Jerusalem or Bethel, yet it receives deliberate mention, encouraging believers that their own small ministries lie within God’s grand design. Summary Janoah, though mentioned only three times, serves as a small but luminous thread in the tapestry of redemptive history—marking faithful allotment, illustrating covenant loss, and pointing ultimately to the abiding rest secured in the Lord Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations יָ֠נוֹחַ יָנֽוֹחָה׃ ינוח ינוחה׃ מִיָּנ֖וֹחָה מינוחה mî·yā·nō·w·ḥāh miyaNochah mîyānōwḥāh yā·nō·w·aḥ yā·nō·w·ḥāh Yanoach yaNochah yānōwaḥ yānōwḥāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 16:6 HEB: אוֹת֔וֹ מִמִּזְרַ֖ח יָנֽוֹחָה׃ NAS: [beyond] it to the east of Janoah. KJV: by it on the east to Janohah; INT: and continued to the east of Janoah Joshua 16:7 2 Kings 15:29 3 Occurrences |
    |