3693. Kesalon

Lexical Summary

Kesalon: Kesalon

Original Word: כְּסָלוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Kcalown
Pronunciation: keh-saw-LONE
Phonetic Spelling: (kes-aw-lone')
KJV: Chesalon
NASB: Chesalon
Word Origin: [from H3688 (כָּסַל - foolish)]

1. fertile
2. Kesalon, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Chesalon

From kacal; fertile; Kesalon, a place in Palestine -- Chesalon.

see HEBREW kacal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from kasal
Definition
a place on the border of Judah
NASB Translation
Chesalon (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

כְּסָלוֺן proper name, of a location on border of tribe of Judah = הַריְֿעָרִים Joshua 15:10; = Kesla10miles west of Jerusalem, Guérin^{Jud. ii. 11 ff.} Mem^{iii. 25. 26} Buhl^{G. § 92, p. 166}.

Topical Lexicon

Etymology and Sense

Kesalon is commonly understood to carry the nuance of “confidence,” “trust,” or “hope,” reflecting the Hebrew root family built on כָּסַל (kasal). The name therefore suggests a place associated with firmness or security, an idea compatible with its mountainous siting on Judah’s western frontier.

Biblical Occurrence

Joshua 15:10 contains the sole mention:

“Then the border turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, crossed to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), continued down to Beth Shemesh, and passed on to Timnah.”

Here Kesalon serves as a landmark in the long, detailed description of Judah’s tribal inheritance.

Geographical Setting

• Region: Shephelah–Judean hill country interface, roughly 15 km (9 mi) west of modern Jerusalem.
• Terrain: Elevated ridge on the northern flank of Mount Jearim, descending toward the Sorek Valley.
• Nearby towns: Beth Shemesh (to the west), Timnah (further west), Kiriath Jearim/Baalah (to the east).
• Suggested site: Many scholars identify Kesalon with modern-day Kesla (Kisalon), perched high above the main road from Jerusalem to the coastal plain—consistent with the “northern slope” reference.

Historical Background

1. Tribal Boundaries: In Joshua 15, the Spirit-inspired record painstakingly surveys Judah’s borders, underscoring God’s orderly distribution of the land promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21). Kesalon functioned as a fixed point anchoring the border’s northern loop before dropping to Beth Shemesh.
2. Security and Defense: Elevated sites such as Kesalon offered strategic oversight of trade and military routes. Judah’s frontier towns often doubled as early-warning outposts against Philistine incursions (Judges 13:1).
3. Post-exilic Period: Although not expressly named later in Scripture, settlements in this corridor re-emerged under Judahite control (Nehemiah 11:25-30), suggesting continuity of occupation and perhaps of name memory.

Theological Significance

• Covenant Faithfulness: Every boundary mark, including Kesalon, testifies that “not one of the good promises of the LORD failed” (Joshua 21:45). The precision of geography is a visible guarantee of divine fidelity.
• Sanctity of Inheritance: Proverbs 22:28 warns against moving ancient boundaries. Kesalon reminds believers that God assigns spheres of stewardship, whether land under Joshua or spiritual gifts under the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 12:18).
• Symbol of Hope: Given the probable meaning of its name, Kesalon points to the believer’s secure hope in God (Hebrews 6:19). Just as the city occupied a firm hillside, the Christian’s confidence rests on the immovable promises of the Lord.

Ministry and Devotional Applications

1. God Knows Our Coordinates: The meticulous record of a single ridge in Judah assures believers today that the Lord attends to individual lives with equal precision (Matthew 10:30).
2. Guarding Boundaries: Pastoral ministry often involves protecting doctrinal and moral borders (Acts 20:28-31). Kesalon illustrates the value of clearly defined limits.
3. Hope in Elevation: Kesalon’s lofty position can frame exhortations to “set your minds on things above” (Colossians 3:1-2), fostering upward, confident living.

Archaeological Considerations

• Pottery scatters and terrace systems around modern Kesla match Iron Age occupation patterns.
• A nearby spring and ancient roadbed corroborate suitability for sustained settlement.

Although definitive inscriptional evidence is lacking, topographical and etymological lines converge sufficiently to maintain the traditional identification.

Related Scriptural Themes

Deuteronomy 19:14 – immovable boundaries

Psalm 16:6 – “the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places”

Acts 17:26 – God “determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their land”

Kesalon, then, though mentioned only once, stands as a silent yet sturdy witness to God’s faithfulness, the importance of clearly fixed inheritances, and the unshakeable hope granted to His covenant people.

Forms and Transliterations

כְסָל֑וֹן כסלון chesaLon ḵə·sā·lō·wn ḵəsālōwn

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 15:10
HEB: מִצָּפ֖וֹנָה הִ֣יא כְסָל֑וֹן וְיָרַ֥ד בֵּֽית־
NAS: on the north (that is, Chesalon), and went down
KJV: Jearim, which [is] Chesalon, on the north side,
INT: the north he which Chesalon down to Beth-shemesh

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3693
1 Occurrence

ḵə·sā·lō·wn — 1 Occ.