514. Elteqe or Elteqeh
Lexical Summary
Elteqe or Elteqeh: Eltekeh

Original Word: אֶלְתְּקֵא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Eltqe
Pronunciation: el-teh-KAY
Phonetic Spelling: (el-te-kay')
KJV: Eltekeh
NASB: Elteke, Eltekeh
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. Eltekeh or Elteke, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Eltekeh

Or (more properly) neltqeh {el-te-kay'}; of uncertain derivation; Eltekeh or Elteke, a place in Palestine -- Eltekeh.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a city in Pal.
NASB Translation
Elteke (1), Eltekeh (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֶלְתְּקֵא, אֶלְתְּקֵה proper name, of a location Levitical city in the tribe of Dan, between Ekron & Timna, Assyrian Altaku (COT) Joshua 19:44; Joshua 21:23.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Etymology

Eltekeh combines the divine element “El” with a verbal root that conveys the idea of smiting or fastening. Within the cultural setting of ancient Israel, place-names that invoked the covenant name of God often testified to His past acts or anticipated His ongoing protection.

Biblical Context

1. Tribal allotment: “Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath” (Joshua 19:44).
2. Levitical designation: “From the tribe of Dan they gave them Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon—four cities, along with their pasturelands” (Joshua 21:23).

These two references establish the town first as part of the inheritance of the tribe of Dan and then as a Levitical city assigned to the Kohathites.

Tribal Allotment and Levitical Assignment

Eltekeh’s transfer from general tribal possession to Levitical usage illustrates a recurring principle in the conquest narratives: the land belongs to the Lord and is distributed at His sovereign discretion. The Kohathites, charged with the most sacred duties surrounding the tabernacle furnishings (Numbers 3:27–31), required strategic locations throughout Israel to foster faithful worship. Stationing such servants in Dan’s territory embedded priestly instruction among the frontier tribes and underscored the unity of worship from north to south.

Geographical Considerations

While the precise site remains debated, scholars generally place Eltekeh in the southern Shephelah, the rolling foothills between the coastal plain and the Judean highlands. Its proximity to Aijalon and Gath Rimmon situates it near major north–south and east–west trade arteries. As a Levitical center, the city would have offered both pastoral lands for flocks and ready access to travelers—ideal conditions for disseminating Torah teaching and facilitating offerings brought to the central sanctuary.

Historical Significance

1. Frontier witness: The tribe of Dan struggled to secure its original allotment (Judges 1:34). A Levitical presence in Eltekeh would have brought moral and spiritual encouragement to a border people frequently pressured by Philistine incursions.
2. Cultic continuity: By maintaining sacrificial instruction and legal adjudication in Eltekeh, the Kohathites helped preserve national fidelity during the turbulent period of the Judges, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
3. Model of divine provision: The very existence of pasturelands around a Levitical city (Joshua 21:23) demonstrates God’s care for those devoted to His service, a principle later echoed in Paul’s affirmation that “those who proclaim the gospel should live from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).

Theological and Ministry Insights

• Integration of worship and daily life: By embedding priests among the lay tribes, God ensured that worship was not confined to tabernacle or temple walls but permeated ordinary community rhythms.
• Holiness in contested spaces: Eltekeh’s location in a militarily vulnerable region reinforces the biblical theme that holiness is to be pursued even where opposition is strongest.
• God’s faithfulness to promises: The assignment of Eltekeh to the Kohathites fulfills earlier commands (Numbers 35:1–8), attesting to the reliability of God’s word down to specific towns and pasturelands.

Archaeological Indicators

Proposed sites such as Tel el-Melat (southeast of modern Ramla) or Tell esh-Shallaf exhibit occupational layers from the late Bronze and early Iron Ages, aligning with Joshua’s chronology. Pottery fragments, fortification remnants, and cistern systems typical of Levitical towns have been unearthed, though no inscription bearing the name has yet surfaced. Each discovery adds circumstantial weight to the biblical record and invites continued investigation.

Legacy and Modern Application

Eltekeh reminds contemporary believers that:
• Strategic placement for ministry is God-ordained; believers are “a kingdom and priests” (Revelation 1:6) located purposely in diverse workplaces and communities.
• God equips His servants with the material means necessary for their callings, whether pasturelands for ancient Levites or resources for modern missions.
• Maintaining doctrinal fidelity at cultural frontiers remains essential; the pattern set by the Kohathites in Eltekeh challenges the church to uphold truth wherever secular pressures or spiritual apathy threaten.

Though brief in Scripture, Eltekeh stands as a testament to the meticulous fulfillment of divine promises, the integration of worship with daily life, and the enduring call to serve faithfully in every corner of God’s inheritance.

Forms and Transliterations
אֶלְתְּקֵ֖א אלתקא וְאֶלְתְּקֵ֥ה ואלתקה ’el·tə·qê ’eltəqê elteKe veelteKeh wə’eltəqêh wə·’el·tə·qêh
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Joshua 19:44
HEB: וְאֶלְתְּקֵ֥ה וְגִבְּת֖וֹן וּבַעֲלָֽת׃
NAS: and Eltekeh and Gibbethon and Baalath,
KJV: And Eltekeh, and Gibbethon,
INT: and Eltekeh and Gibbethon and Baalath

Joshua 21:23
HEB: דָ֔ן אֶֽת־ אֶלְתְּקֵ֖א וְאֶת־ מִגְרָשֶׁ֑הָ
NAS: of Dan, Elteke with its pasture
KJV: of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs,
INT: the tribe of Dan Elteke pasture Gibbethon

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 514
2 Occurrences


’el·tə·qê — 1 Occ.
wə·’el·tə·qêh — 1 Occ.

513
Top of Page
Top of Page