5269. Neah

Lexical Summary

Neah: Neah

Original Word: נֵעָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Ne`ah
Pronunciation: nay-AH
Phonetic Spelling: (nay-aw')
KJV: Neah
NASB: Neah
Word Origin: [from H5128 (נוַּע - wander)]

1. motion
2. Neah, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Neah

From nuwa'; motion; Neah, a place in Palestine -- Neah.

see HEBREW nuwa'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from nua
Definition
a place in Zebulun
NASB Translation
Neah (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

נֵעָה proper name, of a location in Zebulun; הַנֵּעָה Joshua 19:13. ᵐ5 Αοζα, A Αννουα, ᵐ5^L Νουα; site unknown.

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrence

Joshua 19:13 is the sole canonical reference: “From there the border turned eastward toward the sunrise to Gittah Hepher, to Ittah Kazin, continued to Rimmon, and turned toward Neah” (Berean Standard Bible). The verse appears within the description of the territorial allotment given to the tribe of Zebulun after the conquest of Canaan.

Geographical Context

1. Regional Setting: Neah lay within the Lower Galilee hill country, south-southwest of the Sea of Galilee and west of the Jordan River.
2. Boundary Markers: The towns named with it—Gittah Hepher (later known as the hometown of Jonah) and Rimmon—frame a route that runs along fertile valleys opening eastward toward the plain of Esdraelon.
3. Probable Location: Most scholars place the site near modern Nain or Majdal-Kerum, though no conclusive identification has been confirmed. Its placement would have marked the southeastern perimeter of Zebulun, bordering Issachar.

Historical Background

1. Settlement Period: Neah enters the biblical record during the distribution of the land under Joshua, circa late fifteenth to early fourteenth century B.C.
2. Covenant Fulfillment: The mention testifies to the realization of promises made in Genesis 12:7 and Exodus 3:8 that the descendants of Abraham would occupy a defined land.
3. Tribal Identity: Boundaries were critical for maintaining tribal inheritance, ensuring that land remained within families (Numbers 34; Leviticus 25:23-34).

Intertextual Connections

• Genesis 49:13 and Deuteronomy 33:18-19 predict Zebulun’s maritime and commercial blessings; Neah’s positioning on routes leading to the Jezreel Valley would facilitate such trade.
• Matthew 4:13 notes that Jesus’ ministry began in “Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,” underscoring enduring tribal territories first outlined in Joshua. The precise recording of towns like Neah authenticates those later New Testament geographical references.

Archaeological and Extrabiblical Data

No inscriptions explicitly naming Neah have surfaced. Survey work in the Galilean hills has identified Iron Age pottery and small fortified mounds near suggested locations, indicating continuous occupation from the Late Bronze into the early Monarchy. While not definitive, these finds corroborate the presence of settled communities in the period when Joshua 19 would have been enacted.

Theological and Ministry Implications

1. Reliability of Scripture: The recording of an obscure border village illustrates Scripture’s attention to historical detail; its inclusion enhances confidence in the broader biblical narrative.
2. Covenant Faithfulness: Even minor towns highlight that the Lord apportioned land down to the last boundary turn, reflecting His meticulous care for His people.
3. Gospel Continuity: The geographical accuracy of Joshua undergirds New Testament references, supporting the unity of revelation from conquest to Christ.

Application for Faith and Practice

• God values places and people that the wider world may overlook; faithfulness in small assignments mirrors His precision in allotting Neah to Zebulun.
• Students of Scripture are encouraged to study biblical geography, for it grounds doctrine in real history and strengthens assurance that the promises of God stand on verifiable facts.
• In ministry, the example of Neah prompts believers to honor the “unsung” communities and individuals whom the Lord has intentionally positioned for His redemptive purposes.

Forms and Transliterations

הַנֵּעָֽה׃ הנעה׃ han·nê·‘āh hannê‘āh hanneAh

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 19:13
HEB: רִמּ֥וֹן הַמְּתֹאָ֖ר הַנֵּעָֽה׃
NAS: to Rimmon which stretches to Neah.
KJV: to Remmonmethoar to Neah;
INT: to Rimmon to Rimmon to Neah

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5269
1 Occurrence

han·nê·‘āh — 1 Occ.