Lexical Summary Atroth Addar: Atroth Addar Original Word: עַטְרוֹת אַדָּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Ataroth-adaraddar From the same as Atarowth and 'Addar; crowns of Addar; Atroth-Addar, a place in Palestine -- Ataroth-adar(-addar). see HEBREW Atarowth see HEBREW 'Addar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom Ataroth and Addar Definition a place on the border between Ephraim and Benjamin NASB Translation Ataroth-addar (2). Topical Lexicon Name and Meaning Ataroth-addar (עַטְרוֹת אַדָּר) combines “Ataroth” (“crowns,” “wreaths”) with “Addar” (“splendor,” “majesty”), yielding the sense of “crowns of splendor.” The compound title reflects both dignity and prominence, befitting a site that functioned as a landmark on a strategic ridge road. Location The town lay on the border between the tribal inheritances of Ephraim and Benjamin, west-northwest of Jerusalem and just south of the Beth-horon ascent. Most identify it with the ruin Khirbet ed-Dariyeh (Tell el-ʿAṭara) on the high ground overlooking Lower Beth-horon (modern Beit ʿUr et-Tahta) and Upper Beth-horon (Beit ʿUr el-Fawqa). Its elevation commands the main pass that funnels traffic from the Mediterranean plain up to the Benjaminite plateau and toward the hill country of Ephraim. Biblical Occurrences • Joshua 16:5 situates Ataroth-addar on the eastern edge of Ephraim’s territory: “The border of their inheritance ran from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon”. Historical Context During Joshua’s allocation of the land the site served as a fixed point anchoring tribal borders. The Beth-horon ridge road was the most direct military and commercial route from the coastal plain to the Jerusalem area, later used by armies from Egypt, Philistia, and the northern kingdoms (cf. 1 Kings 9:17; 2 Chronicles 8:5). Holding the heights south of the pass gave the Israelites a defensive advantage and enabled control of passage fees and agricultural terraces on the surrounding slopes. Archaeological Notes and Identification Surveys at Khirbet ed-Dariyeh have uncovered Iron Age pottery, rock-cut cisterns, and terrace walls consistent with a fortified agricultural village. While no inscription bears the ancient name, the geographical harmony with the biblical border descriptions, coupled with the continuity of settlement into the monarchic period, strongly supports the identification. Theological and Ministry Significance 1. Faithfulness to Covenant Promises. The mention of Ataroth-addar testifies that the LORD fulfilled His oath to Abraham by assigning concrete, surveyable land to Israel’s tribes (Genesis 15:18–21; Joshua 21:43). Each boundary stone, including this one, embodies divine reliability. Key Insights for Today • Geographic details in Scripture are not incidental; they ground redemptive history in real space and time, reinforcing confidence in biblical reliability. Forms and Transliterations אַדָּ֔ר אדר ’ad·dār ’addār adDarLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 16:5 HEB: מִזְרָ֔חָה עַטְר֣וֹת אַדָּ֔ר עַד־ בֵּ֥ית NAS: eastward was Ataroth-addar, as far KJV: on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron INT: of their inheritance eastward was Ataroth-addar far Beth-horon Joshua 18:13 2 Occurrences |
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