5876. En Chaddah

Lexical Summary

En Chaddah: En Chaddah

Original Word: עֵין חַדָּה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: `Eyn Chaddah
Pronunciation: ayn khad-daw'
Phonetic Spelling: (ane khad-daw')
KJV: En-haddah
NASB: En-haddah
Word Origin: [from H5869 (עַיִן - eyes) and the feminine of a derivative from H2300 (חָדַד - sharpened)]

1. fountain of sharpness
2. En-Chaddah, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

En-haddah

From ayin and the feminine of a derivative from chadad; fountain of sharpness; En-Chaddah, a place in Palestine -- En-haddah.

see HEBREW ayin

see HEBREW chadad

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from ayin and chadad
Definition
"spring of sharpness," a place in Issachar
NASB Translation
En-haddah (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

עֵין חַדָּה proper name, of a location in Issachar Joshua 19:21, Αιμαρεκ, A Ηναδδα, ᵐ5^L Αναδδα.

Topical Lexicon

Geographical Setting

Situated in the lower Galilean hill country near the eastern edge of the Jezreel Valley, En-haddah lay inside Zebulun’s inheritance and close to major north-south trade routes that connected the Mediterranean coast with the inland valleys. A perennial spring gave the site both its name and its strategic value for agriculture, herding and travel.

Biblical Context

Joshua 19:21 lists En-haddah among the towns marking Zebulun’s territory: “Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez”. The verse forms part of the distribution record that fulfills the land promise first given to Abraham (Genesis 15:18) and later reaffirmed through Moses (Deuteronomy 34:4). By documenting even lesser-known settlements, the text underlines God’s meticulous faithfulness to Israel down to the last boundary stone.

Historical Significance

1. Water Resource. In the arid Levant a reliable spring meant year-round habitation, fresh pasture and secure supply lines. En-haddah would have served as a local hub for farming communities and passing caravans alike.
2. Tribal Administration. Town lists in Joshua likely reflect administrative centers where elders gathered, levies were collected and covenant worship was coordinated (cf. Joshua 22:4-5).
3. Continuity of Occupation. Surface surveys at the suggested modern site (ʿAin Ḥuḍe, south-east of Jenin) show occupation layers from Late Bronze through Hellenistic times, matching the biblical timetable for Zebulun’s settlement.

Archaeological Considerations

The proposed location—an Arabic-named spring preserving elements of the ancient title—lies on a limestone spur overlooking fertile fields. Pottery sherds, terrace walls and cisterns attest to continuous rural life; yet no large-scale excavation has been conducted, leaving room for future discoveries that may illuminate Galilee’s early Iron Age.

Theological and Devotional Insights

• Covenant Faithfulness. Each named village in Joshua 19 is a testimonial to God’s promise-keeping character: “Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed” (Joshua 21:45).
• Living Water Motif. Springs symbolize divine refreshment (Psalm 36:9; Isaiah 12:3). En-haddah anticipates the Galilean ministry of Jesus, who would later declare, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).
• Value of the Overlooked. Though never spotlighted in narrative, En-haddah shows that God records every person and place that participates in His redemptive plan, encouraging believers who labor in obscurity (Colossians 3:23-24).

Practical Application for Believers Today

1. Steward Resources. As the spring sustained ancient residents, Christians are to steward God-given resources for the blessing of the covenant community (1 Peter 4:10).
2. Seek Daily Refreshment. The necessity of a physical spring mirrors the believer’s need for continual fellowship with Christ, the “fountain of living waters” (Jeremiah 2:13).
3. Trust Scripture’s Detail. The precise geography of Joshua strengthens confidence in the Bible’s reliability, inviting believers to rely on its testimony in every area of life (Luke 1:1-4).

Cross-References

Genesis 49:13; Deuteronomy 33:18-19; Joshua 19:10-16, 19:21; Psalm 36:9; Isaiah 12:3; Jeremiah 2:13; John 4:10-14; John 7:37-38

Forms and Transliterations

חַדָּ֖ה חדה chadDah ḥad·dāh ḥaddāh

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 19:21
HEB: גַּנִּ֛ים וְעֵ֥ין חַדָּ֖ה וּבֵ֥ית פַּצֵּֽץ׃
NAS: and En-gannim and En-haddah and Beth-pazzez.
KJV: and Engannim, and Enhaddah, and Bethpazzez;
INT: and Remeth and En-gannim and En-haddah and Beth-pazzez

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5876
1 Occurrence

ḥad·dāh — 1 Occ.