◄ 5886. En Tannim ►
Lexical Summary
En Tannim: En Tannim

Original Word: עֵין תַּנִּים
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: `Eyn Tanniym
Pronunciation: ān tah-NEEM
Phonetic Spelling: (ane tan-neem')
KJV: dragon well
NASB: Dragon's Well
Word Origin: [from H5869 (עַיִן - eyes) and the plural of H8565 (תַּן - jackals)]

1. fountain of jackals
2. En-Tannim, a pool near Jerusalem

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dragon well

From ayin and the plural of tan; fountain of jackals; En-Tannim, a pool near Jerusalem -- dragon well.

see HEBREW ayin

see HEBREW tan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from ayin and tannin
Definition
"spring of dragons," a place near Jer.
NASB Translation
Dragon's Well (1).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning of the Name

עֵין תַּנִּים combines ʿên (“spring, fountain, eye”) with tannîm (“dragons, sea-monsters, serpents, jackals”). The composite idea is “Spring of the Serpent/Dragon.” Springs were life-sources in the arid Judean landscape, and their names usually commemorated an event, a creature frequently seen there, or a perceived spiritual reality.

Textual Status and Variants

The Masoretic tradition records no direct occurrence of עֵין תַּנִּים. Some scholars propose it as a scribal variant of עֵין רֹגֵל (“En Rogel,” Joshua 15:7) or as an ancient toponym lost in transmission. The absence of an extant verse underscores how a place may disappear from the written record yet linger in oral or cartographic memory. Such textual silence is an important reminder that Scripture transmits what God intends while also hinting at broader geographic realities known to the first audience.

Historical and Geographic Considerations

1. Springs were strategic assets. Settlements, military encampments, and boundary markers routinely formed around them (Genesis 16:7; Joshua 15:9).
2. A “spring of dragons” might have lain near wilderness terrain where jackals or large serpents gathered, perhaps along the Shephelah or the southern reaches of Judah.
3. In the Second Temple era, Jewish tradition identified symbolic springs around Jerusalem (cf. En Rogel in 2 Samuel 17:17). Although עֵין תַּנִּים itself cannot be located with certainty, its very naming fits the regional practice of attaching vivid, even fearsome, imagery to water sources.

Symbolic and Theological Associations

• Tannîm as Threat: “You crushed the heads of the dragons in the waters” (Psalm 74:13). A spring so named would evoke God’s authority over chaotic or hostile forces.
• Life From Death: Scripture frequently sets life-giving water beside imagery of desolation or danger (Isaiah 35:7; Jeremiah 2:13). A “spring of serpents” heightens the contrast between refreshment and peril, underscoring divine provision amid wilderness threat.
• Christological Foreshadowing: Jesus Christ offers “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). The stark title “Spring of the Serpent” accentuates the gospel reversal: where the serpent once brought death (Genesis 3), the true Spring brings life.

Lessons for Faith and Ministry

1. God names and claims every place—even those associated with danger. Ministry often flourishes on contested ground.
2. Springs symbolize the constancy of God’s supply. Believers serve from overflow, not scarcity.
3. The juxtaposition of life-giving water and serpentine imagery encourages vigilance. Spiritual leaders must guard the flock even while drawing deeply from the Fountain of Life.

Key Related References

Psalm 74:13; Isaiah 34:13; Isaiah 35:7; Jeremiah 9:11; John 4:14.

Links
Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts
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