7003. Qitron
Lexical Summary
Qitron: Qitron

Original Word: קִטְרוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Qitrown
Pronunciation: kee-trone'
Phonetic Spelling: (kit-rone')
KJV: Kitron
NASB: Kitron
Word Origin: [from H6999 (קָטַר - burn incense)]

1. fumigative
2. Kitron, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Kitron

From qatar; fumigative; Kitron, a place in Palestine -- Kitron.

see HEBREW qatar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as qitor
Definition
a city in Zebulun
NASB Translation
Kitron (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
קִטְרוֺן proper name, of a location in Zebulun Judges 1:30, Κεδρων, AΧεβρων; = קַטָּת Joshua 19:15 ? site unknown.

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Occurrence

Kitron is named once, in Judges 1:30: “Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or those of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and were put to forced labor”. The verse places the town inside Zebulun’s inheritance and highlights Israel’s pattern of incomplete obedience after the conquest.

Historical Context

1. Conquest Aftermath

Joshua’s campaigns subdued many Canaanite centers, but fortified enclaves persisted. Kitron belonged to that remnant, reflecting the transitional tension between divine promise and human compromise (Joshua 13:1).
2. Canaanite Labor Policy

Instead of expulsion, Zebulun imposed corvée labor, mirroring decisions by several tribes (Judges 1:28–35). What appeared economically shrewd later drew divine rebuke (Judges 2:1–3), linking Kitron’s survival to Israel’s spiritual decline.

Geographic Considerations

Exact location is uncertain. Suggestions include Tell Qitrun near Mount Carmel, modern Kattûnâ west of the Jezreel Valley, or identification with Kartah (Joshua 21:34) or Kedesh (Joshua 19:25) via Septuagint variants. All lie along strategic trade routes, explaining why Zebulun preferred subjugation to siege.

Theological and Ministry Significance

1. Partial Obedience

Kitron epitomizes the cost of half-measures; tolerated pockets of disobedience become future snares (Judges 2:3; Romans 6:12-14).
2. Faithfulness in Small Things

A seemingly minor town illustrates that the LORD weighs every act of obedience (Luke 16:10).
3. Corporate Holiness

Allowing Canaanite culture within Kitron diluted Israel’s witness (Deuteronomy 4:6–8). The New Testament echoes the danger: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Later Tradition

Rabbinic sources occasionally equate Kitron with Sepphoris, and medieval pilgrims located it near Yokneam. Christian commentators, from early Church Fathers to modern expositors, cite Kitron as a caution against compromise.

Application for Discipleship

• Identify and confront “Kitron” areas—small compromises tolerated for convenience.
• Trust God’s sufficiency to complete the work He commands, rather than settling for partial victories.
• Cultivate corporate holiness that strengthens, rather than undermines, the church’s mission.

Forms and Transliterations
קִטְר֔וֹן קטרון kitRon qiṭ·rō·wn qiṭrōwn
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Judges 1:30
HEB: אֶת־ יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י קִטְר֔וֹן וְאֶת־ יוֹשְׁבֵ֖י
NAS: out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants
KJV: the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants
INT: drive the inhabitants of Kitron the inhabitants of Nahalol

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7003
1 Occurrence


qiṭ·rō·wn — 1 Occ.

7002
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