7016. Qinah

Lexical Summary

Qinah: Kinah

Original Word: קִינָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Qiynah
Pronunciation: kee-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (kee-naw')
KJV: Kinah
NASB: Kinah
Word Origin: [the same as H7015 (קִינָה - lamentation)]

1. Kinah, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Kinah

The same as qiynah; Kinah, a place in Palestine -- Kinah.

see HEBREW qiynah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as qayin
Definition
a city in S. Judah
NASB Translation
Kinah (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. קִינָה proper name, of a location in southern Judah (a settlement of II. קַיִן

1 ?), Joshua 15:22, ΙΚαμ, A ᵐ5^L Κ(ε)ινα.

Topical Lexicon

Identity and Distinctiveness

Kinah is listed among the southern‐most towns allotted to the tribe of Judah. Although phonetically similar to the term for “dirge,” it functions here as a place name, distinguishing it from the poetic vocabulary of mourning found elsewhere in Scripture.

Scriptural Setting

Kinah appears only once, in the catalog of Judean settlements bordering Edom:

“Toward the border of Edom in the Negev, there were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah …” (Joshua 15:21-22).

Its inclusion in this list situates the town in the arid Negev highlands, forming part of Judah’s southern defensive and agricultural perimeter.

Geographical Considerations

The precise location has not been confirmed archaeologically, but the order of towns in Joshua 15 suggests a line running west to east across the southern frontier. Scholars place Kinah somewhere between modern Khirbet el-Kenaʿ and the escarpments overlooking the Arabah. The region receives sparse rainfall, demanding reliance on cisterns and seasonal wadis, a circumstance that shaped the social fabric and resilience of its inhabitants.

Historical and Cultural Context

1. Frontier Outpost: Positioned near Edom, Kinah would have stood on a vital corridor for trade caravans moving northward from the Gulf of Aqaba. As such, it bore witness to commercial traffic, military patrols, and occasional incursions, underscoring Judah’s need for fortified settlements.
2. Covenant Fulfillment: The town’s mention, however brief, confirms that the divine promise of land (Genesis 15:18-21) reached to the very extremities of the Judean wilderness. Each named locality anchors God’s pledge in concrete geography, demonstrating that no portion of the inheritance was left ambiguous.
3. Possible Kenite Association: The similarity between “Kinah” and the ethnonym “Kenite” (Genesis 15:19; Judges 1:16) has led some to posit an ancestral link or shared territory. While unproven, such a connection would help explain early friendly relations between Judah and the Kenites, notably the hospitality extended to David’s men (1 Samuel 30:29).

Archaeological Correlation

Prospective sites show typical Negev settlement patterns:
• Rough‐hewn stone enclosures suggesting seasonal pastoral use.
• Pottery scatters dating to the Late Bronze and Iron Age transitions, consistent with Joshua’s timeframe.
• Remnants of terrace agriculture, testifying to laborious water-management strategies that made life possible in marginal land.

Theological and Ministry Implications

1. God’s Faithfulness in the Small and Obscure: Even a town mentioned only once receives its place in the inspired record. Believers may draw confidence that the Lord notes every faithful locale and individual, regardless of prominence.
2. Strategic Stewardship: Kinah’s setting on a boundary underscores the biblical call to vigilance (Nehemiah 4:9). Congregations located at cultural or ideological “frontiers” today can take their cue from Judah’s southern towns—maintaining watchfulness while offering hospitality to travelers.
3. Life in the Negev as a Spiritual Metaphor: The necessity of storing water mirrors the believer’s need to “store up” the word of God (Psalm 119:11) in anticipation of dry seasons. Kinah reminds modern readers that spiritual fruitfulness can flourish even in harsh environments when sustained by covenant promises.

Key Themes for Teaching and Preaching

• Boundaries established by God are both protective and purposive.
• Obscurity in human records does not equate to insignificance before God.
• Geographic realities often serve as living illustrations of spiritual truths—resilience, dependence, and covenant hope.

Summary

Though little more than a name in a list, Kinah embodies the breadth of the Lord’s inheritance for His people, situates them within a demanding yet strategic landscape, and provides enduring lessons on faithfulness at the margins.

Forms and Transliterations

וְקִינָ֥ה וקינה vekiNah wə·qî·nāh wəqînāh

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 15:22
HEB: וְקִינָ֥ה וְדִֽימוֹנָ֖ה וְעַדְעָדָֽה׃
NAS: and Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah,
KJV: And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,
INT: and Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7016
1 Occurrence

wə·qî·nāh — 1 Occ.