Lexical Summary Token: Measure, value, estimate Original Word: תֹּכֶן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Tochen The same as token; Token, a place in Palestine -- Tochen. see HEBREW token NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom takan Definition "measurement," a city in Simeon NASB Translation Tochen (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. תֹּ֫כֶן proper name, of a location in Simeon, 1 Chronicles 4:32; Θοκκα, A Θοχχαν, ᵐ5L Ενθεκεμ. Topical Lexicon Entry: Tochen (תֹּכֶן) – Strong’s Hebrew 8507Scriptural Citation 1 Chronicles 4:32: “and their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities—”. Name and Possible Meaning While exact etymology is debated, the root ט־כ־ן often conveys ideas of measurement or firm establishment, suggesting “the well-founded place.” The name hints at stability in an otherwise marginal landscape. Geographical Setting Grouped with Etam, Ain, Rimmon, and Ashan in the extreme south of Judah, Tochen lay within the Simeonite enclave in the Negev. Situated along routes linking Hebron, Beersheba, and the Philistine plain, the village likely served pastoralists who moved seasonally between semi-arid grasslands and cultivated terraces. The terrain demanded ingenuity in water collection—cisterns, rock-cut channels, and reliance on flash-flood agriculture. Historical Context The Chronicler’s post-exilic audience needed assurance that even minor clans retained a stake in the land promised to their fathers. By listing Tochen, Scripture affirms Simeon’s continuing identity despite political absorption into Judah (Joshua 19:1-9). The reference probably preserves an Iron Age settlement later eclipsed by shifting trade routes and population decline. Archaeological Considerations No tell is definitively identified, yet candidate sites south-southwest of Hebron yield Iron Age II pottery, limestone house foundations, and perimeter walls typical of small Judahite forts. Lack of monumental architecture squares with the text’s designation of Tochen as a “village” rather than a fortified city. Theological Significance 1. Covenant Precision: God’s faithfulness reaches the remotest allotment; every promise is geographically anchored. Lessons for Ministry • Small-place shepherding matters. Modern “Tochens” need spiritual oversight equal to urban centers (Acts 1:8). Connections in the Canon The sister towns Rimmon and Ashan recur in Joshua 15:26-32 and 19:7, illustrating the fluid borders between Judah and Simeon and prefiguring Judah’s emergence as the royal tribe (Genesis 49:10). The Chronicler’s geography thus forms part of a larger tapestry that stretches to Bethlehem’s significance in Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:6. Summary Tochen’s solitary appearance enshrines a principle: every place and people in the covenant community matter. Its brief citation calls readers to trust the meticulous care of God, who numbers both mighty cities and unnoticed villages among His inheritance. Forms and Transliterations וְתֹ֖כֶן ותכן veTochenLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Chronicles 4:32 HEB: וָעַ֔יִן רִמּ֥וֹן וְתֹ֖כֶן וְעָשָׁ֑ן עָרִ֖ים NAS: Ain, Rimmon, Tochen and Ashan, five KJV: Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, INT: Ain Rimmon Tochen and Ashan cities 1 Occurrence |
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