Word Study for H3347 (יׇקְדְעָם)

Yoqdᵉʻâm /yok-deh-awm'/ Ask about this word

Meaningburning of (the) people; Jokdeam, a place in Palestine

KJV usageJokdeam.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Yoqdᵉʻâm — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word Yoqdᵉʻâm, represented by H3347, is the name of a place in Palestine. It is derived from terms meaning "burning of (the) people." This name is exceedingly rare in scripture, appearing only 1 time in 1 unique verse.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The sole biblical reference to H3347 is in a geographical list. In Joshua 15:56, it is mentioned as one of the cities in a sequence, listed alongside Jezreel and Zanoah. The verse does not provide any further narrative or detail about Jokdeam itself, functioning purely as a geographical marker.

Related Words & Concepts

The words listed alongside Jokdeam provide a broader context for its location and the era:

H3157 Yizrᵉʻêʼl (Jezreel): Defined as "God will sow," this is a significant location mentioned multiple times. Jezreel is the site of the watchman's tower 2 Kings 9:17 and the place where Jehu eliminated the house of Ahab 2 Kings 10:11. It is also central to the prophecies in the book of Hosea Hosea 1:4.
H2182 Zânôwach (Zanoah): Meaning "rejected," this was the name of two places in Palestine. Its inhabitants, under Hanun, were responsible for repairing the valley gate of Jerusalem Nehemiah 3:13.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H3347 is derived almost entirely from its name and its associations, as it has no direct narrative role.

A Name of Record: The name Jokdeam itself, meaning "burning of (the) people," suggests it may have been named to commemorate a significant event, although the details of this event are not recorded in scripture.
Geographic Identity: Its appearance in Joshua 15:56 serves a practical, historical purpose, helping to delineate a specific territory in ancient Palestine.
Contextual Association: While Jokdeam is passive, it is mentioned with H3157 Jezreel, a place deeply connected with divine judgment and royal history, such as the Lord's promise to "avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu" Hosea 1:4.

Summary

In summary, H3347 is a singular place name whose biblical contribution is entirely contained within one verse. Its meaning, "burning of (the) people," hints at a lost history. The primary way to understand Jokdeam is through its geographical context, where it is listed among more prominent locations like Jezreel and Zanoah, grounding it in the historical landscape of ancient Israel.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

יָקְדְעָם

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

1 verse, all in Joshua — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.