The Hebrew place name Shâvêh Qiryâthayim, represented by H7741, means "plain of a double city". It is identified as a location East of the Jordan. This specific name appears just 1 time in a single verse in the entire biblical text, marking a precise historical event.
The sole appearance of Shaveh Kiriathaim H7741 is in Genesis 14:5. The narrative recounts that in the fourteenth year H8141, an early Persian king H4428 named Kedorlaʻômer H3540 came H935 with allied kings. Together, they smote H5221 several groups, including the Emims H368 in the location of Shaveh Kiriathaim.
Several related words are essential to understanding the context of H7741:
- H368 ʼÊymîym (Emims): The people group, defined as an "early Canaanitish (or Maobitish) tribe," who were smitten at Shaveh Kiriathaim Genesis 14:5. They were known to be a "people great, and many, and tall" Deuteronomy 2:10.
- H3540 Kᵉdorlâʻômer (Chedorlaomer): The "early Persian king" who led the military campaign that involved the attack at Shaveh Kiriathaim Genesis 14:5.
- H5221 nâkâh (smote): The verb used to describe the action of the conflict, meaning "to strike" Genesis 14:5.
- H7497 râphâʼ (Rephaims): A people described as giants who were also smitten by Kedorlaomer's forces in the same campaign, highlighting the regional nature of the conflict Genesis 14:5.
The historical significance of H7741 is derived entirely from its role as a battlefield in a specific ancient conflict.
- Site of Conquest: Shaveh Kiriathaim is memorialized as the precise location where the Emims H368 were defeated by an invading force Genesis 14:5.
- Regional Campaign: The event was not isolated. It was one part of a larger military action led by Kedorlaʻômer H3540 and his allied kings H4428, who also struck down the Rephaims H7497 and the Zuzims H2104 in nearby regions Genesis 14:5.
- Defeat of a Formidable People: The inhabitants of this place, the Emims H368, are described elsewhere as a powerful tribe, making their defeat a significant event in the regional power dynamics recorded in Genesis Deuteronomy 2:10.
In summary, Shâvêh Qiryâthayim H7741 is a place name, meaning "plain of a double city," whose biblical identity is fixed to a single historical event. Its lone mention in scripture records it as the location where the Emims H368 were smote H5221 by the invading armies of Kedorlaʻômer H3540. The significance of H7741 is therefore not theological but geographical and historical, marking a specific point in a wider ancient conflict.
TRV