Word Study for H794 (אֲשֵׁדָה)

ʼăshêdâh /ash-ay-daw'/ Ask about this word

Meaninga ravine

KJV usagesprings.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼăshêdâh — 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 ʼăshêdâh, represented by H794, refers to a ravine or springs. It appears 6 times across 6 unique verses in the Bible. This term is primarily used to describe specific geographical features, particularly in the context of land boundaries and topographical descriptions east of the Jordan River.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H794 is used to define territories during the period of Israel's conquest and settlement. It is listed among the types of land that Joshua smote, including "the hills... the vale, and of the springs" Joshua 10:40. It also appears in a list of regions inhabited by various peoples like the Hittites and Amorites, specifying the "plains, and in the springs" Joshua 12:8. In several instances, it is directly connected to a prominent mountain, described as being "under the springs of Pisgah" Deuteronomy 4:49.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the specific geographical context of H794:

H6449 Piçgâh (a cleft; Pisgah, a Mountain East of Jordan; Pisgah): This is the mountain at the base of which the springs or ravines of H794 are located. The connection is explicit in Deuteronomy 4:49, linking the "springs" to Pisgah.
H798 ʼAshdôwth hap-Piçgâh (ravines of the Pisgah; Ashdoth-Pisgah, a place east of the Jordan; Ashdoth-pisgah): This proper name directly incorporates H794. It designates a specific location mentioned in the description of tribal allotments and boundaries (Deuteronomy 3:17, Joshua 12:3, Joshua 13:20).

Theological Significance

The geographical weight of H794 is significant for understanding the biblical landscape.

Boundary Marker: The term consistently functions as a landmark in defining the borders of territories, particularly the lands east of the Jordan as described in Deuteronomy and Joshua.
Topographical Detail: Its use, often in conjunction with words for mountains, plains, and valleys, provides a detailed topographical map of the regions being described Joshua 12:8.
Connection to Pisgah: The repeated association of H794 with Pisgah H6449, either as "the springs of Pisgah" or as part of the name Ashdothpisgah H798, anchors it to a major biblical landmark known as the place from which Moses viewed the promised land.

Summary

In summary, H794 is a precise geographical term rather than a generic word. Its dual meaning of "ravine" and "springs" points to the water-carved slopes found at the foot of mountains. Its consistent usage in scripture helps to precisely map the boundaries and landscapes central to the narrative of Israel's inheritance of the land, particularly in its inextricable link to the region of Pisgah.

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 6 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — 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.

אַשְׁדֹּת
אֲשֵׁדוֹת

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

Appears in 6 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Joshua (4 verses); never once in the other 37.

Deuteronomy

Joshua

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.