H0871 H0871
the Atharim (caravan route or place name in the Negev, possibly meaning "spies' route")
This enigmatic phrase appears in Israel's wilderness wanderings when the Canaanite king of Arad attacked them coming by "the way of the Atharim." Ancient versions diverge significantly—Septuagint preserves the place name while Targum interprets it as "way of the spies," connecting to earlier reconnaissance missions. The term may denote a known caravan route through the Negev.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Designation of uncertain meaning in Numbers 21:1, either a place name, caravan route designation, or interpretive gloss meaning "spies' route." The Arabic cognate suggests traces or footprints, supporting the caravan-route interpretation. Targum's "way of the spies" connects to Numbers 13's reconnaissance, though this requires unlikely consonantal changes. Cross-linguistic renderings preserve the proper name while acknowledging interpretive difficulties. 1×
AR["أَتَارِيمَ"]·ben["অথারীমের"]·DE["der-Atharim"]·EN["the-Atharim"]·FR["le-Atharim"]·heb["ה-אתרים"]·HI["अतारीम"]·ID["Atarim"]·IT["il-Atharim"]·jav["Atarim"]·KO["그-아다림"]·PT["os-Atharim"]·RU["Атарим"]·ES["los-Atarim"]·SW["ya-Atharimu"]·TR["Atarim'in"]·urd["اتاریم"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אֲתָרִים n.pr.loc. only Nu 21:1 דֶּרֶךְ הָא׳; so 𝔊, perhaps (Di) name of a caravan-route, cf. أَثَرٌ vestige, footprint; others (after 𝔗 𝔖) transl. way of the spies (cf. 13:2); but הָאֲתָרִים for הַתָּרִ��ם is highly improbable, and a locality would hardly receive its designation from the spies.