H7153 H7153
Kiriath-Arba, the ancient Canaanite name for Hebron, meaning 'city of four' or 'city of Arba.'
The old Canaanite name for the city later known as Hebron, compounding qiryat ('city of') with arba' ('four') or the personal name Arba. It appears in the patriarchal narratives -- Sarah's death and burial at the cave of Machpelah (Gen 23:2), Jacob's return to his father Isaac (Gen 35:27) -- and in Joshua's conquest and allotment accounts (Josh 14:15; 15:13, 54; 20:7; 21:11). The consistent cross-lingual rendering 'Kiriath-Arba' / 'Kiryat-Arba' across English, Spanish, French, and German shows this is treated as a transliterated proper noun rather than translated.
Senses
1. Kiriath-Arba (place name) — The ancient Canaanite place name for Hebron, meaning either 'city of four' or 'city of Arba' (a legendary Anakim ancestor, Josh 14:15; 15:13; 21:11). Used in Genesis for the patriarchal connection: Sarah dies there (Gen 23:2) and Isaac dwells there (Gen 35:27). Joshua texts record it in conquest and Levitical-city lists (Josh 15:54; 20:7). Nehemiah 11:25 attests its continued use in post-exilic times. All major translations -- English 'Kiriath-Arba,' Spanish 'Quiriat-Arba,' French and German 'Kiriath-Arba' -- transliterate rather than translate, preserving the toponym. 9×
AR["فِي-قِرْيَةِ-أَرْبَعَ", "فِي-قِرْيَةِ-ال-أَرْبَعِ", "قَرْيَةَ-أَرْبَعَ", "قِرْيَةَ-أَرْبَعَ", "قِرْيَةُ-أَرْبَعَ", "قِرْيَةِ-الأَرْبَعَةِ", "وَ-قِرْيَةُ-أَرْبَعَ"]·ben["এবং-কিরিয়ৎ-অর্বা", "কিরিয়থ্-অর্বতে", "কিরিয়ৎ-অর্ব", "কিরিয়ৎ-অর্বতে", "কিরিয়ৎ-অর্বা", "কির্যত-আর্বা", "কির্যৎ-আর্বা"]·DE["Kiriath-arba", "Kirjat-Arba", "Kiryat-Arba", "Kiryath-Arba", "Qiryath-Arba", "[בקרית הארבע]", "in-Kirjat-Arba", "und-Kiryath-Arba"]·EN["Kiriath-Arba", "Kiriath-arba", "Kiryat-Arba", "Kiryath-Arba", "Qiryath-Arba", "and-Kiryath-Arba", "in-Kiriath-Arba", "in-Qiryat-ha-Arba"]·FR["Kiriath-Arba", "Kiriath-arba", "Kiryat-Arba", "Kiryath-Arba", "Qiryath-Arba", "[בקרית הארבע]", "dans-Kiriath-Arba", "et-Kiryath-Arba"]·heb["בקרית ארבע", "בקרית הארבע", "ו-קרית ארבע", "קרית ארבע", "קרית הארבע", "קרית-ארבע"]·HI["और-किर्यत-अर्बा", "किर्यत-अर्बा", "किर्यत-अर्बा-में"]·ID["Kiryat-Arba", "dan-Kiryat-Arba", "di-Kiryat-Arba"]·IT["Kiriath-Arba", "Kiriath-arba", "Kiryat-Arba", "Kiryath-Arba", "Qiryath-Arba", "[בקרית הארבע]", "e-Kiryath-Arba", "in-Kiriath-Arba"]·jav["Kiriat-Arba", "Kiryat-Arba", "Kiryat-Arbaʻ", "ing-Kiryat-Arba", "lan-Kiryat-Arba"]·KO["그리고-기랴-아르바", "기랴-아르바", "기랴-아르바를", "기럇-아르바를", "기럇-아르바였다", "기럇아르바에서", "기룐-아르바로", "기리아드아르바-에서"]·PT["Qiryat-'Arba'", "Qiryat-Arba", "Qiryat-ha-'Arba'", "e-Qiryat-Arba", "em-Kiryat-ha-Arba", "em-Qiryat-'Arba'"]·RU["Кирьят-Арба", "Кирьят-ха-Арба", "в-Кириаф-Арбе", "и-Кирьят-Арба", "и-в-сёлах-её"]·ES["Kiryat-Arba", "Qiryat-HaArba", "Quiriat-Arba", "Quiriat-arba", "en-Qiryat-Arba", "en-Quiriat-Arba", "y-Quiriat-Arba"]·SW["Arba", "Kiriath-Arba", "Kiriathi-Arba", "kwa-jiji-la", "na-Kiriathi-Arba"]·TR["Kiryat-Arba", "Kiryat-Arba'da", "Kiryat-Arba'ya", "ve-Kiryat-Arba"]·urd["اور-قریت-اربع", "قریت-اربع", "قریت-اربع-تھا", "قریت-اربع-میں", "قریہ-اربع"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† קִרְיַת אַרְבַּע n.pr.loc. older name of Hebron; πόλις Αρβο(κ), Καρ(ι)αθαρβοκ, etc. (prob. = fourfold city (otherwise Jos 14:15; 15:13; 21:11), v. especially GFM);—Jos 14:15 (JED), Ju 1:10b (ק׳ אַרְבַּ֑ע), also Gn 23:2; Jos 15:13, 54; 20:7; 21:11 (all P); ק׳ הָא׳ Gn 35:27 (P) Ne 11:25.—Vid. חֶבְרוֹן.