Bozkath (Hebrew בצקת; ''boṣqaṯ'') is a town in the

Kingdom of Judah The Kingdom of Judah ( he, , ''Yəhūdā''; akk, 𒅀𒌑𒁕𒀀𒀀 ''Ya'údâ'' 'ia-ú-da-a-a'' arc, 𐤁𐤉𐤕𐤃𐤅𐤃 ''Bēyt Dāwīḏ'', " House of David") was an Israelite kingdom of the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. Ce ...

mentioned in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

. The town was located in the lowland hills of Judah, otherwise known as the

Shephelah The Shephelah or Shfela, lit. "lowlands" ( hbo, הַשְּפֵלָה ''hašŠǝfēlā'', also Modern Hebrew: , ''Šǝfēlat Yəhūda'', the "Judaean foothills"), is a transitional region of soft-sloping rolling hills in south-central Israel str ...

, and its location is unknown.

Ancient name

The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

Bozkath is derived from the root בצק, meaning “elevation”. In the Greek versions of the Hebrew Bible, Bozkath is transcribed as Βασηδωθ in LXX-A but is written Βαζκαθ in LXX-B.

References in Biblical literature

Bozkath is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, Joshua 15:39, as part of the Tribe of Judah's inheritance. The roster of towns in Joshua 15 is commonly thought to reflect an administrative document that originated during the

. This list divides the Iron Age kingdom into four regions, the

, the

Negeb The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its south ...

, the wilderness, and the highlands; Bozkath is listed in the Shephelah after the better known town of

Lachish Lachish ( he, לכיש; grc, Λαχίς; la, Lachis) was an ancient Canaanite and Israelite city in the Shephelah ("lowlands of Judea") region of Israel, on the South bank of the Lakhish River, mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. Th ...

and before Eglon). A queen of Judah, Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah, was from Bozkath ( 2 Kings 22:1). With the assassination of her husband Amon of Judah, her son

Josiah Josiah ( or ) or Yoshiyahu; la, Iosias was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Josiah is credited by most biblical s ...

was placed on the throne by the people of the land. Biblical scholars have suggested Josiah's enthronement by this enigmatic group, the people of the land, implies that Josiah had a strong connection to the rural hinterland of Judah through his mother's family and Bozkath.

Location and identification

The town of Bozkath is listed along with sixteen other towns and related settlements in the third district of the Shephelah of Judah (Josh 15:61-62), in the southern part of the lowland hills. F.-M. Abel had located Bozkath at the site of ed-Dawa'ime, which is located southeast of Lachish by roughly 15 km., however this identification is not followed today.Schniedewind, W. M. ''How the Bible Became a Book,'' 228, n. 35 Based on the identification of Lachish with Tell ed-Duweir and the plausible identification of Eglon with Tell Aitun to the east, Bozkath's position between both towns may suggest that it is located in the southeastern Shephelah. Beyond this general observation, it is not possible to suggest a more precise location for Bozkath with any certainty.

References

{{reflist Hebrew Bible cities Former populated places in Southwest Asia Kingdom of Judah