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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Shaveh-kiriathaim

Shaveh-kiriathaim meaning

שוה קריתים

Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Shaveh-kiriathaim.html

🔼The name Shaveh-kiriathaim: Summary

Meaning
Plain Of The Double City
Etymology
From (1) the verb שוה (shawa), to be smooth or even, and (2) the noun קריה (qiryah), city.

🔼The name Shaveh-kiriathaim in the Bible

It's not wholly uncontested that Shaveh-kiriathaim is an actual Biblical name. It occurs in Genesis 14:5 as the name of the hometown of the Emim, who were among the peoples that were overrun by kings Amraphel, Arioch, Chedorlaomer and Tidal during the War of Four Against Five Kings.

Most translation will read Shaveh-kiriathaim here but the Luther translation of 1545 has "[in dem] Felde Kiriathaim"; which means "in the field of Kiriathaim". Most commentators today feel that Shaveh-kiriathaim corresponds with the Shaveh mentioned in Genesis 14:17.

🔼Etymology of the name Shaveh-kiriathaim

The name Shaveh-kiriathaim consists of two elements. The first part is the same as the name Shaveh, which probably comes from a noun denoting a level plain, which derives from the verb שוה (shawa), meaning to be smooth or even:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
שית

The verb שית (shyt) means to give, set or place firm. Noun שית (shyt) refers to occupational garb, the dress upon which the profession stands. Noun שת (shat) describes a national foundation; whatever a nation is set on. Noun שית (shayit) collectively describes a kind of plant (perhaps a bottle tree?).

Noun שת (shet) probably also derives from this verb, and appears to refer to human buttocks. It's not often emphasized but our buttocks truly signify our species (apart from our brain). No other animal has buttocks like man, and this handsome feature allows humans to trot literally for days. Given time, humans can outrun pretty much any other animal (including horses and antelope.)

The noun שי (shay) may or may not be related to the previous verb. It denotes a devotional offering made to the Temple by foreigners.

שאה

The verb שאה (sha'a) means to roar loudly, and that with destruction in mind. Noun שאון (sha'on) describes the roaring sound of wild waters or armies converging. Noun שאוה (sha'awa) denotes a devastating storm. Nouns שאיה (she'iya) and שאת (she't) mean ruin.

שוא

The unused verb שוא (shw') clearly must have meant something similar to the previous. Noun שוא (shaw') means emptiness or nullification. Nouns שוא (shw'), שואה (sho'a), שאה (sho'a), משואה (mesho'a) and משאה (mesho'a) mean ravage, ruin and desolation. Noun תשאה (teshu'a) denotes a sound, probably loud and accompanying destruction.

שוה

Verb שוה (shawa) means to be smooth and hence to agree with or to be like. Noun שוה (shaweh) describes a level plain.

Either this same verb or an identical other one means to set or place, and is clearly similar to שית (shyt).

שה

Noun שה (seh) denotes a sheep or goat. This word appears to be like our word "head" as it describes a unit of whatever flock or herd. This noun is sometimes spelled alternatively as שי (shay).

שתה

Verb שתה (shata) means to drink. Nouns שתי (sheti) and שתיה (shetiya) mean a drinking. Noun משתה (mishteh) describes a place of or occasion of dinking: a banquet feast.

The second part of our name is the same as the name Kiriathaim, which is the dual or plural form of the name Kiriath, which is an older variant of the Biblical noun קריה (qiryah), meaning city. It derives of the verb קרה (qara), meaning to meet or get together:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
קרר

Root קרר (qarar) means to cool off in a thermodynamic sense: to go from hot gas to cool liquid to a cold solid. Socially this would describe warring tribes "cooling off" into culturally compatible peoples and liquid trading networks and ultimately the formation of cities and solid nations. Intellectually, diverse viewpoints might congeal into local conventions and ultimately a global standard.

Adjective קר (qar) means cool. Nouns קר (qor) and קרה (qara) mean cold. Noun מקרה (meqera), meaning coolness.

Noun קיר (qir) is one of a few words for wall. It might relate to the root because bricks are congealed mud, and a wall is bricks pieced together (non-standard bricks take some puzzling and pounding). The noun קרקע (qarqa') means floor; earth trampled into a compact state. The verb קרקר (qarqar) means to forcibly compact, to pound down.

קרה

Verb קרה (qara), and its by-form קרא (qara'), mean to near, to meet or to happen upon. Noun קורה (qora) describes a rafter or beam; the things that come together to form a roof, and which obviously relate to bricks pieced into a wall. Verb קרה (qara) means to piece beams together and noun מקרה (meqareh) means literally place of beams; beam-work.

Nouns קרה (qareh) and מקרה (miqreh) mean chance or accident, fortune or fate. Noun קרי (qeri) means opposition, contrariness. At a social level, chance meetings and opposition are the very rafters that carry society's roof.

For this same reason, the nouns קריה (qiryah) and קרת (qeret) are the words for city and federation of cities.

קרא

Verb קרא (qara'), which is identical to the by-form of the previous, means to call or call near. Adjective קריא (qari') means called or summoned. Noun קריאה (qeri'a) means proclamation. And noun מקרא (miqra') means convocation or called assembly. The noun קרא (qore') describes a partridge; literally "a caller."

🔼Shaveh-kiriathaim meaning

For a meaning of the name Shaveh-kiriathaim, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Plain Of Kiriathaim and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Plain Of The Double City.

BDB Theological Dictionary does not offer a translation of the name Shaveh-kiriathaim but seems to favor the interpretation of Shaveh in Genesis 14:5 as a proper noun instead of a name.