Hebrew word · H5852

עֲטָרוֹת

atarot

Ataroth

A place name. Several places in Israel shared it: Ataroth on the plateau east of the Dead Sea, Atroth-shophan (32:35), and an Ataroth in Ephraim. The word is the plural of ʿaṭārāh, 'crown, circlet', from a root meaning 'to surround'.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Ataroth = "crowns"

a town east of the Jordan in Gilead, taken and built by the tribe of Gad

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Numbers 32:3

Range of meaning

A place name. Several places in Israel shared it: Ataroth on the plateau east of the Dead Sea, Atroth-shophan (32:35), and an Ataroth in Ephraim. The word is the plural of ʿaṭārāh, 'crown, circlet', from a root meaning 'to surround'. Places were often named for walled enclosures or circular features, and that may be the origin here.

Against the English

Every English version simply writes out the name. Nothing is lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Mesha Stele (the victory inscription of Mesha, king of Moab, around 840 BC) mentions it in lines 10–13: 'The men of Gad had lived in the land of Ataroth from of old, and the king of Israel built Ataroth for himself; but I fought against the town and took it.' Mesha goes on to say he killed its people and resettled it with others. This is outside evidence that Gad really was linked to Ataroth, as Num 32:34 says.

From the study of Joshua 16:2

Range of meaning

'Crowns, circlets', probably meaning 'enclosures' or 'ring-walled places'. It was a common place name, borne by several towns: one in Gad east of the Jordan (Numbers 32:3, 34), one on Ephraim's northeast border (Joshua 16:7), and Ataroth-addar (Joshua 16:5; 18:13).

Against the English

Translations simply transliterate it. The only question is whether it goes with the Archites (BSB 'in Ataroth') or is the next point on the line (KJV/WEB 'to Ataroth').

Used elsewhere in the period

An Ataroth in Gad appears in the Moabite Mesha Stele (9th century BC), which shows how common the name was. The Ataroth here is almost certainly the same as Ataroth-addar, which lies on the Ephraim–Benjamin line toward Lower Beth-horon (16:5; 18:13). Its exact site is debated.

Where it appears

Numbers · 2

  1. Numbers 32:3 עֲטָר֤וֹת Ataroth

    “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,

    Here: A town on the plateau east of the Dead Sea, almost certainly Khirbet Attarus. It comes first in the list. The name looks like the plural of ʿaṭārāh, 'crown' or 'enclosure', but no one speaking would have been thinking of crowns. It was simply the name of the place.

  2. Numbers 32:34 עֲטָרֹ֑ת Ataroth

    And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

Joshua · 2

  1. Joshua 16:2 עֲטָרֽוֹת׃ Ataroth

    It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz) and proceeded to the border of the Archites in Ataroth.

    Here: A place name meaning 'crowns' or 'enclosures', a common name for towns. It comes right after the Archite territory, so it probably names the place where that territory met the line. This is very likely the Ataroth-addar of 16:5 and 18:13. It is not the Transjordan Ataroth of Numbers 32.

  2. Joshua 16:7 עֲטָר֣וֹת Ataroth

    From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.