{
  "id": "dict_003086",
  "term": "Kanah",
  "slug": "kanah",
  "letter": "K",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Kanah is a biblical place name used for a brook and a town mentioned in the Old Testament.",
  "simple_one_line": "Kanah is a biblical place name for a brook and a town in Israel's tribal territory.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical place name: the brook Kanah and a town in the territorial lists of Joshua.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Ephraim",
    "Manasseh",
    "Asher",
    "Joshua (book)",
    "Inheritance"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Brook",
    "Boundary",
    "Toponym",
    "Tribal allotment"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Kanah is an Old Testament place name used for a brook that formed part of a tribal boundary and for a town listed among Israel's territorial allotments.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A biblical toponym appearing in Joshua; it refers to a brook and, in another context, a town within Israel’s land divisions.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears in Joshua’s land-allotment passages",
    "Best known as the brook Kanah on the Ephraim-Manasseh border",
    "Also appears as a town in a tribal inheritance list",
    "A geographic name, not a theological doctrine"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Kanah is a biblical place name rather than a theological concept. In the book of Joshua it refers to a brook associated with tribal boundaries and also to a town listed within Israel’s territorial allotments. The exact identification of each site is not certain, but the name functions as part of the land descriptions in Joshua.",
  "description_academic_full": "Kanah is a geographic name in the Old Testament and should be classified as a biblical place entry rather than a doctrinal term. The best-known reference is the brook Kanah, which marked part of the border between Ephraim and Manasseh in Joshua. The name also appears in the list of towns associated with tribal inheritance, commonly connected with Asher. Because biblical place names can refer to more than one location or feature, the exact identification is not always certain; however, the term clearly belongs in a place-name category and can be published there as a distinct dictionary headword.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In Joshua, land boundaries and town lists helped define Israel’s territorial inheritance. Kanah appears in that setting as part of the geographic detail of the conquest and settlement narratives.",
  "background_historical_context": "Ancient Israel’s tribal allotments were recorded with careful attention to boundary markers, brooks, towns, and landmarks. Names like Kanah preserved local geography and the memory of land distribution among the tribes.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In the ancient Near Eastern and Jewish setting, place names often served as boundary markers and memory aids in covenant land descriptions. Kanah belongs to that kind of territorial language rather than to theology proper.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 16:8",
    "Joshua 17:9",
    "Joshua 19:28"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "No additional text is required to identify the term, though Joshua's territorial lists provide the main context."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew form is commonly associated with a word meaning 'reed,' though the precise place identification is uncertain and should not be overread.",
  "theological_significance": "Kanah is not a doctrine, but it contributes to the biblical theology of inheritance, land, and God's faithfulness in giving Israel its allotted territory.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Biblical place names matter because Scripture is rooted in real history and real geography. They anchor the narrative in concrete locations rather than abstract ideas.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Kanah may refer to more than one site or feature, so readers should not assume every occurrence points to the same exact location. The term should be treated as a place name, not as a theological category.",
  "major_views_note": "Most readers understand Kanah in Joshua as the brook on the Ephraim-Manasseh boundary, with another occurrence referring to a town in a tribal list. Exact archaeological identification remains uncertain.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Kanah is a geographic term only. It should not be used to support doctrinal claims beyond the broader biblical theme of land inheritance.",
  "practical_significance": "Kanah reminds readers that the Bible’s historical record includes specific places, boundaries, and local settings. That concreteness supports confidence in the land narratives of Joshua.",
  "meta_description": "Kanah is a biblical place name used for a brook and a town mentioned in the Old Testament, especially in Joshua’s territorial descriptions.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/kanah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/kanah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}