{
  "id": "dict_004470",
  "term": "Pirathonite",
  "slug": "pirathonite",
  "letter": "P",
  "entry_type": "gentilic",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A Pirathonite is a person from Pirathon, a town in Ephraim. In Scripture the title is used of Abdon, one of Israel’s judges, and Benaiah, one of David’s mighty men.",
  "simple_one_line": "A Pirathonite was an inhabitant of Pirathon in Ephraim.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical gentilic for someone from Pirathon.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Pirathon",
    "Abdon",
    "Benaiah",
    "gentilic"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Judges",
    "Samuel",
    "Chronicles"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Pirathonite is a biblical gentilic, identifying someone as coming from Pirathon, a town associated with Ephraim.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "An inhabitant of Pirathon; used in Scripture as a place-based designation for certain Israelites.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "It is a geographical identity term, not a doctrine.",
    "The Bible applies it to Abdon and Benaiah.",
    "It points to origin or association with Pirathon in Ephraim."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Pirathonite is a gentilic term for a person from Pirathon, a town associated with Ephraim. The designation is used of Abdon the judge and Benaiah, one of David’s mighty men, and functions as a geographical identifier rather than a theological concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Pirathonite is a biblical gentilic, meaning an inhabitant or native of Pirathon. In the Old Testament, the term is applied to Abdon, who judged Israel, and to Benaiah, one of David’s distinguished warriors. The word serves as a place-based identification and does not itself express a doctrine or theological category. It is therefore best understood as a geographical descriptor within Israel’s historical setting.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The term appears in narrative and historical contexts where individuals are identified by their place of origin. It is attached to Abdon in Judges and to Benaiah in Samuel and Chronicles, showing that biblical writers sometimes used gentilics to distinguish people by town or region.",
  "background_historical_context": "Pirathon was a town associated with the territory of Ephraim. A Pirathonite was therefore someone connected with that locality, much as other biblical gentilics identify people by their home region or city.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Israelite naming often included geographic identifiers, especially when a person’s hometown was relevant to the narrative. Such labels were practical markers of identity, lineage, or origin rather than doctrinal titles.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Judges 12:13-15",
    "2 Samuel 23:30",
    "1 Chronicles 11:31"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Judges 12:11-15"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The term is a gentilic form, indicating origin from a place name rather than a theological office or title.",
  "theological_significance": "The term has little direct theological content, but it illustrates the historical concreteness of Scripture and the way biblical authors situate real people in real places.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a category, a gentilic is a descriptive label, not a metaphysical or doctrinal concept. Its meaning comes from historical and geographical reference, not abstract theology.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat Pirathonite as a theological office or spiritual status. Its force is simply identificational. The exact location of Pirathon is not always discussed in detail, so the term should be read modestly.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little interpretive dispute about the word’s basic meaning; the only discussion concerns the location of Pirathon and its precise historical setting.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be used to build doctrine. It is a historical-geographical term describing origin or association.",
  "practical_significance": "The term helps readers track biblical人物 and understand how Scripture identifies people by their hometown or region.",
  "meta_description": "Pirathonite: a biblical gentilic for a person from Pirathon in Ephraim.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/pirathonite/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/pirathonite.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}