Kinah

 No...this is not a post about that infamous Israeli cootie...Kinah is a town or city mentioned in Yehoshua 15:22 as being on the border between Yehudah and Edom. Though we did not go to the ruins of the actual town last Thursday, we did go to the ruins of the fortress that guarded the town and also collected toll payments from merchants that travelled the "Spice Road" that passed near Kinah.

The fortress is presumed by most to have been built around the time of King Yoshiyahu (end of the Assyrian period), but a doctorate student who came with us said that her doctorate involves, among other things, her hypothesis that the fortress was actually built earlier than that - during the Neo-Assyrian period.

Kinah, on the other hand, we know from Tanach, is much older than that. And, get this - it's possible that the name is related to the Kenites who, according to Shoftim 1:16 came out of the City of Dates and settled near Arad (Kinah being near Arad)! In Hebrew - קיני - קינה. The names are certainly similar.

Here's a picture of the ruins of the fortress:

(Churbat Uzzah. Photo Credit: Me, myself and I)

I truly recommend going there if you ever get a chance - these are really awesome-looking ruins.

Among the things found there was a pottery shard that read:

העתקת הכתובת	הצעה להשלמות
]לם. לאחקם.בן. מנחם עמדיהו.בן. זכר. ממלדה השעיהו. בן. נוי. מרפאם מכי. בן. הצליהו. ממקדה	שָ]לֺם. לַאֲחִקָם בֶּן מְנַחֵם עִמָּדִיָהוּ בֶּן זַכֻּר מִמֹלָדָה הֹשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶּן נָוִי מֵרְפָאִם מָכִי בֶּן הִצִלְיָהוּ מִמַּקֵּדָה

Translation:

Sha]lom. To Achikam ben Menachem

Imadiyahu ben Zakur of Moladah

Hoshayahu ben Navi of Refaim

Machi ben Hitzilyahu of Makedah

From this we learn that to this fortress came soldiers from all over the land.

Another shard reads:

העתקת הכתובת	הצעה להשלמות
]צין אלנתן ]צין. למטה. גדלי[ שני לדטד. מלש[ שני. לגעלי אביהו שלשי למלש יאזניהו בן ח[ ]י שלשי לאביהו אלישב רביעי ליאזניהו יאזניהו. בן [ הושעיהו נוה. מפלקמ[ ?	קָ]צִין אֶלְנָתָן קָ]צִין לַמַּטֶּה גְּדַלְיָ]הוּ שֵׁנִי לדטד. מלש שֵׁנִי. לְגַעֲלִי אֲבִיָּהוּ שְׁלִשִׁי למלש יַאֲזַנְיָהוּ בֶּן ח[ ]י שְׁלִשִׁי לַאֲבִיָּהוּ אֶלְיָשִׁב רְבִיעִי לְיַאֲזַנְיָהוּ יַאֲזַנְיָהוּ. בֶּן [ הוֹשַׁעְיָהוּ נָוֶה. מִפּלקמ[ ?

Translation:

Ca]ptain Elnatan

Ca]ptain of the [staff?] Gedaliya[hu

Second [one] to DTD. MLSh

Second [one] to Ga'ali Aviyahu

Third [one] to MLSh Yozniyahu ben Ch[ ]Y

Third [one] to Aviyahu Elyashiv

Fourth [one] to Yozniyahu Yozniyahu. ben [

Hoshayahu Naveh. of Palkm[ ?

From here we see that they were organized in some sort of formation, though we do not have enough information to understand how this formation worked exactly.

Other fascinating inscriptions of this unit were found here in Churbat Uzzah and in nearby Tel Arad and Churbat Radum (we visited Radum as well as Tel Ira, biblical Ramat Negev, on the same day).

What most excited me about these various inscriptions was seeing the different names. The Tanach shows us a wealth of names that were used over the different periods that it covers - but as we find more inscriptions, we discover that the Tanach only shows us a small percentage of names from the time - those of the people important enough to have been included in the canon.

Have a good week!