קִרְיָתַ֫יִם
qir.ya.ta.yim
Kiriathaim
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Kiriathaim: A Place Name in Biblical Geography Kiriathaim (קִרְיָתַ֫יִם) is a Hebrew toponym—a geographical location name—that appears once in the biblical text. The word's structure suggests a dual form, likely meaning "double city" or "two cities" (from *qiryah*, meaning city, with the dual ending *-ayim*). This naming pattern was common in the ancient Near East, where paired or adjacent settlements sometimes shared compound designations. Given its single occurrence in the biblical record, Kiriathaim held limited narrative prominence in the texts we possess. Without additional contextual data from the provided lexicon entry, we cannot determine its exact location, historical significance, or role in biblical events based solely on this definition. The rarity of its mention suggests it was either a minor settlement, a location referenced only in a specific genealogical or geographical list, or a place whose importance lay outside the primary narrative concerns of the biblical authors. To understand its fuller significance within ancient Levantine geography and biblical history would require examination of the specific biblical passage in which it appears.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence across the text