Original Word: צֶרֶת הַשַּׁחַר
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tsereth hash-Shachar
Pronunciation: tseh'-reth hash-sha-khar'
Phonetic Spelling: (tseh'-reth hash-shakh'-ar)
KJV: Zareth-shahar
NASB: Zereth-shahar
Word Origin: [from the same as H6889 (צֶּרֶת - Zereth) and H7837 (שַׁחַר - dawn) with the article interposed]

1. splendor of the dawn
2. Tsereth-hash-Shachar, a place in Israel

Zareth-shahar

From the same as Tsereth and shachar with the article interposed; splendor of the dawn; Tsereth-hash-Shachar, a place in Palestine -- Zareth-shahar.

see HEBREW Tsereth

see HEBREW shachar

Word Origin
from Tsereth and shachar
Definition
"Zereth of the dawn," a city in Reuben
NASB Translation
Zereth-shahar (1).

צֶרֶת הַשַּׁ֫חַר proper name, of a location assigned to Reuben Joshua 13:19, Σεραδα και Σειων, ᵐ5 of L Σαρθ; compare modern eƒ-Sara, on spur of Mt. 'A‰‰ârûs, east of Dead Sea Buhl^{Geogr. 268}.

Biblical Occurrence

The town is named only once: “Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley” (Joshua 13:19). It appears in the list of settlements allotted to the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan.

Geographical Setting

Joshua’s description places the site on an elevation jutting into one of the deep ravines that fall toward the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. Its context alongside Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah situates it on the central Moabite plateau in territory that belonged to Reuben. Candidates include Khirbet ez-Zara and Tell es-Ṣāfiyah, both commanding the valley below and yielding Iron Age remains.

Historical Background

1. Conquest and Grant: After Israel defeated Sihon and Og (Numbers 21; Deuteronomy 3), Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received the land. Joshua 13 reaffirms that earlier agreement.
2. Role in Reuben’s Life: Zereth-shahar likely served as an agricultural and defensive outpost overlooking fertile valley floors. Reuben’s later history (1 Chronicles 5) shows how these fringe towns became vulnerable to Moabite and Aramean encroachment, illustrating the tensions of living at Israel’s geographic margins.

Archaeological and Scholarly Proposals

• Khirbet ez-Zara: Late Bronze–Iron I pottery, hilltop position, proximity to Wadi Zerqa-Maʿin.
• Tell es-Ṣāfiyah: Iron Age walls and Byzantine superstructures, similarly placed above a valley.

While certainty eludes researchers, both sites confirm occupation during the period of Israel’s settlement.

Theological Themes

1. Name and Dawn Imagery: The town’s name evokes first light. Scripture repeatedly ties dawn to God’s faithfulness (Hosea 6:3; Proverbs 4:18). Zereth-shahar encapsulates morning hope in the midst of the Reubenite landscape.
2. Covenant Precision: Its solitary mention underscores how every promise of territory was fulfilled in detail (Joshua 21:45), reinforcing the reliability of God’s word.
3. Margins and Mercy: A peripheral town reminds readers that divine provision extends to the edges; no place is too remote for covenant care (Psalm 139:9-10).

Practical Ministry Insights

• Hidden Faithfulness: Obscure locations and unnoticed service still sit on God’s redemptive map.
• Watching for the Dawn: Believers can live in expectancy, knowing fresh mercies rise like morning light (Lamentations 3:23; Psalm 130:6).
• Staying Centered: Reuben’s eventual drift cautions ministries on cultural or geographic frontiers to remain anchored in worship and doctrine.

Intertextual Echoes

The dawn motif culminates in Christ—“the dayspring from on high” (Luke 1:78) and “the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Zereth-shahar’s name therefore anticipates the greater light that dispels darkness and fulfills every promise.

הַשַּׁ֖חַר השחר haš·ša·ḥar hashShachar haššaḥarInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts