Original Word: קְנָת
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Qnath
Pronunciation: keh-nath'
Phonetic Spelling: (ken-awth')
KJV: Kenath
NASB: Kenath
Word Origin: [from H7069 (קָנָה - buy)]

1. possession
2. Kenath, a place East of the Jordan

Kenath

From qanah; possession; Kenath, a place East of the Jordan -- Kenath.

see HEBREW qanah

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a city E. of the Jordan
NASB Translation
Kenath (2).

קְנָת proper name, of a location κααθ, Κα(α)ναθ E of Jordan Numbers 32:42 (JE) 1 Chronicles 2:23; perhaps †anawat on western slope of Hauran mountains (Buhl^Geogr.252).

קסם (√ of following; apparently originally divide, assign (deity), Arabic , divide, distribute, x. get a part allotted to oneself, especially by drawing lots [with headless arrows] at sanctuary (compare especially Ezekiel 21:26; Ezekiel 21:27; IV. swear; see also Ethiopic : IV. use divination, so ᵑ7 קְסַם Syriac ; קִיסְמָא divination; see especially RS JPhil. xiii (1885), 276 ff, We^{Skizzen iii, 127 f. 167; Heid. 2.132 ff.} Dr^{Deuteronomy 18:10})

Name and Setting

Kenath (קְנָת, Strong’s Hebrew 7079) designates a fortified settlement east of the Jordan River in the region of Bashan. The site lay in the elevated basaltic plateau that stretches north-east of the Sea of Galilee, on the southern slopes of Mount Hauran. In later classical sources it surfaced as Canatha, one of the Decapolis cities, probably located at modern Qanawat in southern Syria. The city commanded key trade routes linking Bashan with the Syrian interior and the Arabian wilderness.

Biblical Occurrences

1. Numbers 32:42 records the initial Israelite seizure: “Then Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah after his own name”.
2. 1 Chronicles 2:23 notes a subsequent reversal: “But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth Jair, along with Kenath and its villages—sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir the father of Gilead”.

Conquest and Allotment

During Israel’s Transjordan campaign, Kenath fell first to Nobah, a leader within the half-tribe of Manasseh. His personal renaming of the city illustrates how individual initiative was woven into the corporate calling of Israel to possess the land (compare Joshua 14:12; 17:14-18). Kenath, together with the “sixty towns” of Havvoth-Jair (tent-villages of Jair), became part of the Manassite inheritance on Bashan’s fertile tablelands. This district represented the northernmost holdings east of the Jordan and formed a buffer against Aramean pressure.

Loss to Foreign Powers

The Chronicler’s notice that “Geshur and Aram captured” Kenath reveals the fragility of Israelite control when covenant faithfulness waned (Deuteronomy 28:25; Judges 2:14-23). Geshur, a small Aramean principality, and broader Aram (Syria) pushed southward, eroding Manasseh’s frontier. Centuries later, King David married Maacah, a daughter of Talmai king of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3), perhaps to stabilize that very borderland. The Chronicles reference reminds readers that territorial gains must be sustained by obedience to God’s commands, not merely military prowess.

Historical Development beyond Scripture

Under the Seleucids and then the Romans, Kenath (Canatha) flourished as a Hellenistic-Roman polis famed for its temples, paved streets, and impressive aqueducts. It joined the Decapolis confederation, serving as a regional administrative and commercial hub. By Late Antiquity the town housed substantial Christian communities, evidenced by basilicas and inscriptions that attest to an enduring gospel witness in Bashan.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Promise and Human Agency: Kenath’s capture by Nobah shows God fulfilling His land promises through bold individual action (Numbers 32:33-42).
2. Stewardship of Inheritance: The later loss to Geshur and Aram illustrates that blessings must be safeguarded by covenant loyalty (Psalm 78:61-64).
3. Renaming and Identity: Nobah’s act of renaming underlines the biblical motif that possession and naming go together (Genesis 2:19; Isaiah 62:2), yet permanence belongs to God’s purposes, not personal glory (James 4:13-16).

Ministry and Devotional Applications

• Leaders are called to seize opportunities in alignment with God’s promise, yet remain humble regarding outcomes.
• Congregations today, like Manasseh then, must nurture vigilance, prayer, and obedience to retain spiritual gains against encroaching worldliness (Ephesians 6:10-13).
• Kenath’s later Christian history encourages missionaries and pastors to labor even in frontier regions, trusting that gospel fruit can flourish in places once dominated by pagan or hostile forces.

Intertextual Connections

• The proactive spirit of Nobah mirrors Caleb’s request for Hebron (Joshua 14:12) and Jonathan’s daring raid (1 Samuel 14:6), encouraging believers to trust the Lord for “mountains” still to be taken.
• The setback involving Geshur and Aram anticipates the cyclical pattern in Judges, underscoring the need for continual renewal (Lamentations 5:21).
• Canatha’s inclusion in the Decapolis forms a backdrop to Jesus’ ministry “across the Jordan” (Matthew 4:25), foreshadowing how lands once contested by Israel would later hear the gospel proclamation.

Summary

Kenath embodies both the triumphs and vulnerabilities of Israel’s Transjordan inheritance. Its account speaks of courageous faith, the necessity of covenant allegiance, and the long reach of God’s redemptive plan—from tribal conquest to Roman metropolis to a station along early Christian pilgrimage routes.

קְנָ֖ת קְנָ֥ת קנת keNat qə·nāṯ qənāṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts