Original Word: חֲדָשָׁה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Chadashah
Pronunciation: khah-dah-SHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (khad-aw-shaw')
KJV: Hadashah
Word Origin: [feminine of H2319 (חָדָשׁ - new)]

1. new
2. Chadashah, a place in Israel

Hadashah

Feminine of chadash; new; Chadashah, a place in Palestine -- Hadashah.

see HEBREW chadash

חֲדָשָׁה proper name, of a location town in Judah Joshua 15:37 (site unknown, compare Di).

Location and Etymology

Hadashah appears in Scripture as a town allotted to the tribe of Judah. The name means “new,” hinting at either a recently founded settlement or a site rebuilt after earlier ruin. Modern opinion often identifies it with Khirbet Ḥadāseh or Khirbet ed-Doseh in the western foothills (Shephelah) of Judah, a region filled with fertile valleys and strategic passes linking the coastal plain to the Judean highlands.

Biblical Context

Hadashah is mentioned once, within the catalog of Judah’s towns: “Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,” (Joshua 15:37). The list confirms the faithfulness of the Lord in granting Israel the inheritance promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21) and detailed to Moses (Numbers 34:1-12). Every settlement, even one cited only briefly, testifies that “not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made… failed; everything was fulfilled” (Joshua 21:45).

Geographical Significance in the Tribal Inheritance

Situated in the western lowlands, Hadashah lay near strategic routes controlling movement between Philistia and the Judean hill country. Judah’s hold on such towns secured agricultural output and created a buffer against Philistine encroachment. The location also afforded Judah access to trade corridors, reflecting the tribe’s breadth of territory from desert to seacoast.

Archaeological and Historical Considerations

Survey work in the Shephelah has yielded pottery from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages at several proposed sites, aligning with the era of Joshua and the Judges. Though no definitive inscription names Hadashah, the concentration of Iron Age artifacts supports the presence of fortified rural communities during Judah’s occupation. Later periods show rebuilding activity, suggesting cycles of destruction and renewal that match the meaning “new.”

Theological Themes of Newness and Inheritance

1. New Beginnings: The name Hadashah anticipates the biblical theme of divine renewal—whether the “new song” of Psalm 40:3, the “new covenant” of Jeremiah 31:31, or the “new creation” of 2 Corinthians 5:17. The physical town embodies the truth that God plants fresh works within His people’s heritage.
2. Covenant Fulfillment: Placement in the land list reinforces God’s covenant reliability. Each named village, however obscure, underscores the meticulous accuracy of divine promise keeping.
3. Stewardship of Allotted Blessings: Hadashah reminds believers that even modest inheritances demand faithfulness. Judah was to cultivate, defend, and dedicate every town to the Lord’s purposes (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

Ministry Reflections

• Encourage gratitude for overlooked blessings; Hadashah shows that nothing assigned by God is insignificant.
• Use the theme of “newness” to preach renewal in Christ: as the town marked a fresh foothold, so the gospel offers fresh life.
• Highlight Scripture’s historical precision to strengthen confidence in the Bible’s authority when teaching apologetics.
• Inspire engagement with biblical geography; maps and site studies bring color to devotional reading and affirm that faith is grounded in real space and time.

Hadashah’s single appearance may seem minor, yet it weaves together geography, history, and theology, proclaiming the God who makes all things new while faithfully settling His people in every promised place.

וַחֲדָשָׁ֖ה וחדשה vachadaShah wa·ḥă·ḏā·šāh waḥăḏāšāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts