Original Word: כּוֹר עָשָׁן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Kowr`Ashan
Pronunciation: kohr ah-SHAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (kore aw-shawn')
KJV: Chor-ashan
Word Origin: [from H3564 (כּוּר - Furnace) and H6227 (עָשָׁן - smoke)]

1. furnace of smoke
2. Cor-Ashan, a place in Israel

From kuwr and ashan; furnace of smoke; Cor-Ashan, a place in Palestine -- Chor-ashan.

see HEBREW kuwr

see HEBREW ashan

Kor Ashan (rendered “Borashan,” “Bor-ashan,” or “Chor-ashan” in various English versions) was a settlement in the Negev of Judah, situated among a chain of towns that lay south-southwest of Hebron and north of the wilderness that stretches toward Paran. Its name, literally “pit of smoke” or “furnace of smoke,” hints at a low-lying basin where morning mists or hearth-fires may have regularly risen, providing an easily recognized landmark for travelers across the semi-arid plateau. The town stood sufficiently near Hormah and Athach to be grouped with them in a single verse, suggesting either territorial proximity or a common administrative district during the united monarchy.

Biblical Context

Kor Ashan appears once, in the catalog of towns that received a portion of the spoil David recovered from the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:26–31). After the disastrous sack of Ziklag, David pursued, defeated, and plundered the raiding party; on returning, he sent gifts “to those in Hormah, in Borashan, in Athach” (1 Samuel 30:30). The list primarily consists of Judahite and Simeonite towns in the southern hill country and the Negev. By including Kor Ashan, Scripture identifies it as part of the region sympathetic to David’s cause during Saul’s waning reign.

Historical Significance

1. Support Base for David

The distribution of spoil functioned as more than a gesture of gratitude; it cemented alliances with elders who had discreetly aided David during his fugitive years. Kor Ashan thus belonged to a network of frontier settlements that provided hospitality, intelligence, or hiding places for David’s men.

2. Boundary Dynamics between Judah and Simeon

Although Kor Ashan is not named in the tribal allotment lists of Joshua, its location places it near towns later allotted to Simeon (Joshua 19:2–6). The verse in Samuel may therefore preserve the memory of a mixed Judah-Simeon population, illustrating the fluidity of internal borders during the early monarchy.

3. Strategic Value

Towns of the Negev controlled north–south caravan routes that threaded between Edom and the Philistine plain. A fortified or at least well-populated Kor Ashan would have provided an outpost against Amalekite incursions, explaining both the town’s interest in David’s victory and David’s interest in courting its leaders.

Theological and Ministry Insights

1. Stewardship of Victory

David’s sharing of spoil with Kor Ashan embodies a principle later echoed in Romans 15:26–27: those blessed materially through God’s deliverance become channels of blessing to others. Ministry teams today may learn from David’s instinct to strengthen relationships through generosity rather than hoarding triumphs.

2. Memory of Grace in Forgotten Places

Kor Ashan’s solitary appearance in Scripture reminds believers that even the most obscure communities are known to God and woven into His redemptive narrative. Pastors serving in remote contexts can take encouragement: one faithful act recorded in heaven outweighs a thousand human accolades.

3. Smoke as Symbol

While the name’s “smoke” component likely arises from topography, Scripture often uses smoke imagery to depict divine presence (Exodus 19:18) or judgment (Revelation 9:2). The town’s very name may have served ancient Israelites as a daily reminder that Yahweh both dwells among His people and purifies them.

Archaeological and Scholarly Considerations

Proposed identifications include Khirbet Beit-Biras, Khirbet Ḥuwwara, and sites near modern Beersheba, though none commands consensus. Pottery scatters and fortification ruins from Iron Age I–II found in these locales align chronologically with David’s era, but a definitive inscription is lacking. Future surveys may clarify Kor Ashan’s precise location and add texture to the biblical narrative of 1 Samuel 30.

Application for Contemporary Readers

Kor Ashan’s fleeting mention challenges believers to value the seemingly minor roles God assigns. Whether a believer serves in a vast city or a “pit of smoke” in the spiritual Negev, the Lord records every act of loyalty and incorporates it into His sovereign plan, just as He did with Kor Ashan amid David’s rise to the throne.