Lexical Summary Tsredah: Zeredah Original Word: צְרֵדָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Zereda, Zeredathah Or Tsredathah {tser-ay-daw'-thaw}; apparently from an unused root meaning to pierce; puncture; Tseredah, a place in Palestine -- Zereda, Zeredathah. Brown-Driver-Briggs צְרֵדָה proper name, of a location home of Jeroboam 1 Kings 11:26, Σαρειρα, A Συριδα; see [ צְרֵרָה] צָֽרְתָן. צְרֵדָתָה2Chron 4:17 see צָֽרְתָן. I, II. צָרָה see I, II. צרר. צרה (√ of following; compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrences• 1 Kings 11:26: “Now Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, a servant of Solomon whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.” Geographical Setting Zeredah lay within the tribal homeland of Ephraim yet bordered the broad Jordan Valley opposite Succoth. Its situation at the juncture of upland hills and the river plain gave it ready access to both the highland road system that linked Shechem, Bethel, and Jerusalem and the industrial resources of the lower Jordan basin. The Chronicle’s notice places it in the same district as Zarethan (1 Kings 7:46), suggesting a cluster of settlements straddling the Jordan-side clay beds that provided ideal soil for large-scale bronze work. Proposed identifications include modern Tell es-Sidieh (near the Jabbok confluence) and Khirbet Banat Bar north of the Wadi Farah. Historical Significance 1. Birthplace of Jeroboam I. From this obscure Ephraimite village came the future founder of the northern kingdom. His rise from forced labor supervisor (1 Kings 11:28) to king over ten tribes underscores how rapidly political power could shift in Israel’s monarchy and how God can use peripheral locales to accomplish larger covenant purposes, whether in blessing or judgment. Theological and Ministry Insights • Providence and Paradox. The same village that helped adorn the house of the LORD also produced the king who erected rival shrines at Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:26–30). Zeredah therefore becomes a living parable of the human capacity to serve or subvert divine purposes. Archaeological and Scholarly Notes • Textual variation. The parallel account in 1 Kings 7:46 reads “Zarethan,” while the Chronicler has “Zeredah” (or “Zeredathah” in some manuscripts). Most scholars regard the names as dialectal or scribal variants of the same locality. Key Themes for Teaching and Preaching • The double-edged legacy of a community: service in temple building versus service in idol building. Related References • Zarethan: Joshua 3:16; 1 Kings 7:46 Forms and Transliterations הַצְּרֵדָ֗ה הצרדה צְרֵדָֽתָה׃ צרדתה׃ haṣ·ṣə·rê·ḏāh haṣṣərêḏāh hatztzereDah ṣə·rê·ḏā·ṯāh ṣərêḏāṯāh tzereDatahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Kings 11:26 HEB: אֶפְרָתִ֜י מִן־ הַצְּרֵדָ֗ה וְשֵׁ֤ם אִמּוֹ֙ NAS: an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon's KJV: an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's INT: an Ephraimite at of Zeredah name mother's 2 Chronicles 4:17 2 Occurrences |