Original Word: אֲשֵׁדָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ashedah
Pronunciation: ash-daw'
Phonetic Spelling: (ash-ay-daw')
KJV: springs
NASB: slopes
Word Origin: [feminine of H793 (אֶשֶׁד - slope)]

1. a ravine

springs

Feminine of 'eshed; a ravine -- springs.

see HEBREW 'eshed

Word Origin
fem. of eshed
Definition
a foundation, (mountain) slope
NASB Translation
slopes (6).

[אֲשֵׁדָה] noun feminine foundation, (mountain-) slope (compare above) — only plural absolute אֲשֵׁדוֺת Joshua 10:40; Joshua 12:8; construct אַשְׁדּוֺת Joshua 12:3; Joshua 13:20; אַשְׁדֹּת Deuteronomy 3:17; Deuteronomy 4:49 — mountain-slopes Joshua 10:40 ׳ההר והנגב והשׁפלה והא; Joshua 12:8 ("" id. + מדבר); elsewhere defined ׳תַּחַת א הַמִּסְגָּה Deuteronomy 3:17; Deuteronomy 4:49; Joshua 12:3; compare Joshua 13:20.

Term and Concept

Strong’s Hebrew 794 denotes the descending ridges or ravines formed where uplands pour downward toward a plain. Scripture portrays these features as distinct topographic zones—neither the summit nor the valley floor, but the place where mountain energy “spills out.” By extension, the word comes to mark military corridors, tribal borders, and natural thresholds between wilderness and cultivated land.

Geographical Setting

The most prominent location tied to the term is the eastern side of the Jordan, “the slopes of Pisgah” (Deuteronomy 3:17; Deuteronomy 4:49; Joshua 12:3; Joshua 13:20). Pisgah forms part of the Moabite plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. Its ridges descend in a series of gullies that funnel scarce rainfall toward the Arabah. From Mount Nebo, situated on this same ridge system, Moses surveyed the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34:1). Thus the ashedoth of Pisgah occupy both a strategic and a devotional vantage point, linking the prophet’s last earthly view with Israel’s first sight of its inheritance.

Biblical Occurrences and Narrative Function

1. Deuteronomy 3:17 and Deuteronomy 4:49 use the slopes as boundary markers for the territory granted to the Reubenites and Gadites. These natural lines fix the edge of the Transjordan settlements granted before the people crossed westward.
2. Joshua 10:40 summarizes Joshua’s southern campaign: “Joshua struck all the land—the hill country, the Negev, the lowland, and the slopes”. Here the term widens beyond Pisgah to describe western Canaan’s foothills, underscoring the completeness of the conquest from crest to outflow.
3. Joshua 12:3 includes the slopes in the catalog of defeated Amorite kings east of the Jordan, while Joshua 12:8 repeats the terrain summary for the western victories, paralleling 10:40.
4. Joshua 13:20 re-affirms the slopes of Pisgah as part of Reuben’s lot, demonstrating how God’s earlier promises through Moses are honored in the final allotments.

Historical and Theological Significance

• Boundary Faithfulness: The repeated mention of these slopes in boundary lists highlights the precision with which God defines and safeguards tribal inheritances. When later prophets accuse Israel of moving boundary stones (e.g., Hosea 5:10), the ashedoth remind readers that land lines are covenantal, not arbitrary.
• Strategic Corridors: In a military sense these ridges function like funnels, focusing traffic and controlling access between highlands and plains. Joshua’s capture of the “slopes” (Joshua 10:40) testifies that Israel’s victories were not confined to mountain citadels but extended down every tactical approach.
• Prophetic Outlook: From the vantage of Pisgah Moses glimpsed the land yet could not enter, prefiguring the Law’s inability to bring final rest (Hebrews 3:16–4:11). The slopes stand at that intersection of promise and fulfillment—Moses above, Israel below—foreshadowing the need for a mediator greater than Moses who will lead all the way in.

Ministry Reflections

• The slopes illustrate transition. Whether a believer is moving from promise to possession, from wilderness to cultivated life, or from leadership to legacy, the ashedoth urge trust in God’s fixed borders and His power to guide every descent and ascent.
• They also encourage a comprehensive obedience. Just as Joshua did not leave the foothills unconquered, discipleship must reach the “slopes” of life—the intermediate zones that can be overlooked when focusing only on peaks or valleys.
• Finally, the view from Pisgah’s ridges calls ministers to cast vision beyond present limitations, confident that what God has pledged He will perform in His timing.

Related Entries

Mount Nebo; Pisgah; Tribal Boundaries; Joshua’s Conquests

אַשְׁדֹּ֥ת אַשְׁדּ֥וֹת אשדות אשדת וְאַשְׁדּ֥וֹת וְהָאֲשֵׁד֗וֹת וּבָ֣אֲשֵׁד֔וֹת ואשדות ובאשדות והאשדות ’aš·dō·wṯ ’aš·dōṯ ’ašdōṯ ’ašdōwṯ ashDot ū·ḇā·’ă·šê·ḏō·wṯ ūḇā’ăšêḏōwṯ uVaasheDot veashDot vehaasheDot wə’ašdōwṯ wə·’aš·dō·wṯ wə·hā·’ă·šê·ḏō·wṯ wəhā’ăšêḏōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts