What and who is…
Timna
also known as: Timmna and Timnah, Timnath
Hebrew: תִּמְנָע —transliteration: Timna —meaning: “restraint” or “holding in check” —from a root word meaning: “to restrain,” “to allot,” “to divide”
This is the name of a biblical women, a man, 2 cities and a desert valley filled with thousands of ancient mines created by Egypt, Edom and Israel.
Timna Valley, Arabah, Israel
This desert mountain valley is located in southern modern Israel in the southwestern Arabah, about 19 miles (30 kilometers) north of the Gulf of Aqaba and the city of Eilat. It is known for its rich copper ore that has been mined for thousands of years.
See: ARABAH
In early times it was part of the Kingdom of Edom.
Copper was mined here from the Chalcolithic period onward. Peak industrial-scale production occurred in the 11th–9th centuries BC—the era the Bible assigns to King David and his son Solomon. High-precision radiocarbon dates from short-lived organics (olive pits, date pits, textiles, donkey dung) at sites such as Slaves’ Hill place the height of smelting in the 10th century BCE.
Q & A
Answers about mines and mining in the BibleTimna, an Edomite chief or duke of Edom
He is a grandson of Esau and a son of Eliphaz (Genesis 36:40; 1 Chronicles 1:36, 51).
The chiefs of Edom listed at the time of their King Hadad’s death are…chief Timna
chief Aliah
chief Jetheth
chief Oholibamah
chief Elah
chief Pinon
chief Kenaz
chief Teman
chief Mibzar
chief Magdiel
chief Iram —1 Chr. 1:51-54
Timna’s relatives include…
Timna, daughter of Seir
She is a sister of Lotan (Genesis 36:22; 1 Chronicles 1:39).
They were Horites.
She becama concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz and gave birth to Amalek (Genesis 36:12), the father of the Amalekites, an enemy of the children of Israel.
Timnah, a Philistine city in Canaan
also known as: Timna or Timnath
It is located west of Jerusalem in the Sorek Valley (Nahal Sorek), an access point to the coastal plain which contains the remains of an ancient Roman road.
Samson married a Philistine woman here and asked a riddle here about a lion and honey (Judges 14).
Archaeologists believe this place has been located, and is now called Tell Batash (aka Tel Batashi) (Hebrew: תל בטש).
Timna, another city in ancient Israel
Probably the same city (Timnath) to which Judah traveled to visit his sheepshearers and had illicit sex with Tamar his daughter-in-law (Genesis 38:12-14).
More information
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- Timnite
- Timnath
- Timnath-heres
- Timnath-serah
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