🔼The name Taanath-shiloh in the Bible
🔼Etymology of the name Taanath-shiloh
The name Taanath-shiloh obviously consists of two parts. The first part appears to be a noun derived from אנה ('ana III), meaning to encounter opportunely:
The second part of our name is the same as the name Shiloh, which in turn appears to derive from the verb שלה (shala), to be quiet or at rest, with the distinct connotation of prospering:
For a meaning of the name Taanath-shiloh, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Approach To Shiloh and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Entrance To Shiloh. BDB Theological Dictionary does not offer an interpretation of this name and lists it ostensibly under the ת and not under the root-group אנה ('nh).
But it should be noted that an entrance or pass towards a town was commonly known by the compound לבוא (lebo'), as in the name Lebo-hamath. The noun תאנת (ta'anat) denotes a semi-chance but opportune encounter, and together with the verb שלה (shala), to be quiet or at rest, it expresses a serendipitous stumble on an opportunity to take a load off: Discovered Retreat.