Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

>
> Megiddo is fine. I was just wondering what the etymology of this place
> name might be, given that at least somebody has tried to translate it.
>
> As for the GKC, the nearest copy may well be about three hours' flight
> away, so could perhaps offer a brief summary?
>
Shalom,  Marko,

As far as I know, the accepted etymology of the toponym Megiddo, which
appears all of a dozen times in the Bible, is from MGD, which means
something like "produce" (the noun; as in agricultural produce). The form
"meged" appears (4 times!) only in Moses' blessing of Joseph in Deut.
33:13-16 and would not be clear from there, but "megadim" in Song 4:13 and
7:14 also indicates some sort of "fruit". Megiddo is in the center of a
large grain-producing area (the Jezreel valley), and a large Iron II-III
silo at the site indicates that it was used as a grain storage center. And
it is in the inheritance of Manasseh son of Joseph.
If I remember correctly, this is the etymology given in BDB (but I may not
remember correctly).

Another possibility is the verb "maggid", "to tell, to command". This would
fit nicely with the prominent and strategic position of the site, as well as
its Arabic name, Tell el-Mutasselem, "the mound of the Ruler".

Yigal