Bible Dictionary
TOWN
Town is a general biblical term for a settled place smaller or less urban than a major city. It can translate several Hebrew and Greek words referring to unwalled settlements, dependent communities, villages, or places between a city and a village.
Definition
Town is a general term for a settled place smaller or less urban than a major city. In biblical translations it may refer to an unwalled city, a dependent community, a village-like settlement, or a place between a city and a village.
Biblical Usage
The term represents several Hebrew and Greek words. It can describe unwalled settlements, communities associated with cities, and places such as the Greek komopoleis, literally combining the ideas of village and city.
Historical Background
Biblical translation practices varied. The King James Version sometimes used “town” where later versions used “village” or “place,” reflecting distinctions among Hebrew and Greek terms for settlements.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>toun: This word is used to represent a number of different Hob terms in the Old Testament.</p><p>(1) When any explanatory word or attendant circumstances show that a "city" was unwalled, and sometimes in the contrary case (1Sa 23:7), the Hebrew `ir is translated "town" by the King James Version, and the Revised Version (British and American) generally agrees with it (De 3:5; 1Sa 27:5; Es 9:19).</p><p>(2) Both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) translate chawwoth by "towns" (Nu 32:41; Jos 13:30; 1Ki 4:13; 1Ch 2:23), while chatserim and perazoth both appear in the King James Version as "towns," but in the Revised Version (British and American) as "villages" (Ge 25:16; Zec 2:4). See HAVVOTH-JAIR.</p><p>(3) Bath, literally, "daughter," is sometimes found in the plural between the name of a city and chatserim, "villages," as in Jos 15:45 margin, "Ekron, with its daughters and its villages." "Towns" is evidently the appropriate translation, and, even without chatserim, bath is rendered "town" (the Revised Version (British and American) Nu 21:25, etc.). The same use of "daughter" occurs also in the Greek of 1 Macc 5:65 (thugater), the King James Version "town," the Revised Version (British and American) "village," margin "daughter."</p><p>(4) the King James Version and the English Revised Version gloss qir, "wall" in Jos 2:15 by rendering it "town wall"; the American Standard Revised Version omits.</p><p>(5) The Greek term komopoleis (Mr 1:38), being a combination of the words for "village" and "city," is a clear attempt to describe something between the two, and is well translated "town." (6) the King James Version uses "town" (Mt 10:11 etc.) and "village" (Mt 9:35, etc.) quite indifferently for kome; the Revised Version (British and American) has "village" throughout. For similar changes of the King James Version "town" compare 2 Macc 8:6 (chora); 11:5; 12:21 (chorion, the Revised Version (British and American) "place").</p><p>See CITY; VILLAGE.</p><p>W. M. Christie</p>