Anath

Anath, whose name means answer or is connected with a Canaanite war goddess of the same name, is known in Scripture solely as the father of Shamgar, one of the minor judges of Israel (Judg. 3:31; 5:6). Shamgar delivered Israel from Philistine oppression by striking down six hundred Philistines with an ox goad. The name Anath suggests possible Canaanite ancestry or cultural influence, raising questions scholars have noted about the ethnic background of this judge and his family.

Anath himself receives no biographical treatment in the biblical text; his significance is entirely derivative, defined by his son's exploit. Deborah's song references the period of Shamgar son of Anath as a time of great insecurity on the roads of Israel (Judg. 5:6), placing the family within the turbulent early period of the judges when tribal life was repeatedly disrupted by foreign threats.