En-gannim

En-gannim, meaning fountain of gardens, was the name of two distinct biblical towns. The first was a town in the lowland Shephelah of Judah, listed in Joshua 15:34 among the towns of the tribe of Judah in the vicinity of Zorah and Eshtaol. The second, more prominent En-gannim was a town in the territory of Issachar assigned to the Levites, identified with the Anem of 1 Chronicles 6:73.

This second En-gannim is generally identified with the modern Jenin, located at the southern entrance to the Jezreel Valley where a spring emerges, consistent with the name's meaning. The town controlled the main pass from Samaria into the Jezreel plain, making it a significant waypoint for travelers and armies moving between the coastal plain and the Galilee highlands. The name reflects the agricultural productivity associated with well-watered sites in ancient Palestine, where springs enabled garden cultivation in an otherwise arid landscape.