List of minor biblical places

This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

A

Abdon

Abdon was a Levitical city in Asher allocated to the Gershonites.^[1]

B

Beer

Beer was a location reached by the Israelites during their Exodus journey, mentioned in Numbers 21:16-18. After the death of Aaron, the Israelites moved on, apparently at pace, through a series of locations along the Moabite/Amorite border. There was a well at Beer, where Moses was able to assemble and refresh the travelling community, and which was associated with a song regarding the Israelite leaders and 'the lawgiver' in providing water.

Another Beer (or Bera) ^[2] is mentioned in Judges 9:21 as the place to which Gideon's youngest son, Joatham or Jotham, fled to escape from Abimelech after his 69 brothers had been killed. Matthew Poole described Beer as "a place remote from Shechem, and out of Abimelech’s reach";^[3] and the Pulpit Commentary suggests it is "either the same as Beeroth, among the heights of the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 9:17), now El-Birch, 'the first halting-place for caravans on the northern road from Jerusalem' (Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, 'Sinai and Palestine', p. 210); or a place called by Eusebius 'Beta', now El-Birch, eight Roman miles from Eleutheropolis (now Beit Jibrin), and possibly the same as the place of the same name described by Maundrell as four hours from Jerusalem, and two hours west of Bethel; or, as Ewald thinks, Beer beyond Jordan (Numbers 21:16 - see above)". The commentary concludes that "it is impossible to decide which, or whether any, of these is the place designated as Jotham's place of refuge.^[4]

Bera

An alternative name for Beer (Judges 9:21)

Beth Peor

Beth Peor (also transliterated as Bethpeor,^[5] Beth-peor,^[6] Beth-pe'or,^[7] Beit-P'or ^[8] or Phogar ^[9]) is, according to Deuteronomy 3:29 and Deuteronomy 4:46, the location "opposite which" the Israelites were camped after their victories over Sihon, king of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan, after their captured lands were allocated to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, and where Moses delivered his sermon summarizing covenant history and the 10 commandments in the narrative of the book of Deuteronomy.^[10]

C

Camon

Camon, Kamon or Camoun was the place where the biblical judge Jair was buried (Judges 10:5). It was a city of Gilead according to Josephus, and in the opinion of the editors of the Pulpit Commentary: "Polybius mentions a Camoun among other trans-Jordanic places, but its site has not been verified by modern research".^[11] However, Easton disagrees:

It has usually been supposed to have been a city of Gilead, on the east of Jordan. It is probably, however, the modern Tell-el-Kaimun, on the southern slopes of Carmel, the Jokneam of Carmel (Joshua 12:22; 1 Kings 4:12), since it is not at all unlikely that after he became judge, Jair might find it more convenient to live on the west side of Jordan; and that he was buried where he had lived.^[12]

E

Eglaim

Eglaim is a Moabite city mentioned by Isaiah in his proclamation against Moab (Isaiah 15:8). Its location is unknown.

H

Hadashah

Hadashah was a city in the valley of Judah (Joshua 15:37). Its name means 'new'.

Hammath

Hammath was one of the fortified cities of Naphtali (Joshua 19:35). Its name means 'warm springs'.

Hammoth-dor

Hammoth-dor was a Levitical city of Naphtali (Joshua 21:32)

Horem

Horem was one of the fortified cities of Naphtali (Joshua 19:38).

Hukkok

Hukkok was a town near Zebulun, on the border of Naphtali (Joshua 19:34). Many commentators have identified it with Yaquq.^[13]

Humtah

Humtah was a city of Judah, whose location has not been identified (Joshua 15:54). Its name means 'snail'.

Hushah

Hushah was a place in the hill country of Judah founded by a son of Ezer (1 Chronicles 4:4). It is generally identified with Husan, south-west of Bethlehem.^[14]

J

Jahaz

Jahaz (or Jahaza) was the site of the battle between King Sihon and the advancing Israelite people ^[15] and later became a levitical city in the territory of Reuben, east of the River Jordan.^[16]

K

Kamon

See Camon

M

Mejarcon

Mejarcon was a location on the border of the tribe of Dan mentioned in Joshua 19:46

Mephaath

Mephaath was a levitical city of the Merarites lying in the district of the Mishor in the territory of the tribe of Reuben,^[17] and mentioned in condemnation by the prophet Jeremiah.^[18]

Minni

Minni is mentioned in Jeremiah 51:27 as the name of a province in Armenia, which was at this time under the Median kings. Armenia is regarded by some as Har-minni i.e., the mountainous country of Minni.^[19]

Minnith

Minnith is mentioned in Judges 11:33 as marking the extent of Jephthah's victory over the Ammonites and in Ezekiel 27:17 as a wheat-farming city. Minnith, Missouri takes its name from the reference in Ezekiel.

R

Rakkath

Rakkath (or Rakat or Rakkat) is mentioned in Joshua 19:35 as a fenced or fortified city in the territory of the Tribe of Naphtali and is considered according to Jewish tradition to be the location developed as the city of Tiberias from around 20 CE.^[20]

S

Stone of Bohan, son of Reuben

The stone of Bohan, son of Reuben is mentioned in Joshua 15:6 as a point along the boundary of the land allocated to the tribe of Judah. Bohan is not named as one of Reuben's sons where they are listed in Genesis 46:9.

Suphah

Suphah is mentioned in Numbers 21:14, quoting the lost Book of the Wars of the Lord, and is possibly the same as Suph.

Z

Zaphon

Zaphon (Hebrew: Tsaphonah‎‎, rendered Sephenia in some manuscripts of the Septuagint ^[21]) is mentioned in Joshua 13:27 as a location within the territory of the tribe of Gad and in Judges 12:1 as the location where the Ephraimites met with Jephthah and his army to complain that Jephthah had fought the Ammonites without calling on the Ephraimites for military assistance. The Easy-to-Read Version calls it a "city".^[22] Some translations (e.g the King James Version) render Tsaphonah as "northwards".

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Camon". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. 
 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Hadashah". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. 
 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Minni". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. 

See also

• Minor
• List of minor biblical figures
• List of minor biblical tribes