Bible Geocoding
The location of every identifiable place mentioned in the Bible.
Complete Bible
Google Earth (KMZ)
Also available: KMZs arranged by book and by chapter. Turn book or chapter layers on and off to see patterns across the Bible. Also try a KMZ with just the most-likely location of each biblical place, rather than showing you all the possibilities.
Individual Books
Old Testament
- Genesis (KML)
- Exodus (KML)
- Leviticus (KML)
- Numbers (KML)
- Deuteronomy (KML)
- Joshua (KML)
- Judges (KML)
- Ruth (KML)
- 1 Samuel (KML)
- 2 Samuel (KML)
- 1 Kings (KML)
- 2 Kings (KML)
- 1 Chronicles (KML)
- 2 Chronicles (KML)
- Ezra (KML)
- Nehemiah (KML)
- Esther (KML)
- Job (KML)
- Psalms (KML)
- Proverbs (KML)
- Ecclesiastes (KML)
- Song of Solomon (KML)
- Isaiah (KML)
- Jeremiah (KML)
- Lamentations (KML)
- Ezekiel (KML)
- Daniel (KML)
- Hosea (KML)
- Joel (KML)
- Amos (KML)
- Obadiah (KML)
- Jonah (KML)
- Micah (KML)
- Nahum (KML)
- Habakkuk (KML)
- Zephaniah (KML)
- Haggai (KML)
- Zechariah (KML)
- Malachi (KML)
New Testament
- Matthew (KML)
- Mark (KML)
- Luke (KML)
- John (KML)
- Acts (KML)
- Romans (KML)
- 1 Corinthians (KML)
- 2 Corinthians (KML)
- Galatians (KML)
- Ephesians (KML)
- Philippians (KML)
- Colossians (KML)
- 1 Thessalonians (KML)
- 2 Thessalonians (KML)
- 1 Timothy (KML)
- 2 Timothy (KML)
- Titus (KML)
- Philemon (No places)
- Hebrews (KML)
- James (No places)
- 1 Peter (KML)
- 2 Peter (KML)
- 1 John (No places)
- 2 John (No places)
- 3 John (No places)
- Jude (KML)
- Revelation (KML)
Use Google Earth to open KML and KMZ files.
Atlas
The atlas lists all the places alphabetically, complete with thumbnails, verses, and photos (when available).
Browse by letter: A ‣ B ‣ C ‣ D ‣ E ‣ F ‣ G ‣ H ‣ I ‣ J ‣ K ‣ L ‣ M ‣ N ‣ O ‣ P ‣ R ‣ S ‣ T ‣ U ‣ V ‣ W ‣ Y ‣ Z
Overlays
Overlays for Google Earth let you see how maps of ancient and modern Jerusalem fit satellite imagery.
Bodies of Water
Download a KML with outlines of the most of the bodies of water in the Bible. (It’s too big to preview in Google Maps. Sorry!)
Photos
About 1,000 photos of places in the Bible. These hand-selected photos primarily come from Wikimedia Commons. For example: see Beersheba, Megiddo, and Miletus.
I recommend BiblePlaces.com for professional-quality photos of places in the Holy Land. Todd Bolen has done a fantastic job taking and collating photos.
About
This project (1) comprehensively identifies the possible modern locations of every place mentioned in the Bible as precisely as possible, (2) expresses a data-backed confidence level in each identification, and (3) links to open data to fit into a broader data ecosystem. Read a high-level overview of this project.
What Are Your Sources?
The sources for individual locations appear on their respective pages. For example, Abdon has over 20 sources attesting to its location.
What Are Your Qualifications?
I don’t have any special qualifications, only a lot of free time. I graduated from Wheaton College, Illinois (2000), where I took a class that involved some Bible geography (in addition to traveling to many of the places listed), as well as a number of geology courses, but that’s it.
Can I Use These Files?
Absolutely! That’s why they’re here. The dataset as a whole is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license, meaning that you can use them for any purpose you want as long as you credit OpenBible.info. Some data is from OpenStreetMap, which has its own open license. The images come in a variety of open licenses.
Where’s the Raw Data?
The data is available on GitHub.
The older, 2007 version of this data is two files: a tab-delimited raw version and a somewhat more useful merged version. The raw version contains a number of notes and other miscellania.
What if I Find Errors?
There are almost certainly errors. Contact me (email address below) if you find any.