Places in the Bible Today:

Beth-barah

Data

Translated NamesBeth-barah, Beth Barah
Typesford, region, settlement, or wadi
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

3 Possible Identifications

  1. Wadi al Fara (modern): 20% confidence

    1. panorama of Wadi al FaraWadi al Fara

  2. not a proper name (common noun for "fords"): 15% confidence
  3. another name for Bethany 2 (ancient): less than 10% confidence. It may be:

    1. baptismal area at Al MaghtasAl Maghtas

    2. panorama of a plain in BataneaBatanea

    3. ruins at Al EizariyaAl Eizariya

    4. satellite view of the region around Khirbet BatnehKhirbet Batneh

    5. satellite view of the region around Tall BleibelTall Bleibel

    6. satellite view of the region around Tall NimrinTall Nimrin

    7. satellite view of the region around Makhadhet AbarahMakhadhet Abarah

Verses (1)

Judg 7:24

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookBeth-Barah
OpenBible.info (2007)Beth-barah
OpenBible.infoa0d1977 (Beth-barah)
TIPNRBethany@Jdg.7.24
UBS Names Databaseot ID_480
WikipediaList of minor biblical places#Beth-barah (anchor)

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Beth-barah (place)
  2. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013): Beth Barah
  3. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Beth-Barah
  4. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Beth-Barah
  5. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2014): Beth Barah
  6. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  7. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Beth-barah
  8. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  9. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others, for example, then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Thumbnail Image Credits

תמר הירדני, Producer, Dr. Avishai Teicher, Naheel Abu Ghaith نهيل أبو غيث, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.

The isobands you see on the map (gray areas with dark borders) attempt to give you confidence where a region is. Because many ancient regions aren't precisely defined, I consulted atlases to determine where the biblical region is located and used that data to build the isobands. The smaller isobands reflect more confidence that the given isoband is in the region, while the larger isobands reflect less confidence. Isobands are a kind of contour line that here indicate confidence levels.