Places in the Bible Today:

Valley of Iphtahel

Data

Translated NamesIphtah-el Valley, Jiphthah-el, valley of Iphtah-el, Valley of Iphtah El, Valley of Iphtahel, Valley of Jiphthah El, valley of Yiptah-El
Typevalley
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

4 Possible Identifications

  1. Wadi el Melek (modern): 60% confidence
    1. closeup of Wadi el MelekWadi el Melek

  2. Wadi Abbelin (modern): 25% confidence
    1. spring along Wadi AbbelinWadi Abbelin

  3. region around Khirbet Shifat (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. panorama of Khirbet Shifatregion around Khirbet Shifat

  4. Beit Netofa Valley (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. aerial panorama of the Beit Netofa ValleyBeit Netofa Valley

Verses (2)

Josh 19:14, 19:27

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookIphtahel
OpenBible.info (2007)Valley of Iphtahel
OpenBible.infoa3e0180 (Valley of Iphtahel)
TIPNRIphtahel_Valley@Jos.19.14
WikidataQ6065117

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Iphtahel (place)
  2. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Valley of Iphtahel
  3. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1974): page 161
  4. Carta Bible Atlas, 5th Edition (2011)
  5. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Iphtahel
  6. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984): Josh 19:14
  7. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Iphtael (Valley of)
  8. Hess, Joshua (1996): tables 20, 22
  9. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  10. Holman Illustrated Guide to Bible Geography (2020): page 208
  11. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Iphtahel
  12. Monson, Regions on the Run (2009): map 5
  13. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  14. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988): Iphtahel
  15. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Iphtah-el
  16. Tübingen Bible Atlas (2001): Ge Yiftahel
  17. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Jiphtah-el, Valley of
  18. Woudstra, Joshua (1981): 19:13-14
  19. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Jiphthah-el
  20. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  21. 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 (in this case, Wadi el Melek), 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

nava harel, דותן דני, Oren Rozen, Infamous000

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.