Places in the Bible Today:
Zela
Data
| Translated Names | Zela, Zelah |
|---|---|
| Type | settlement |
| Geo Data |
KML (for Google Earth) GeoJSON (for GIS applications) |
3 Possible Identifications
- Khirbet Salah (modern): 45% confidence
- Khirbet Erha (modern): less than 10% confidence
- Khirbet Shab Salah (modern): less than 10% confidence
Verses (2)
Linked Data Identifiers
| Source | Identifier |
|---|---|
| Logos Factbook | Zela |
| OpenBible.info (2007) | Zela |
| OpenBible.info | a597dd0 (Zela) |
| TIPNR | Zela@Jos.18.28 |
| UBS Names Database | ot ID_2514 |
| Wikidata | Q8068686 |
Sources
- Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Zela (place)
- Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Zela
- Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Zela
- Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Zela
- McKinny, Historical Geography of the Administrative Division of Judah (2014): page 346
- New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
- New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988): Zelah
- Oxford Bible Atlas, Fourth Edition (2007)
- Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Zelah
- 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, Khirbet Salah), 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
Gilabrand, 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.