Places in the Bible Today:

Mesha

Data

Translated NameMesha
Typesregion or settlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

3 Possible Identifications

  1. Massa (modern): 25% confidence

    1. panorama of a desert in MassaMassa

  2. Mocha (modern): 15% confidence

    1. building at MochaMocha

  3. Mesene (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. artifact from MeseneMesene

Verses (1)

Gen 10:30

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookMesha (town)
OpenBible.info (2007)Mesha
OpenBible.infoa6b4fb2 (Mesha)
TIPNRMesha@Gen.10.30
UBS Names Databaseot ID_1877

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Mesha (place)
  2. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Mesha (place)
  3. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Mesha
  4. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011): Mesha
  5. Hartley, Genesis (2000): 10:21-31
  6. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  7. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Mesha
  8. New Bible Dictionary (1996): Mesha
  9. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988): Mesha
  10. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Mesha (Place)
  11. 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

Retlaw Snellac Photography, Gomtu, Sailko

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.