Places in the Bible Today:

Telem

Data

Translated NamesTelaim, Telem
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

6 Possible Identifications

  1. Khirbet Abu Tulul (modern): 15% confidence

    1. satellite view of the region around Khirbet Abu TululKhirbet Abu Tulul

  2. Khirbet Umm es Salafe (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. satellite view of the region around Khirbet Umm es SalafeKhirbet Umm es Salafe

  3. Horbat Rahba (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. satellite view of the region around Horbat RahbaHorbat Rahba

  4. Khirbet ez Zeifeh (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. satellite view of the region around Khirbet ez ZeifehKhirbet ez Zeifeh

  5. El Alem (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. satellite view of the region around El AlemEl Alem

  6. Tel Malhata (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. artifact from Tel MalhataTel Malhata

Verses (2)

Josh-Ruth (1)
Josh 15:24
1Sam-Esth (1)
1Sam 15:4

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookTelem (village)
OpenBible.info (2007)Telaim, Telem
OpenBible.infoa6ef6a9 (Telem)
TIPNRTelaim@1Sa.15.4, Telem@Jos.15.24
UBS Names Databaseot ID_1206, ot ID_1208
WikipediaTelem (partial)

Sources

  1. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Telem
  2. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Telem
  3. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  4. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Telaim
  5. McKinny, Historical Geography of the Administrative Division of Judah (2014): page 127
  6. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009): Telaim
  7. Woudstra, Joshua (1981): 15:24
  8. Zondervan Atlas 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

Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019, Gary Todd

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.