Places in the Bible Today:

Bethul

Data

Translated NameBethul
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

2 Possible Identifications

  1. another name for Bethuel (ancient): 85% confidence. It may be:

    1. satellite view of the region around Khirbet ar RasKhirbet ar Ras

    2. satellite view of the region around Khirbet el QaryateinKhirbet el Qaryatein

    3. historical panorama of Khirbet et TubeiqaKhirbet et Tubeiqa

    4. building at Umm BatinTell Umm Betin

    5. satellite view of the region around Tel KelekhTel Kelekh

    6. satellite view of the region around Tell es SaqatiTell es Saqati

  2. Tell Umm Betin (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. building at Umm BatinTell Umm Betin

Verses (1)

Josh 19:4

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookBethul
OpenBible.info (2007)Bethul
OpenBible.infoa92de65 (Bethul)
TIPNRBethul@Jos.19.4
UBS Names Databaseot ID_660

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Bethuel (place)
  2. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Bethuel, Bethul
  3. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Bethuel (place)
  4. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Bethul
  5. Hess, Joshua (1996): table 19
  6. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  7. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Bethuel
  8. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Bethul
  9. McKinny, Historical Geography of the Administrative Division of Judah (2014): page 100
  10. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2014): Bethul
  11. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  12. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988): Bethul
  13. Oxford Bible Atlas, Fourth Edition (2007)
  14. Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible (1981): Bethuel
  15. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Bethuel, Bethul (Place)
  16. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Bethuel
  17. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975)
  18. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  19. 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, another name for Bethuel), 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, Willem van de Poll, MidEastMedStudent

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.