Places in the Bible Today:

Bethlehem 3

Data

Translated NamesBeth-lehem, Bethlehem
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

2 Possible Identifications

  1. another name for Bethlehem 2 (ancient): 75% confidence

    1. building at Beit LahmBeit Lahm

  2. another name for Bethlehem 1 (ancient): 15% confidence

    1. building at BethlehemBethlehem

Verses (2)

Judg 12:8, 12:10

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Biblemapper.com265
OpenBible.info (2007)Bethlehem 1
OpenBible.infoab1a343 (Bethlehem 3)
TIPNRBethlehem@Gen.35.16
UBS Names Databaseot ID_502

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992)
  2. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (1990)
  3. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013)
  4. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Bethlehem
  5. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)
  6. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984): Judg 12:8
  7. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Bethlehem
  8. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011)
  9. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  10. Howard, Joshua (1998): 19:15-16
  11. IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary (2000): Josh 19:10-16; Judg 12:8
  12. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016)
  13. New Bible Dictionary (1996)
  14. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  15. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988)
  16. Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible (1981): Bethlehem
  17. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001)
  18. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Bethlehem
  19. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975)
  20. 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 Bethlehem 2), 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.

Places with Similar Names

Thumbnail Image Credits

Ira Abramov, Berthold Werner

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.