Places in the Bible Today:

Heshbon

Data

Translated Name	Heshbon
Type	settlement
Notes	the central difficulty with Tell Hesban is that there aren’t archaeological remains old enough for Sihon; it’s possible the settlement moved here afterward
Geo Data	KML (for Google Earth) GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

3 Possible Identifications

Tell Hesban (modern): 45% confidence
1. Tell Hesban
Tall Jalul (modern): 15% confidence
1. Tall Jalul
Tall al Umayri (modern): less than 10% confidence
1. Tall al Umayri

Verses (37)

Gen-Deut (16): Num 21:25, 21:26, 21:27, 21:28, 21:30, 21:34, 32:3, 32:37; Deut 1:4, 2:24, 2:26, 2:30, 3:2, 3:6, 4:46, 29:7
Josh-Ruth (11): Josh 9:10, 12:2, 12:5, 13:10, 13:17, 13:21, 13:26, 13:27, 21:39; Judg 11:19, 11:26
1Sam-Esth (2): 1Chr 6:81; Neh 9:22
Job-Mal (8): Song 7:4; Isa 15:4, 16:8, 16:9; Jer 48:2, 48:34, 48:45, 49:3

Linked Data Identifiers

Source	Identifier
Biblemapper.com	512
Logos Factbook	Heshbon
OpenBible.info (2007)	Heshbon
OpenBible.info	abf2fc1 (Heshbon)
TIPNR	Heshbon@Num.21.25
UBS Names Database	ot ID_1176
Wikidata	Q1615584

Sources

Aharoni, Land of the Bible (1979): page 436
Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Heshbon (place)
Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (1990): Heshbon
Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013): Heshbon
Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Heshbon
Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1974): page 233
Carta Bible Atlas, 5th Edition (2011)
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Heshbon
ESV Bible Atlas (2010)
Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984): Josh 12:2
Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Heshbon
Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands (2007): Heshbon
HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011): Heshbon
HarperCollins Concise Atlas of the Bible (1991)
Hess, Joshua (1996): The location of Heshbon
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
Holman Illustrated Guide to Bible Geography (2020): page 277
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Heshbon
IVP Atlas of Bible History (2006): Heshbon
IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary (2000): Num 21:25-28
Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Heshbon
New Bible Dictionary (1996): Heshbon
New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988)
Oxford Bible Atlas, Fourth Edition (2007)
Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible (1981): Heshbon
Schlegel, Satellite Bible Atlas (2016): Heshbon
Tübingen Bible Atlas (2001): Hesbon
Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Heshbon
Woudstra, Joshua (1981): 12:2 note 8
Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Heshbon
Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Deut 2:24; Num 21:23; Num 21:23; Judg 11:19; Jer 48:2

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.

Places with Similar Names

Heshmon

Thumbnail Image Credits

Bashar Tabbah, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019, Bashar Tabbah

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.