Biblical Places
Aceldama
the place near Jerusalem that was bought with the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas for betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:8; Acts 1:19)
Antioch
a city in S Turkey, on the Orontes River: ancient commercial centre and capital of Syria (300–64 bc); early centre of Christianity. Pop: 155 000 (2005 est)
Aram
the biblical name for ancient Syria
Ararat
an extinct volcanic mountain massif in E Turkey: two main peaks; Great Ararat 5165 m (16 946 ft), said to be the resting place of Noah's Ark after the Flood (Genesis 8:4), and Little Ararat 3896 m (12 782 ft)
Arimathaea or Arimathea
a town in ancient Palestine: location unknown
Babel
a tower presumptuously intended to reach from earth to heaven, the building of which was frustrated when Jehovah confused the language of the builders (Genesis 11:1–9)
Bashan
a region to the east of the Jordan, renowned for its rich pasture (Deuteronomy 32:14)
Bethesda
a pool in Jerusalem reputed to have healing powers, where a paralysed man was healed by Jesus (John 5:2)
Bethlehem
a town in the West Bank, near Jerusalem: birthplace of Jesus and early home of King David
Calvary
the place just outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified
Cana
the town in Galilee, north of Nazareth, where Jesus performed his first miracle by changing water into wine (John 2:1, 11)
Canaan
an ancient region between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean, corresponding roughly to Israel: the Promised Land of the Israelites
Capernaum
a ruined town in N Israel, on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee: closely associated with Jesus Christ during his ministry
Eden
the garden in which Adam and Eve were placed at the Creation
Galilee
a northern region of Israel: scene of Christ's early ministry
Garden of Eden
the full name for Eden
Gath
one of the five cities of the Philistines, from which Goliath came (I Samuel 17:4) and near which Saul fell in battle (II Samuel 1:20)
Gaza
a city in the Gaza Strip: a Philistine city in biblical times. It was under Egyptian administration from 1949 until occupied by Israel (1967). Pop: 787 000 (2005 est)
Gehenna
the valley below Jerusalem, where children were sacrificed and where idolatry was practised (II Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 19:6) and where later offal and refuse were slowly burned
Gethsemane
the garden in Jerusalem where Christ was betrayed on the night before his Crucifixion (Matthew 26:36–56)
Golgotha
the place just outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified
Gomorrah or Gomorrha
one of two ancient cities near the Dead Sea, the other being Sodom, that were destroyed by God as a punishment for the wickedness of their inhabitants (Genesis 19:24)
Goshen
a region of ancient Egypt, east of the Nile delta: granted to Jacob and his descendants by the king of Egypt and inhabited by them until the Exodus (Genesis 45:10)
Horeb
a mountain, probably Mount Sinai
Jericho
a town in the West Bank near the N end of the Dead Sea, 251 m (825 ft) below sea level: on the site of an ancient city, the first place to be taken by the Israelites under Joshua after entering the Promised Land in the 14th century bc (Joshua 6)
Jerusalem
capital of Israel (the country) in the central part: divided (1948-67) between Israel & Jordan: since 1967 Israel holds entire city and environs: pop. 591,000
Judaea or Judea
the S division of ancient Palestine, succeeding the kingdom of Judah: a Roman province during the time of Christ
Judah
the tribal territory of his descendants which became the nucleus of David's kingdom and, after the kingdom had been divided into Israel and Judah, the southern kingdom of Judah, with Jerusalem as its centre
land of milk and honey
the land of natural fertility promised to the Israelites by God (Ezekiel 20:6)
land of Nod
a region to the east of Eden to which Cain went after he had killed Abel (Genesis 4:14)
Moab
an ancient kingdom east of the Dead Sea, in what is now the SW part of Jordan: flourished mainly from the 9th to the 6th centuries bc
Nazareth
a town in N Israel, in Lower Galilee: the home of Jesus in his youth. Pop: 62 700 (2003 est)
On
the ancient Egyptian and biblical name for Heliopolis
Ophir
a region, probably situated on the SW coast of Arabia on the Red Sea, renowned, esp in King Solomon's reign, for its gold and precious stones (I Kings 9:28; 10:10)
Rabbath Ammon
the ancient royal city of the Ammonites, on the site of modern Amman
Samaria
the region of ancient Palestine that extended from Judaea to Galilee and from the Mediterranean to the River Jordan; the N kingdom of Israel
Shiloh
a town in central ancient Palestine, in Canaan on the E slope of Mount Ephraim: keeping place of the tabernacle and the ark; destroyed by the Philistines
Shinar
the southern part of the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates, often identified with Sumer; Babylonia
Shittim
the site to the east of the Jordan and northeast of the Dead Sea where the Israelites encamped before crossing the Jordan (Numbers 25:1–9)
Sodom
a city destroyed by God for its wickedness that, with Gomorrah, traditionally typifies depravity (Genesis 19:24)
Tadmor
the biblical name for Palmyra
Tophet or Topheth
a place in the valley immediately to the southwest of Jerusalem; the Shrine of Moloch, where human sacrifices were offered
wilderness
a wild, uninhabited, and uncultivated region