Gibeah

A town in the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:57). We do not know its exact location. Gibeah is among other towns located in the section of Judah southeast of Hebron. It was probably located southeast of Hebron, near Maon, Ziph, and Carmel, in an area with good farmland.

A town in the land given to the tribe of Benjamin. The Bible also calls it “Gibeah of Saul” (1 Samuel 11:4; 15:34; Isaiah 10:29). The Gibeathites live there (1 Chronicles 12:3). Gibeah is first mentioned when the land of Benjamin is described (Joshua 18:28). It becomes an important place in the Bible because of a terrible event told in Judges 19–21. In that story, a Levite’s concubine was abused and killed. This lead to a war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other tribes of Israel.

Saul, Israel’s first king, was from Gibeah (1 Samuel 10:26). After the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as King of Israel, Saul returned to Gibeah. It likely stayed his home and capital during his reign (10:26; 22:6; 23:19).

Most scholars believe that the ancient town of Gibeah is the same place as the modern site called Tell el-Ful. The Old Testament places Gibeah north of Jerusalem, between Jerusalem and Ramah. It was near the main road that ran north and south through the hill country (Judges 19:11–19). Tell el-Ful is about 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) north of Jerusalem. It sits on one of the highest areas in that mountain range.

Archaeologists found that an Israelite village stood there around the 12th century BC. It was later destroyed by fire. In the 11th century BC, people built a stone fortress at the site. One corner tower still remains. This fortress was probably King Saul’s royal home. But it was no longer used after King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel. After that, the site became a military outpost for the capital.

The tower was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. It was finally destroyed during a war between Antiochus III and Ptolemy V.

A Jewish writer named Josephus said that a village still existed there during the time of the Romans. But the village disappeared after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.

A town in the hill country of Ephraim. It was given to Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest. Eleazar was buried there (Joshua 24:33). An addition to the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) says they also buried Phinehas there.

The location of Gibeah is uncertain. Scholars suggest several sites. One option is Nibi Saleh, about 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Jifna. The second suggestion is Jibia, about 6.5 kilometers ( four miles) northwest of Jifna. It could refer to et-Tell, northeast of Jifna and south of Sinjil. Or it may be, Awertah, near Shechem.

"Gibeah of God" or Gibeath-elohim (1 Samuel 10:5; in the King James Version, this place is called “hill of God”). After Samuel anointed Saul as king, he said Saul would meet a group of prophets at this place. Saul would prophesy with them. This would be a sign that God had chosen him to be king.

Some people think Gibeath-elohim is the same as Gibeah of Benjamin, where Saul lived. But the story shows that Saul came to Gibeath-elohim before he reached his home.

A hill near the town of Kiriath-jearim. After the Philistines returned the ark of the covenant, it stayed there in the house of Abinadab. Later, King David moved the ark to the house of Obed-edom (2 Samuel 6:1–4).