![Tall el-Hammam overlooking the Jordan Valley 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Tall_el-Hammam_overlooking_the_Jordan_Valley_2007.jpg)
Abila ( ar, ابيلا) was an ancient city east of the
Jordan River in the
Plains of Moab
The Plains of Moab ( he, עַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב, translit=Arboth Mo'av, lit=Dry areas of Moab) are mentioned in three books of the Hebrew Bible (Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua) as an area in Transjordan, stretching along the Jordan "acr ...
, later
Peraea
Peraia, and Peraea or Peræa (from grc, ἡ περαία, ''hē peraia'', "land across") in Classical Antiquity referred to "a community's territory lying 'opposite', predominantly (but not exclusively) a mainland possession of an island state" a ...
, near
Livias
Livias was a city in Transjordan in Classical Antiquity. In the writings of Josephus (English translation), the name is presented as Julias.
Numerous authors have presented a chain of evidence connecting ''Beth-Haram'' from the Book of Joshua ( ...
, about twelve km northeast of the north shore of the
Dead Sea. The site is identified with modern Khirbet
el-Kafrayn, Jordan and identified on the Madaba Map as an unnamed icon.
[Glueck (1943), pp. 7–26 (see 15, 21).] There is a widely supported theory that in the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
meaning "Meadow of the Acacias", is found only in the
Book of Numbers
The book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi''; he, בְּמִדְבַּר, ''Bəmīḏbar'', "In the desert f) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and c ...
(); but Ha-Shittim (Hebrew meaning "The Acacias"), evidently the same place, is mentioned in Numbers,
Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
, and
Micah
Micah (; ) is a given name.
Micah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament), and means "Who is like God?" The name is sometimes found with theophoric extensions. Suffix theophory in '' Yah'' and in ''Yahweh'' results in ...
(, , ). It was the forty-second and last
encampment
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
of the
Israelites
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
, associated with infamous
Baal-peor incident with the Midianites (). It was also the final headquarters of
Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
before he crossed the Jordan ().
The location is transliterated as ''Shittim'' in the
English Standard Version,
Geneva Bible,
Jerusalem Bible
''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonica ...
,
King James Version
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...
,
New International Version and
New Revised Standard Version
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches.[Complete Jewish Bible
Messianic Bible translations are translations, or editions of translations, in English of the Christian Bible, some of which are widely used in the Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots communities.
They are not the same as Jewish English Bible tra ...](_blank)
and
Orthodox Jewish Bible
Messianic Bible translations are translations, or editions of translations, in English of the Christian Bible, some of which are widely used in the Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots communities.
They are not the same as Jewish English Bible tran ...
both translate as ''Sheetim''. The
Good News Translation
Good News Bible (GNB), also called the Good News Translation (GNT) in the United States, is an English translation of the Bible by the American Bible Society. It was first published as the New Testament under the name ''Good News for Modern Man' ...
has ''Acacia Valley'' and the
New King James Version has ''Acacia Grove''.
Identification
Abel-Shittim is identified with the area around
Tall el-Hammam
Tell el-Hammam (also Tall al-Hammam) is an archaeological site in Jordan, in the eastern part of the lower Jordan Valley close to the mouth of the Jordan River. The site has substantial remains from the Chalcolithic, Early, Intermediate and Mid ...
, in the Late Bronze Age.
[
]
Josephus' Abila (1st century CE)
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...
stated that there was in his time a town, Abila, "full of palm trees",[Josephus, ''Antiquities'' 4.8.1.] at a distance of sixty stadia () from the Jordan, and described it as the spot where Moses delivered the exhortations of Deuteronomy.[ In 1906 there was still an acacia grove not far from the place, although palms as mentioned by Josephus were not to be found.
]Pliny
Pliny may refer to:
People
* Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'')
* Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...
commented on how the dates of Livias
Livias was a city in Transjordan in Classical Antiquity. In the writings of Josephus (English translation), the name is presented as Julias.
Numerous authors have presented a chain of evidence connecting ''Beth-Haram'' from the Book of Joshua ( ...
were of high quality both juicy and sweet. Theodosius also praised the dates of Livias
Livias was a city in Transjordan in Classical Antiquity. In the writings of Josephus (English translation), the name is presented as Julias.
Numerous authors have presented a chain of evidence connecting ''Beth-Haram'' from the Book of Joshua ( ...
stating "it has there some great Nicolas dates" (''ibi habet dactalum Nicolaum maiorem''). The Madaba Map also depicts the date palms still growing in the area of Livias-Betharamtha in the sixth century AD.
During the First Jewish-Roman War
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
, Abila was captured by the Roman Imperial army
The Imperial Roman army was the military land force of the Roman Empire from about 30 BC to 476 AD, and the final incarnation in the long history of the Roman army. This period is sometimes split into the Principate (30 BC – 284 AD) and the Dom ...
, and was used by them to resettle deserters who had joined the Roman ranks.[Josephus, ''War'' 4.7.6 (4.437).]
Identification
The archaeological site of Tell el-Hammam
Tell el-Hammam (also Tall al-Hammam) is an archaeological site in Jordan, in the eastern part of the lower Jordan Valley close to the mouth of the Jordan River. The site has substantial remains from the Chalcolithic, Early, Intermediate and M ...
near Abila is identified by some as Livias
Livias was a city in Transjordan in Classical Antiquity. In the writings of Josephus (English translation), the name is presented as Julias.
Numerous authors have presented a chain of evidence connecting ''Beth-Haram'' from the Book of Joshua ( ...
. Date palms still grow at the edge of Tell el-Hammam.
See also
*Plains of Moab
The Plains of Moab ( he, עַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב, translit=Arboth Mo'av, lit=Dry areas of Moab) are mentioned in three books of the Hebrew Bible (Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua) as an area in Transjordan, stretching along the Jordan "acr ...
Notes
References
Sources
* Talbert, Richard (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World
The ''Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World'' is a large-format English language atlas of ancient Europe, Asia, and North Africa, edited by Richard J. A. Talbert. The time period depicted is roughly from archaic Greek civilization (pre- ...
, Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large.
The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...
, p. 71, ().
Bibliography
*
* Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...
, '' Antiquities of the Jews'', iv.8, § 1; v.1, § 1 (se
here
at Perseus Project
The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University, which assembles digital collections of humanities resources. Version 4.0 is also known as the "Perseus Hopper", and it is hosted by the Department of Classical Studies. The proj ...
).
* Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...
, ''De Bello Judaico
''The Jewish War'' or ''Judean War'' (in full ''Flavius Josephus' Books of the History of the Jewish War against the Romans'', el, Φλαυίου Ἰωσήπου ἱστορία Ἰουδαϊκοῦ πολέμου πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ...
'' (The Jewish War) (4.437) (se
4.7.6
at Perseus Project
The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University, which assembles digital collections of humanities resources. Version 4.0 is also known as the "Perseus Hopper", and it is hosted by the Department of Classical Studies. The proj ...
).
*
*
*
*
*
*
Sources
*
*{{Eastons, wstitle=Abel-shittim
Hellenistic colonies
Torah cities
Former populated places in Jordan