View source for Gibeah

{{Short description|Biblical location in Israel}}
{{Distinguish|Gibeon (ancient city)|Geba (city)}}
{{coord|31|49|24|N|035|13|52|E|type:landmark|display=title}}
[[File:RoyalPalaceHusseinTellElFulDec032022 03.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Palace, Tell el-Ful|Tell el-Ful]] in northern Jerusalem is usually identified with Gibeah of Benjamin]]'''Gibeah''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɪ|b|i|ə}}; {{langx|he|גִּבְעָה}} ''Gīḇəʿā''; {{langx|he|גִּבְעַת|link=no}} ''Gīḇəʿaṯ'') is the name of three places mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]], in the tribes of [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]], [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]], and [[Tribe of Ephraim|Ephraim]] respectively.<ref name="aht">[http://mg.alhatorah.org/Dictionary/1390 Dictionary - AlHaTorah.org]</ref>

'''Gibeah of Benjamin''', also '''Gibeah of Saul''', is the most commonly mentioned of the places. In the [[Book of Judges]], it is the main setting to the story of the [[Levite's concubine|Benjaminite War]]. Later, in the [[Books of Samuel|Book of Samuel]], it is mentioned as the first capital of the united [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|Kingdom of Israel]] under king [[Saul]]. During the [[First Jewish–Roman War]], [[Titus]] established a camp nearby in the "Valley of Thorns", before proceeding to [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|besiege Jerusalem]].

Gibeah of Benjamin is generally identified with ''Tell el-Fūl'' in northern [[Jerusalem]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Aharoni|first=Y. |author-link=Yohanan Aharoni |title=The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography''|edition=2 |publisher=Westminster Press |location=Philadelphia|year=1979|page=435 |language=en|isbn=0664242669 |oclc=6250553}} (original Hebrew edition: 'Land of Israel in Biblical Times - Historical Geography', [[Bialik Institute]], Jerusalem (1962))</ref> 

==Etymology==
Gibeah is a Hebrew word meaning "hill" ({{langx|he|גִּבְעָה|translit=Giv'ah}}).<ref name="aht" />
                  
{{hiero|ḳbꜥw<ref name = Gauthier169>{{cite book |last= Gauthier |first= Henri |title= Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques |volume= 5 |date= 1928 |page=169 |url= https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1928/page/n87 }}</ref><ref name = Budge1043>{{cite book |last= Wallis Budge |first= E. A. |title= An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary: with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, Coptic and Semitic alphabets, etc. |volume= II |date= 1920 |publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/egyptianhierogly02budguoft/page/1043 1043] |url= https://archive.org/details/egyptianhierogly02budguoft}}</ref>|<hiero>N29*D58-D36:G43</hiero>|era=nk|align=right}}

==Gibeah of Benjamin==

=== Biblical narrative ===
Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin was the location of the infamous rape of the [[Levite's concubine]], and the resulting Battle of Gibeah ({{Bibleverse|Judges|19-21|HE}}). Israel’s first king, King [[Saul]], reigned here for 22 years ({{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|8-31|HE}}). According to PEF explorer [[C. R. Conder|C.R. Conder]], the name may have applied to a district as well as to a town, since the neighboring town of [[Ramah in Benjamin|Ramah]] is said to have been "in Gibeah."<ref>{{cite book|last=Conder|first=C.R.|author-link=Claude Reignier Conder|title=Tent Work in Palestine. A Record of Discovery and Adventure|volume=2 |publisher=Richard Bentley & Son (published for the Committee of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund|PEF]])|year=1879|location=London|language=en|url=https://archive.org/stream/tentworkinpalest02conduoft#page/n9/mode/2up |oclc=23589738 |page=[https://archive.org/stream/tentworkinpalest02conduoft#page/111/mode/1up 111] }}</ref>

It is mentioned several times in later prophetic writings.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Hosea|5:8|HE}}, {{Bibleverse-nb|Hosea|9:9|HE}}, {{Bibleverse-nb|Hosea|10:9|HE}} and {{Bibleverse|Isaiah|10:29|HE}}</ref> Also known as Gibeat ({{Bibleverse|Joshua|18:28|HE}}). The name "Gibeah of God" ({{Script/Hebrew|גִּבְעַת הָאֱלֹהִים}}{{lrm}}, ''Give'at-elohim'')<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|10:5|HE}}</ref> may also refer to this Gibeah.

Perhaps to avoid confusion with other places named Gibeah, this location is also called "Gibeah of Benjamin" ({{Script/Hebrew|גִּבְעַת בִּנְיָמִין}}{{lrm}}, ''Give'at Binyamin'')<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|13:2, 13:15|HE}}, {{Bibleverse-nb|1 Samuel|14:16|HE}}</ref> and "Gibeah of Saul" ({{Script/Hebrew|גִּבְעַת שָׁאוּל}}{{lrm}}, ''Give'at Sha'ul'').<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|11:4|HE}}, {{Bibleverse-nb|1 Samuel|15:34|HE}}; {{Bibleverse|Isaiah|10:29}}</ref> The latter name is also used by the modern neighborhood [[Givat Shaul]], which however is located in a different location.

=== In extra-biblical sources ===
According to [[Josephus]], the [[Legio X Fretensis|10th Roman Legion]] led by [[Titus]] camped in the "Valley of Thorns" (''Acanthon Aulon'') near ''Gabaothsaul'' before their [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|siege of Jerusalem]] in 70 CE.<ref name=josephus/><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Guy MacLean |title=For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE |date=2021 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-24813-5 |location=New Haven |pages=293}}</ref> This valley is identified with the contemporary Wâdi Beit Hanina.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Avi-Yonah |first=Michael |date=1976 |title=Gazetteer of Roman Palestine |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43587090 |journal=Qedem |volume=5 |pages=25 |issn=0333-5844}}</ref>

===Identification with Tell el-Ful===
This Gibeah is generally identified with '''Tell el-Fūl''' ({{langx|ar|تلّ الفول||mound of [[fava]] beans}}),<ref>Nancy Lapp, [http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195065121.001.0001/acref-9780195065121-e-393  Ful,  Tell el-], Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East (1997).</ref> a hill in the northern reaches of modern [[Jerusalem]], on the outskirts of the [[Pisgat Ze'ev]] and [[Shuafat]] neighborhoods.<ref>LaMar C. Berrett, ''Discovering the World of the Bible''</ref><ref>[[H.B. Tristram]], ''The Land of Israel: A Journal of Travels in Palestine'', London 1865, p. [https://archive.org/details/landisraelajour01trisgoog/page/n220 169]</ref> This location is {{convert|3|mi}} north of ancient Jerusalem, along the watershed ridge at {{convert|2,754|ft}} [[above sea level]]. According to [[Josephus]], Gabaothsaul was located about 30 ''[[Stadion (unit)|stadia]]'' north of Jerusalem, which would have roughly corresponded with the location of ''Tell el-Fūl''.<ref name=josephus>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Jewish War]]'' 5.2.1. ([https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D5%3Asection%3D47 5.47])</ref>

King [[Hussein of Jordan]] began construction on a [[Royal Palace, Tell el-Ful|royal palace at Tell el-Ful]], but construction was halted when the [[Six-Day War]] broke out. Since Israel won the war, King Hussein's palace was never finished and now all that remains is the skeleton of the building.[[File:ארמון חוסיין ב תל אל פול.JPG|thumb|Unfinished [[Royal Palace, Tell el-Ful|Royal Palace of King Hussein]] of Jordan at Tell el-Ful. ]]Alternatively, Gibeah may have been where [[Jaba', Jerusalem|Jaba']] now stands ({{convert|9.12|km}} north of Jerusalem), a view held by biblical scholar [[Edward Robinson (scholar)|Edward Robinson]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|location=Boston|publisher=[[Crocker & Brewster]]|volume=3 |page=122 (2nd appendix) }}</ref> and C. Umhau Wolf.<ref>C. Umhau Wolf (1971), ''The Onomasticon of Eusebius of Pamphili'', § 335 (d). This view is based on the premise that ''Gabatha of Saul'' (I Samuel 10:26) was known in Eusebius' time, and if it had been ''Tell al Ful'', as claimed by historical geographers, they are still left to explain why no Byzantine remains were found at the site.</ref> However, Jaba is now widely identified with the biblical city of [[Geba (city)|Geba]].<ref>Guerin, 1869, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr06gugoog#page/n80/mode/1up 67]-69</ref><ref>Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/9/mode/1up 9]</ref> 
[[Israel Finkelstein]] also challenged the identification with ''Tell el-Fūl''.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Israel Finkelstein |title= Tell el-Ful revisited: The Assyrian and Hellenistic periods (with a new identification) |journal= Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume= 143 |issue=2 |year= 2011 |pages= 106–118 |doi= 10.1179/003103211x12971861556918 }}</ref>

==== Archaeology ====
Tell el-Ful was first excavated in 1868 by [[Charles Warren]], while C.R. Conder described the remains in 1874. [[William F. Albright]] led his first excavation from 1922 to 1923, and returned for a second season in 1923. His work was published in 1960. P.W. Lapp conducted a six-week [[rescue archaeology|salvage excavation]] in 1964. According to Kenneth Kitchen, "Upon this strategic point was found an [[Iron Age|Iron I]] occupation replaced (at an interval) by a fortress ("I"), subsequently refurbished ("II"), and then later in disuse. The oldest level may reflect the Gibeah of {{Bibleverse|Judges|19-20|HE}}. The excavations by Albright, checked by Lapp, would favor the view that it was Saul who built the first fortress, later repaired by him or David. The first fort (quadrangular) had at least one rectangular corner-tower at its southwest angle; it may have had others at the other corners, but no traces were detected."<ref>Kenneth Kitchen, ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), p. 97.</ref>

The site was once more inhabited around the start of the [[Hellenistic period]], and its wall was once more in service. The citadel underwent repairs as well in the second century BCE. At the end of the second century BCE, the site was abandoned.<ref>{{Citation |last=Halpern-Zylberstein |first=Marie-Christine |title=The Archeology of Hellenistic Palestine |date=1990-03-22 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/CBO9781139055123A005/type/book_part |work=The Cambridge History of Judaism |pages= |editor-last=Davies |editor-first=W. D. |access-date=2023-03-19 |edition=1 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/chol9780521219297.002 |isbn=978-0-521-21929-7 |editor2-last=Finkelstein |editor2-first=Louis|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Gibeah of Judah and Ephraim==

Gibeah of Judah was a city in the tribal inheritance of Judah ({{Bibleverse|Joshua|15:57|HE}}); cities mentioned in nearby verses included [[Zanoah]] and [[Halhul]]. [[C. R. Conder]] identifies this Gibeah with [[Jab'a]].<ref>[[H.B. Tristram]], ''Bible Places: or, The Topography of the Holy Land: a Succinct Account of All the Places, Rivers, and Mountains…'', London 1897, p. [https://archive.org/stream/bibleplacesortop00tris#page/82/mode/2up 83]; Conder & Kitchener, SWP (vol. 3), London 1883, p. 53.</ref>

Gibeah of Ephraim was a city in the tribal inheritance of Ephraim, "the Gibeah of [[Phinehas]]" ({{Bibleverse|Joshua|24:33|HE}}); [[Eleazar]], the son of [[Aaron]], was buried here. Possibly [[Awarta]].

==See also==
*[[History of Ancient Israel and Judah]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{commons category}}
* Albright, W.F. (1971). ''The Archaeology of Palestine'' 
* Arnold, P. (1992). "Gibeah", ''Anchor Bible Dictionary'' 
* Lapp, N. (1997). "Tell el-Ful", ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East'' 
* {{cite journal |last=Regev|first=Eyal|title=Josephus on Gibeah: Versions of a Toponym|journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|volume=89|issue=3/4 |pages=351–359 |year=1999|jstor=1455028|language=en }}
* Sinclair, L.A. (1960). ''An Archaeological Study of Gibeah''

{{Sites of the Israelite Settlement}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places disestablished in the 2nd century BC]]
[[Category:1868 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible mountains]]
[[Category:Tells (archaeology)]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)]]
[[Category:Disputed biblical places]]
[[Category:Tribe of Benjamin]]
[[Category:Saul]]
[[Category:Capitals of former nations]]