Where was the biblical city of Arab located?

The city of Arab was located in the hill country of the ancient tribe of Judah, within the region of Judea. Its archaeological site is identified today as Khirbet er Rabiyeh, in modern-day Israel.

What happened in the city of Arab in the Bible?

Arab is mentioned only once in the Bible, listed among the cities given to the tribe of Judah after the conquest of Canaan. No specific events are recorded as happening there (Joshua 15:52).

Why is the city of Arab significant in the Bible?

Arab's significance lies in its inclusion in the territorial allotment for Judah, demonstrating God's faithfulness in giving the promised land to the Israelites. It represents one of many settlements that formed the inheritance of God's people.

Arab

cityOld TestamentJudea1 verse

Today Khirbet er RabiyehCountry IsraelCoordinates 31.432, 35.030

Arab is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet er Rabiyeh. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.

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Biblical History

Arab is a town in the hill country of Judah, mentioned once in Scripture in the tribal allotment lists of Joshua 15:52. It appears among a cluster of towns assigned to Judah in the mountain district, situated near Dumah and Eshan. Like many of the smaller settlements catalogued in Joshua's detailed territorial lists, Arab receives no narrative elaboration, its significance lies in the careful preservation of Judah's inheritance boundaries rather than in any dramatic episode of Israel's history. The name itself may be related to a Hebrew root meaning "ambush" or could simply reflect a topographical or clan designation common to the region. The town's inclusion in this exhaustive list of Judean hill country settlements testifies to the historical memory embedded in the Joshua traditions and to the importance placed on the precise delineation of tribal territories as a theological statement about Israel's God-given inheritance in the land of Canaan.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

Arab is tentatively identified with Khirbet er-Rabiyeh, a ruin site in the Judean highlands southwest of Hebron. Surface survey pottery from the area includes Iron Age sherds consistent with settlement during the period of the Israelite monarchy. The site occupies elevated terrain characteristic of the Judean hill country towns listed in Joshua 15. No systematic excavation has been conducted at the proposed site. The identification remains provisional, as the cluster of place names in this section of Joshua presents significant challenges for precise localization. The broader region has yielded Iron Age remains at numerous nearby sites, confirming dense settlement during the biblical period.

Verse Appearances (1)

Josh

Josh 15:52

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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