Arnon
Arnon is a river mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Wadi Mujib. It appears across 12 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
The Arnon River (modern Wadi Mujib) flows westward into the Dead Sea and served as one of the most significant geographical boundaries in the Transjordanian narratives of the Old Testament. It first appears in Numbers 21:13–14 as the border between Moab and the territory of the Amorite king Sihon. When the Israelites journeyed toward Canaan, they camped along the Arnon and God commanded them not to distress Moab, since the river formed the recognized frontier (Numbers 21:28; Deuteronomy 2:24). The subsequent defeat of Sihon, whose kingdom extended from the Arnon northward to the Jabbok, opened the Transjordanian highlands to Israel and was celebrated as a defining act of divine power (Deuteronomy 3:8). The river also demarcated tribal allotments: the Arnon served as the southern boundary of the tribe of Reuben (Deuteronomy 3:12; Joshua 13:16). Later, during the period of the judges, it recurs in the context of Jephthah's negotiations with the Ammonites (Judges 11:18). The Arnon's role as a natural frontier made it a recurring landmark in Israel's territorial memory.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The modern Wadi Mujib in Jordan is confidently identified with the biblical Arnon. The gorge is one of the most dramatic in the Middle East, cutting through the Moabite plateau to a depth of over 1,000 meters before emptying into the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. Ancient road systems, including portions of the Roman King's Highway, crossed the Arnon gorge and show evidence of Iron Age use. Survey work in the region has located Iron Age and Bronze Age sites on the plateau above the wadi. The Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve today protects the canyon, which remains largely unexplored archaeologically due to its difficult terrain.
Verse Appearances (12)
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]