Where was the biblical city of Ataroth located?

Ataroth was an ancient city located in the Transjordan region, east of the Jordan River, in the territory of the tribe of Gad. Its ruins are identified with the modern archaeological site of Khirbet Ataruz in Jordan (Numbers 32:3).

What happened at Ataroth in the Bible?

The Bible records that the tribes of Gad and Reuben requested the land of Gilead, which included Ataroth, for their large flocks. They promised to help conquer Canaan before settling there, and Moses granted their request (Numbers 32:1-5, 33-34).

Why is Ataroth significant in the Bible?

Ataroth is significant as part of the inheritance of the tribe of Gad, demonstrating how the Israelites distributed the Promised Land. Its mention highlights the fulfillment of God's promise to give the land to the tribes of Israel (Joshua 13:24-28).

Ataroth

cityOld TestamentTransjordan2 verses

Today Khirbet AtaruzCountry IsraelCoordinates 31.575, 35.666

Ataroth is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Transjordan in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Ataruz. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.

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Archaeological Data

Uppsala University, ANE Site Placemarks (CC BY 4.0), doi:10.5281/zenodo.6384044

Biblical History

Ataroth in Transjordan, identified with modern Khirbet Ataruz, was a town in the territory east of the Jordan River, in the plateau region of Gilead and Moab. It appears in Numbers 32:3 and 32:34 as one of the cities that the tribes of Gad and Reuben requested from Moses, citing its suitability for their extensive livestock. Moses initially reproved their request as potentially discouraging the other tribes from crossing into Canaan, but after they pledged to lead the military conquest before settling in Transjordan, the land was granted. Gad rebuilt Ataroth as part of their territorial establishment east of the Jordan (Numbers 32:34). The town represents the ancient tension in Israelite settlement between the fertile grazing lands of Transjordan and the divinely promised territory west of the river. Ataroth's inclusion in the tribal allotments of Gad reflects the pragmatic accommodation Moses made for pastoral tribes, while the covenant obligation to assist in the conquest remained binding. The broader region of Gilead and Moab had long been contested territory between Israel, Moab, and Ammon.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

Khirbet Ataruz, located on the Moabite plateau in modern Jordan, has been the subject of recent systematic archaeological investigation led by Chang-Ho Ji beginning in 2010. Excavations have uncovered substantial Iron Age remains, including a cultic complex with altars, a shrine room, and ritual vessels, alongside evidence of administrative activity. The famous Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone), discovered in 1868, explicitly mentions Ataroth as a city Israel had occupied and which Mesha of Moab recaptured and dedicated to his god Chemosh, a striking extrabiblical confirmation of the city's Gadite occupation noted in Numbers. Occupation layers extend from the Early Bronze Age through the Iron Age.

Verse Appearances (2)

Num

Num 32:3 Num 32:34

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]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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