Bamoth-baal
Bamoth-baal is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Transjordan in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet el Quweiqiyeh. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Bamoth-baal, meaning 'high places of Baal,' was a site in Moabite territory east of the Jordan River associated with the Canaanite storm deity Baal and the dramatic confrontation between the prophet Balaam and the Israelites recorded in Numbers 22-24. Balak king of Moab brought Balaam to this elevated location specifically because its commanding vistas overlooked the vast encampment of Israel on the plains of Moab, hoping that from such a vantage point the prophet's curses would prove effective (Numbers 22:41). The name reveals that this high place had long served as a center of Baal worship in the region, with altars established on the heights in the pagan religious tradition. At Bamoth-baal, Balak constructed seven altars at Balaam's instruction and offered sacrifices, but God overruled and Balaam could only bless where he was commissioned to curse. The site appears again in Joshua 13:17, listed among the towns assigned to the tribe of Reuben in the Transjordanian distribution, indicating that Israel eventually controlled this territory formerly dominated by Moabite Baal worship.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Bamoth-baal shares its probable identification with Bamoth and is associated with Khirbet el-Quweiqiyeh on the Moabite plateau in modern Jordan. The elevated terrain of this region corresponds well with the biblical description of a site from which the Israelite encampment in the Jordan Valley below could be surveyed. Archaeological surveys in the region of biblical Moab have identified numerous Iron Age and Late Bronze Age sites, consistent with the period of the Exodus and wilderness wandering. Evidence of high place cultic installations across the Transjordanian highlands includes standing stones, altar platforms, and ceramic assemblages associated with ritual activity. The broader Moabite region is attested in Egyptian sources and the Mesha Stele, providing a well-documented historical context for the biblical narratives set in this area.
Verse Appearances (3)
Josh
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]