Bene-berak
Bene-berak is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Coastal Plain in modern-day Israel. Known today as Al Khayriyya. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Bene-berak appears in the Old Testament in the list of cities assigned to the tribe of Dan following Joshua's conquest of Canaan (Joshua 19:45). The name means "sons of lightning" or "sons of Berak," though the precise etymology remains debated. As part of the Danite territorial allotment, Bene-berak lay in the coastal plain between Joppa and the hill country, a region of considerable agricultural and commercial importance. The Danites, however, struggled to fully possess their allotted territory: Judges 1:34 records that the Amorites pressed the Danites back into the hill country, indicating limited effective control over many of these coastal cities. Consequently, the tribe of Dan eventually migrated northward and captured Laish, renamed Dan (Judges 18). The failure to consolidate the coastal plain, including cities like Bene-berak, reflects the broader challenge Israel faced in subduing the chariot-equipped Canaanite and Philistine populations of the lowlands. The city's significance thus lies primarily as evidence of Israel's territorial aspirations and the gap between promise and historical possession in the period of the Judges.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Bene-berak is associated with the site of Al Khayriyya (also known as Khirbet Kharruba), located in the coastal plain near modern Bnei Brak, a city whose Hebrew name directly preserves the ancient toponym. The modern Israeli city of Bnei Brak was founded in 1924 and named after the biblical site. The ancient location has not been extensively excavated due to modern urban development, but surveys have identified Bronze and Iron Age remains consistent with Canaanite and Danite occupation. The region's flat, fertile terrain was well-suited to agriculture and likely supported a substantial Canaanite settlement before and during the Israelite period.
Verse Appearances (1)
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]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]