Beth-tappuah
Beth-tappuah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Taffuh. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Beth-tappuah, meaning "house of apples" or "place of quinces," was a town in the hill country of Judah listed among the inheritance cities in Joshua 15:53. It appears in the district of Hebron, grouped with other highland communities in the southern Judean mountains. The name's association with fruit, the Hebrew tappuah refers to an apple, quince, or similar fruit tree, evokes the agricultural richness of the Judean highlands, where terraced orchards have been cultivated since antiquity. Beth-tappuah occupied a prominent ridge position west of Hebron in an area known for its fertile soils and adequate rainfall, making it an attractive settlement location throughout the biblical period. Though the town itself receives no extended narrative in Scripture, its inclusion in Judah's allotment confirms its status as a recognized Israelite settlement with defined territorial standing. The Judean hill country towns catalogued in Joshua 15 are believed by many scholars to reflect genuine administrative lists from the monarchic period, suggesting Beth-tappuah was an established community from the settlement through at least the early monarchy. The region of Hebron, where Beth-tappuah was situated, was one of the most historically significant areas of Judah, associated with the patriarchs and with David's early reign.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Beth-tappuah is identified with high confidence with modern Taffuh, an Arab village located approximately seven kilometers west of Hebron in the Judean highlands. The Arabic name Taffuh preserves the ancient Hebrew toponym with remarkable fidelity, providing one of the clearer cases of toponymic continuity in biblical geography. The modern village sits atop an ancient tell with visible surface remains. The area is known for its fruit orchards, particularly apples, maintaining an agricultural tradition consistent with the ancient place-name. While no major archaeological excavation has been published for Taffuh specifically, the strong name correspondence and the site's position within the Hebron hill country make the identification widely accepted among scholars.
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]