Edrei
Edrei is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Phoenicia in modern-day Israel. Known today as Har Zevi. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
This northern Edrei, identified with Har Zevi in the region of Phoenicia near the territory of Naphtali, appears in Joshua 19:37 as a fortified city within the allotment of the tribe of Naphtali. Unlike its famous Transjordanian namesake associated with the defeat of Og, this Edrei is mentioned only once, in the context of the tribal boundary lists that divide the Promised Land among Israel's twelve tribes. The Galilean highlands in which this Edrei lay were fertile and strategically significant, overlooking trade routes and agricultural lands that made the northern tribes prosperous but also vulnerable to foreign incursion. The tribal allotments recorded in Joshua 13–19 represent the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:18–21), parceling out specific territories to each tribe as a tangible inheritance. Though this Edrei leaves no further narrative trace in Scripture, its inclusion in the boundary lists affirms the orderly stewardship of a land given by divine covenant, where even lesser-known towns bore witness to God's faithfulness to his people.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Har Zevi, proposed as the northern Edrei near the Upper Galilee highlands, has not been the subject of major published excavation campaigns. The region of Upper Galilee contains numerous unexcavated or partially surveyed tells and khirbets from the Bronze and Iron Ages, and surface surveys conducted by Israeli archaeologists have documented widespread Iron Age settlement consistent with the period of Israelite tribal occupation described in Joshua. The rugged terrain of the Galilean highlands provided natural defense and abundant water sources, making it attractive for fortified settlements. Without targeted excavation at this specific site, precise identification and material culture assessment remain provisional, relying primarily on geographical and toponymic analysis.
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]
- 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]