En-rimmon
En-rimmon is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Halif. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
En-rimmon is mentioned in Nehemiah 11:29 among the towns resettled by the people of Judah after the return from Babylonian exile, reflecting the efforts of the restored community to reoccupy the ancestral towns of the Negev and Shephelah. The name likely means 'spring of the pomegranate,' evoking the fertility and agricultural character of the settlement. En-rimmon may represent the combination of two towns — Ain and Rimmon — which appear separately in Joshua 15:32 among the southernmost cities of Judah, and again in Joshua 19:7 as towns of Simeon within Judah's territory. After the exile, the returning community consolidated these settlements, and the combined name En-rimmon appears. The prophet Zechariah's eschatological vision includes a reference to the region 'from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem' (Zechariah 14:10), suggesting that Rimmon/En-rimmon served as a recognized southern boundary marker for Judah's eventual restoration — a beacon of hope in prophetic geography.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
En-rimmon is identified by most scholars with Tel Halif, located in the northern Negev near the modern Kibbutz Lahav. Tel Halif has been systematically excavated by the Lahav Research Project since the 1970s, revealing occupation from the Chalcolithic period through the Ottoman era. Iron Age II strata at Tel Halif show evidence of a prosperous Judahite town with domestic and industrial installations, destroyed during Sennacherib's campaign and later the Babylonian conquest. The site was resettled in the Persian period, consistent with En-rimmon's mention in Nehemiah 11:29 as a post-exilic resettlement. Tel Halif's ongoing excavations have produced significant data on rural life in ancient Judah.
Verse Appearances (1)
Neh
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