En-tappuah
En-tappuah is a location mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Samaria in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tell Abu Zarad. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
En-tappuah appears in Joshua 17:7-8 as a location on the boundary between the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim in the central hill country of Canaan. The text notes that while the town of Tappuah itself belonged to Ephraim, the spring of Tappuah (En-tappuah) belonged to the sons of Manasseh — an unusual territorial arrangement that preserves a record of the nuanced and sometimes contested boundary agreements between the tribes as they settled the land. The name means 'spring of the apple (or quince) tree,' suggesting a fruit-bearing landscape watered by this spring. The region of Tappuah lay in the central highlands of Samaria and was associated with significant later events: 2 Kings 15:16 mentions Menahem's brutal campaign in which Tiphsah (possibly related to or confused with Tappuah) was attacked. Joshua 12:17 also records Tappuah among the Canaanite kings defeated by Joshua, indicating a pre-Israelite city that was subsequently incorporated into the tribal system and whose spring became a point of inter-tribal negotiation.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
En-tappuah and the associated city of Tappuah are identified by most scholars with Tell Abu Zarad, located in the Samarian highlands south of modern Nablus (ancient Shechem). The site occupies a prominent ridge with commanding views of the surrounding valleys and would have been a defensible Canaanite city. Archaeological surveys and limited excavations have revealed Bronze Age and Iron Age occupation consistent with the periods referenced in Joshua. The spring associated with the site flows from the base of the tell, fitting the biblical description of En-tappuah as a water source distinct from but adjacent to the city. The broader Shechem region has been intensively studied and reveals the full spectrum of Canaanite and Israelite settlement patterns.
Verse Appearances (2)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →