Gibeah
Gibeah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel el Ful. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
This entry for Gibeah at Tel el-Ful reflects a secondary or variant reference to the same site most prominently associated with Saul's capital. Tel el-Ful north of Jerusalem served as the administrative center of Saul's kingdom and is referenced multiple times across the books of Judges, Samuel, and the prophets under slightly varying designations. The single-verse reference associated with this entry likely appears in a context such as Isaiah 10:29, where Gibeah is mentioned among the towns imperiled by the Assyrian advance toward Jerusalem, or in one of the Chronicles passages. The city's name, meaning 'the hill', naturally lent itself to repeated usage across different narrative contexts. As Saul's hometown and fortress city, Gibeah was well known to every Israelite reader, making even a passing reference loaded with historical memory. The association of this site with the origins of Israelite monarchy, the tragedy of Saul's reign, and the prophetic warnings of later centuries gave Gibeah a weight in the Israelite imagination far exceeding what its modest physical dimensions might suggest.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Tel el-Ful's archaeological history has been described in connection with the primary Gibeah entry. Albright's and Lapp's excavations confirmed Iron Age I fortress remains and Iron Age II occupation layers. The site's strategic elevation, it commands views of Jerusalem to the south and the Benjaminite plateau, explains its recurring military significance. Modern urban expansion has encroached significantly on the tel, and a half-completed Jordanian-era palace construction on the summit prevented full excavation of the uppermost layers. The site is now partially within Israeli jurisdiction and partially within Palestinian Authority territory, complicating future research prospects.
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]