Horonaim
Horonaim is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Beit Ur al Tahta. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Horonaim is a Moabite city mentioned primarily in the prophetic oracles against Moab. The name, meaning "two hollows" or "twin caves," suggests its location in a valley or depression within the Moabite plateau. Isaiah references the city in his oracle against Moab, describing the cries of destruction reaching from Zoar to Horonaim as the people flee southward in panic (Isaiah 15:5). Jeremiah echoes this imagery in his own extended prophecy against Moab, declaring that "from Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction" (Jeremiah 48:3), and again noting the anguished cries heard on the road to Horonaim (Jeremiah 48:5, 34). The Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele), though not Scripture, independently confirms Horonaim as a significant Moabite settlement, with King Mesha claiming he was commanded by his god Chemosh to march against it. In Scripture, Horonaim serves as a symbol of Moab's coming judgment, illustrating the prophetic theme that no nation, however secure, stands beyond the reach of divine justice.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Horonaim is mentioned on the Mesha Stele (circa 840 BC), confirming its existence as a significant Moabite city. Its precise identification remains debated among scholars. Some have proposed el-Iraq, located in the southern reaches of the Moabite plateau east of the Dead Sea, while others suggest sites near Wadi el-Hesa. The identification with Beit Ur al Tahta (Lower Beth-horon) in the Judean hills is likely a conflation with the similarly named Beth-horon; most scholars place Horonaim firmly in Transjordan within ancient Moab. The region has seen limited systematic archaeological excavation, and no site has been conclusively identified as Horonaim. The surrounding landscape of modern Jordan preserves numerous ancient tells that await further investigation.
Verse Appearances (1)
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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]