Jokmeam
Jokmeam is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Yokneam. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
This Jokmeam, associated with Tel Yokneam, appears in the Levitical city lists of 1 Chronicles 6:68 (some manuscripts read Jokmeam where parallel passages read Jokneam). The Levitical cities were designated by Joshua at God's command to provide dwelling places for the tribe of Levi, who received no territorial inheritance of their own. Instead, the Levites were scattered throughout Israel to serve as priests and teachers of the Torah among all the tribes. The Kohathite clan of Levites received cities in the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and western Manasseh, and Jokmeam was among these assignments. This arrangement fulfilled Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49:7 that Levi would be scattered in Israel, while transforming what might have been a curse into a blessing, as the Levites became the spiritual servants of the entire nation. The city's designation as a Levitical center meant it functioned not merely as a residential settlement but as a local hub for worship, instruction, and the preservation of Israel's covenant relationship with God.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
This entry corresponds to Tel Yokneam (Tell Qaimun), a prominent mound at the western edge of the Jezreel Valley near the Carmel ridge. Extensive excavations conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under Amnon Ben-Tor from 1977 onward revealed continuous occupation from the Early Bronze Age through the Ottoman period. Significant Iron Age remains include fortification walls, domestic structures, and administrative buildings consistent with a functioning Israelite city. The site's strategic position controlling the pass through the Carmel range made it an important military and commercial center. Pottery assemblages, scarabs, and inscriptional evidence document Egyptian, Canaanite, and Israelite cultural layers. The tell rises approximately 30 meters above the surrounding plain and is now part of Yokneam Illit's urban landscape.
Verse Appearances (1)
1Kgs
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]