Kedemoth
Kedemoth is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Transjordan in modern-day Israel. Known today as Aleiyan. It appears across 4 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Kedemoth is a city in the Transjordanian territory originally belonging to the Amorite king Sihon, which became part of the tribal allotment of Reuben after Israel's conquest. The city first appears in Deuteronomy 2:26, where Moses sends messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, offering peaceful passage through his land. When Sihon refused and attacked Israel, the Lord delivered him into Israel's hands (Deuteronomy 2:30-33), opening the way for settlement east of the Jordan. Kedemoth was subsequently assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Joshua 13:18) and then designated as a Levitical city given to the Merarite clan (Joshua 21:37; 1 Chronicles 6:79). The wilderness of Kedemoth, from which Moses dispatched his diplomatic envoy, suggests the city lay on the eastern frontier of settled territory, bordering the open steppe. The name Kedemoth, derived from the Hebrew root meaning "east" or "ancient," fittingly describes its position on Israel's eastern boundary.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Kedemoth has been tentatively identified with several sites east of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan, including Aleiyan and Qasr ez-Za'feran near the upper reaches of the Arnon River system. The identification remains debated among scholars, as no inscription or definitive archaeological evidence has confirmed any specific site. The region lies on the Moabite plateau, characterized by semi-arid steppe transitioning into desert. Archaeological surveys of the Transjordanian plateau have documented numerous Iron Age settlements consistent with the biblical picture of Reubenite and later Moabite occupation. The Mesha Stele (ninth century BC) references several cities in this region, though Kedemoth is not explicitly named. The area today is sparsely populated agricultural and pastoral land.
Verse Appearances (4)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →