Kibzaim
Kibzaim is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel al Mazar. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Kibzaim appears in Scripture solely in Joshua 21:22, where it is listed among the Levitical cities assigned to the Kohathite clan from the territory of Ephraim. After the conquest of Canaan under Joshua's leadership, the Levites, who received no tribal land inheritance, were granted forty-eight cities distributed throughout the other tribes' territories (Numbers 35:1-8). Kibzaim was one of four cities given from Ephraim's allotment, alongside Shechem (a city of refuge), Gezer, and Beth-horon. The name Kibzaim likely means "two heaps" or "double gathering place." In the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 6:68, the city appears under the name Jokmeam, suggesting either an alternative name or a scribal variation. As a Levitical city, Kibzaim served both a religious and practical purpose: it provided the Levites with dwelling places and surrounding pasturelands for their livestock, while also positioning them throughout Israel to teach the Law and minister to the people, fulfilling Moses' blessing over Levi in Deuteronomy 33:10.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Kibzaim has been tentatively identified with Tel al-Mazar (also spelled Tell el-Mazar), situated in the hill country of Ephraim near the Jordan Valley. The site has yielded remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages, consistent with occupation during the Israelite settlement period. Some scholars have alternatively proposed Tell el-Qabsah as a candidate, based on phonetic similarity to the name Kibzaim. The identification remains debated due to limited excavation and the scarcity of inscriptional evidence. The surrounding region of the central hill country of Ephraim has produced extensive archaeological evidence of Israelite settlement during the Iron Age I period (ca. 1200-1000 BCE), supporting the biblical account of Levitical city allocation.
Verse Appearances (2)
Josh
1Chr
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]