Lasha
Lasha is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Syria in modern-day Syria. Known today as Callirrhoe. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Lasha appears once in Scripture, in Genesis 10:19, as one of the boundary markers defining the territory of the Canaanites: 'And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.' This verse, part of the Table of Nations that traces the descendants of Noah after the Flood, establishes Lasha as the farthest extent of Canaanite settlement in the region near the Dead Sea. The passage maps the world as it was repopulated following the Flood, with each family of nations receiving their territories according to God's sovereign ordering of history. Lasha's position at the boundary of Canaanite lands places it in the vicinity of the infamous cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, which would later face divine judgment (Genesis 19). Though no events are recorded at Lasha itself, its role in defining the extent of Canaan connects it to the broader narrative of the land that God would eventually promise to Abraham's descendants.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The identification of Lasha remains debated among scholars. Ancient sources, including Jerome, identified it with Callirrhoe, a site famous for its hot springs on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan, where Herod the Great reportedly sought healing near the end of his life. Other scholars have proposed locations in Syria or Lebanon. The Callirrhoe identification places Lasha near Wadi Zarqa Ma'in, where warm sulfurous springs still flow today. Archaeological remains at Callirrhoe include a Herodian-era bathing complex excavated in the 1980s. The association with Lasha, however, rests primarily on patristic tradition rather than epigraphic evidence, and the identification remains tentative.
Verse Appearances (1)
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