Michmethath
Michmethath is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Samaria in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet en Nabi. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Michmethath appears twice in the book of Joshua as a boundary marker in the allotment of land to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. In Joshua 16:6, it is mentioned as a point on the eastern border of Ephraim's territory: the boundary turned eastward to Taanath-shiloh and passed along beyond it on the east to Janoah. In Joshua 17:7, Michmethath is described as lying "east of Shechem," serving as a reference point on the boundary of Manasseh's allotment. The fact that Michmethath appears on the borders of both Ephraim and Manasseh indicates it sat precisely at the dividing line between these two closely related Joseph tribes. While no significant events are recorded as occurring at Michmethath, its role as a boundary marker reflects the careful and divinely ordered distribution of the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership. The detailed boundary descriptions in which Michmethath appears demonstrate God's faithfulness in fulfilling His land promise to Israel and the meticulous care taken to ensure each tribe received its appointed inheritance.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Michmethath has been tentatively identified with Khirbet en-Nabi, situated in the hill country of Samaria east of Shechem (modern Nablus). The identification relies primarily on the site's geographic correspondence with the boundary descriptions in Joshua 16-17, which place Michmethath east of Shechem along the Ephraim-Manasseh border. Some scholars have alternatively proposed Khirbet Makhneh el-Fauqa as a candidate based on name preservation. The region around Shechem is well known archaeologically, with Tell Balata (ancient Shechem) having been extensively excavated. However, Khirbet en-Nabi itself has received limited archaeological investigation, and no inscription or artifact has confirmed its identification with biblical Michmethath.
Verse Appearances (2)
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]