Mizpah
Mizpah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Phoenicia in modern-day Israel. Known today as Mount Hermon. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
This Mizpah, associated with the region near Mount Hermon in the far north of Israel, appears in Joshua 11:3, where the Hivites dwelling "below Hermon in the land of Mizpah" are listed among the northern Canaanite peoples who joined King Jabin of Hazor's coalition against Israel. The name Mizpah, meaning "watchtower," was applied to various elevated sites throughout the land, and this northern Mizpah likely refers to a settlement or district in the foothills of Mount Hermon from which the surrounding valleys could be observed. The Hivites of this region joined Jabin's vast army, which assembled at the Waters of Merom to confront Joshua's advancing forces. Despite the coalition's enormous military strength, described as numerous "as the sand on the seashore" with many horses and chariots (Joshua 11:4), God delivered them into Israel's hands. The mention of this Mizpah places Hivite territory at the northern extreme of the Canaanite alliance, demonstrating the comprehensive scope of opposition that God's people faced in claiming the Promised Land.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
This northern Mizpah near Mount Hermon has not been definitively identified with any specific archaeological site. The Mount Hermon region, straddling the modern borders of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, contains numerous ancient settlement remains on its lower slopes and in the surrounding valleys. The area historically served as a boundary zone between various political entities. Several Iron Age and Bronze Age sites have been documented in surveys of the Golan Heights and the Hermon foothills, including Banias (ancient Caesarea Philippi) and the sanctuary site of Tel Dan. The region's abundant water sources from Hermon's snowmelt made it attractive for settlement. The precise location of this Mizpah remains an open question, as the general term "watchtower" could apply to numerous elevated positions in this mountainous terrain.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
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]