Nimrah
Nimrah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Transjordan in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tall Bleibel. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Nimrah, also known as Beth-nimrah, appears in Numbers 32:3 among the cities that the tribes of Gad and Reuben requested as their inheritance east of the Jordan River. These Transjordanian tribes saw that the land was suitable for their abundant livestock and petitioned Moses for permission to settle there rather than crossing into Canaan proper. Moses initially rebuked them, fearing their decision would discourage the other tribes, but ultimately agreed on the condition that their warriors would cross the Jordan to help conquer the Promised Land before returning to their eastern settlements (Numbers 32:20-24). The fuller form Beth-nimrah ("house of the leopard" or "house of pure water") appears in Numbers 32:36, where the Gadites are recorded as having rebuilt the city and constructed sheepfolds, reflecting the pastoral economy that drew them to the region. The city's location in the well-watered Jordan Valley near the eastern bank made it ideal grazing territory, fulfilling the practical needs of these livestock-rich tribes within the broader framework of Israel's inheritance.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Nimrah (Beth-nimrah) is identified with Tall Bleibel, located in the Jordan Valley of modern Jordan, near the perennial stream of Wadi Nimrin. The site sits at the edge of the fertile eastern Jordan Valley, approximately 15 kilometers northeast of the Dead Sea. Archaeological surveys have identified pottery and occupation remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages, confirming habitation during the biblical period. The nearby Wadi Nimrin provides a reliable water source that would have supported the pastoral activities described in Numbers 32. The modern town of Nimrin preserves the ancient toponym. The broader region has yielded significant archaeological remains from multiple periods, though Tall Bleibel itself has not been the subject of large-scale excavation.
Verse Appearances (1)
Num
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]