Where is the land of Punt mentioned in the Bible?

Punt is mentioned in the Old Testament as a distant, exotic land. It is referenced in the context of trade, particularly for gold, spices, and precious woods (Ezekiel 27:22).

What is the modern location of the biblical land of Punt?

While its exact location is debated by scholars, the biblical land of Punt is generally associated with the Horn of Africa, likely encompassing parts of modern-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.

Why was Punt significant in the ancient world?

Punt was a major trading partner known for its rare and valuable goods. Its significance in the Bible highlights the extent of ancient trade networks and the wealth of resources from distant lands (1 Kings 10:1-2, 10).

Punt

regionBoth Testaments0 verses

Today DjiboutiCountry EthiopiaCoordinates 11.595, 43.148

Punt is a region mentioned in the Bible, located in modern-day Ethiopia. Known today as Djibouti.

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Biblical History

Punt, known as the Land of Punt in Egyptian records, is not directly named in the canonical Hebrew Bible but belongs to the broader geographical and cultural world of biblical antiquity. It is frequently associated with the biblical land of Put or Ophir and is referenced in ancient Egyptian texts as a source of incense, myrrh, gold, ebony, and exotic animals. Queen Hatshepsut's famous expedition to Punt (circa 1470 BC) is documented in relief carvings at her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri. Some scholars connect Punt with the broader trade networks mentioned in 1 Kings 10:11-12, where Solomon's ships brought gold, almug wood, and precious stones from Ophir. The wealth flowing from eastern Africa and the Red Sea coast into the ancient Near East formed part of the economic backdrop against which Israel's interactions with Egypt and the broader world played out. Punt represents the far reaches of the known ancient world, a land of legendary abundance at the edges of biblical geography.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

The exact location of Punt has been debated for over a century, with proposed identifications ranging from the Horn of Africa (modern Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, or Ethiopia) to the southern Arabian Peninsula or even the coast of Mozambique. Egyptian relief carvings depict Punt's distinctive stilt houses, flora, and fauna. Isotopic analysis of baboon mummies from Egyptian temples, published in 2020, pointed to the Eritrea-Ethiopia region as the most likely source. No archaeological site has been conclusively identified as the Puntite capital. The region's role as a source of frankincense and myrrh aligns with the botanical geography of the Horn of Africa and southern Arabia. Egyptian trading expeditions to Punt date from the Old Kingdom through the New Kingdom, spanning over a millennium of contact.

Verse Appearances (0)

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]

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