Rehob
Rehob is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tell el Balat. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Rehob, identified with Tell el-Balat in the Galilee region, appears in the tribal allotment narratives of the book of Joshua. The city was assigned to the tribe of Asher as part of their inheritance in the northern territories of Canaan (Joshua 19:28). The name Rehob means 'open place' or 'broad street,' suggesting it was situated in an accessible, open area suitable for settlement and trade. Asher's allotment stretched along the Mediterranean coast and into the Galilean highlands, and Rehob occupied a position within this fertile territory. Though Asher received this city, Judges 1:31 records that the tribe failed to drive out the Canaanite inhabitants of several cities in their territory, indicating the incomplete nature of the conquest. The city's mention, though brief, contributes to the broader biblical theme of God's faithfulness in granting the land He promised to Abraham's descendants, even as Israel's obedience in possessing that land remained imperfect throughout the period of settlement.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Tell el-Balat is situated in the upper Galilee region of modern Israel, in an area of rolling hills and fertile valleys. The site has received limited systematic excavation, though surface surveys have identified pottery and architectural remains consistent with Bronze and Iron Age occupation. The tell's location near important north-south routes through the Galilee made it strategically significant in antiquity. The surrounding region contains numerous tells and settlement remains from the Canaanite and Israelite periods, reflecting dense habitation patterns. Further archaeological investigation would be needed to confirm the identification with biblical Rehob definitively and to establish a more complete occupational history.
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]