Zeboim
Zeboim is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Coastal Plain in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Sabiyeh. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Zeboim (distinct from Zeboiim of the cities of the plain) appears in the Old Testament as a settlement in the Coastal Plain of Israel, mentioned specifically in the context of the Benjaminite territorial lists of the postexilic period. In Nehemiah 11:34, Zeboim is listed among the towns resettled by the descendants of Benjamin following the return from Babylonian exile, placing it in the tribal territory of Benjamin or its western fringes. This context indicates that Zeboim survived or was reestablished as a viable settlement in the Persian period, when Nehemiah organized the repopulation of Judah's towns and villages. The town's location in or near the Coastal Plain separates it geographically from the hill-country heartland of Benjamin, suggesting it may have represented an extension of Benjaminite settlement into the lowlands. The postexilic resettlement lists in Nehemiah are significant historical documents that reflect the demographic realities of the Persian province of Yehud, showing how the returning community attempted to reconstitute the full territorial extent of pre-exilic Judah.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Zeboim is tentatively identified with Khirbet Sabiyeh, located in the Coastal Plain region east of modern Tel Aviv, near the ancient Ayalon Valley corridor. The site falls within a zone of transition between the Shephelah foothills and the coastal lowlands, a region that experienced continuous settlement from the Bronze Age through the Islamic period. Surface surveys in the area have identified Iron Age and Persian-period pottery, consistent with the postexilic resettlement described in Nehemiah. The Ayalon Valley was a key route of communication between the coast and the Judean highlands, giving settlements in this area strategic and commercial significance. No major excavation has been conducted specifically at the proposed site.
Verse Appearances (1)
Neh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →