Avith
Avith is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Arabia in modern-day Israel. Known today as Rujum al Juththa. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Avith appears twice in the Old Testament, in Genesis 36:35 and 1 Chronicles 1:46, both times as the royal city of Hadad son of Bedad, an Edomite king who preceded the monarchy in Israel. The passage in Genesis 36:31-39 lists eight Edomite kings who reigned successively before any king reigned over Israel, a genealogical notation that may reflect either the antiquity of Edomite monarchy or serve as a comparison highlighting Edom's early political organization. Hadad's military distinction was his defeat of Midian in the country of Moab, after which he reigned from Avith. The city's location in the region associated with Edom and Arabia places it in the arid territory south and southeast of the Dead Sea. Edom's complex relationship with Israel runs throughout the Old Testament: descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, the Edomites were kin to Israel but repeatedly antagonistic, from their refusal to grant Israel passage during the Exodus (Numbers 20:14-21) to their collaboration with Babylon at Jerusalem's fall (Obadiah 1:11-14). Avith's brief mention grounds the Edomite king list in specific geography, lending historical concreteness to the genealogical record preserved in Genesis.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Avith's precise location has not been definitively established by archaeology. The proposed identification with Rujum al Juththa, a site in the Arabian desert region of modern southern Jordan or northwest Saudi Arabia, remains speculative and is based largely on ancient name comparisons. The broader territory of ancient Edom, centered in the highlands of modern southern Jordan around Petra and Buseirah (ancient Bozrah), has been extensively surveyed and partially excavated. Iron Age Edomite material culture is well-attested archaeologically at sites like Buseirah, Tawilan, and Umm el-Biyara. Without an epigraphic or clear stratigraphic identification, Avith remains one of many minor Edomite sites known only from biblical genealogy.
Verse Appearances (2)
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]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]