Berothah
Berothah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Phoenicia in modern-day Lebanon. Known today as Brital. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Berothah appears in Ezekiel 47:16 as part of the prophet's visionary description of the ideal northern boundary of the restored land of Israel. In Ezekiel's eschatological geography, Berothah is listed between Hamath-hamath and Sibraim as a boundary marker along the northern frontier of the idealized nation. This prophetic vision, given to Ezekiel during the Babylonian exile, envisions a reconstituted Israel with clearly delineated borders corresponding roughly to the territory claimed under David and Solomon. The placement of Berothah in the far north, near Hamath, identifies it as a city in the Beqa'a Valley or its eastern margins, territory that lay at the outer limits of Israelite political influence during the monarchy. The city's mention in a visionary rather than historical text means its biblical significance is primarily eschatological, as a landmark defining God's intended territorial gift to his people. The name Berothah may be related to the Hebrew word for cypress or juniper, suggesting a wooded locale, consistent with the forested landscape of the northern Levant.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Berothah is identified with modern Brital, a village in the northern Beqa'a Valley of Lebanon, situated between Baalbek and the Syrian border. The region was part of the territory of ancient Hamath, a powerful Aramean city-state that defined the northern limits of Israelite ambition. Archaeological exploration of the Beqa'a Valley has documented Bronze and Iron Age settlement patterns consistent with a well-populated agricultural zone. Brital itself preserves ancient remains, though systematic excavation has not been conducted at the proposed Berothah site. The broader region's material culture reflects Phoenician, Aramean, and later Hellenistic and Roman influence, consistent with its position as a crossroads of northern Levantine civilizations.
Verse Appearances (1)
Ezek
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]