Beth-hoglah
Beth-hoglah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Deir Hajla. It appears across 3 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Beth-hoglah, meaning "house of the partridge" or possibly "house of the magpie," appears three times in the Old Testament, all in boundary descriptions related to the tribal territory of Benjamin and its border with Judah (Joshua 15:6; 18:19, 21). The site lay near the northern shore of the Dead Sea in the lower Jordan Valley, in the arid but strategically significant transitional zone between the Judean wilderness and the Jordan River crossing. Its position on the tribal boundary between Judah and Benjamin reflects the careful geographical precision of Joshua's allotment narratives, which used natural landmarks and settled sites to delineate tribal territories. The Benjamin boundary passed through Beth-hoglah as it traced the edge of the Dead Sea northward toward the Jordan. Though Beth-hoglah plays no role in any specific narrative event in Scripture, its threefold mention in the boundary lists attests to its recognition as a well-known local landmark in the period of the settlement. The name, evoking a bird associated with the wilderness regions of the Dead Sea shore, fits perfectly with the ecology of this arid, distinctive landscape near the Jordan River floodplain.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Beth-hoglah is identified with high confidence with Deir Hajla (also known as Ain Hajla), located near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in the lower Jordan Valley. A Byzantine monastery known as the Monastery of Saint Gerasimus and associated ancient remains mark the site, which has been occupied in various forms across many centuries. The Arabic and modern Hebrew toponym Ain Hajla preserves the ancient name. Archaeological investigations in the region have confirmed ancient occupation, and the site's position on the boundary between the Judean wilderness and the Jordan Valley is consistent with its role as a tribal boundary marker in Joshua. The area is rich in springs, which sustained settlement in an otherwise arid environment.
Verse Appearances (3)
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]