Dinhabah
Dinhabah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Dinhabah is mentioned twice in the Old Testament, both times in the genealogical records of Edom's kings in Genesis 36:32 and its parallel in 1 Chronicles 1:43. Both verses identify it as the royal city of Bela son of Beor, the first king who reigned in Edom before any king ruled over Israel. This brief notice is part of the remarkable list of eight Edomite kings in Genesis 36:31–39, each associated with a different city — suggesting a pre-monarchic Edomite system in which kingship was not dynastic but rotated among different clan centers. Dinhabah thus represents the earliest stratum of organized political life among the descendants of Esau, Israel's brother nation. The fact that Edom had kings long before Israel underscores the irony of Jacob's blessing (Genesis 27:29), in which the younger supplants the elder, and anticipates the eventual Israelite subjugation of Edom under David (2 Samuel 8:13–14). No further events are associated with Dinhabah in Scripture, and its precise location has never been established, leaving it as one of many ancient place names preserved in the biblical text whose geography remains entirely unknown.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The location of Dinhabah is entirely unknown, and no ancient site has been securely identified with the city. It appears only in the Edomite king list (Genesis 36:32; 1 Chronicles 1:43), which provides no geographic indicators beyond its association with Bela son of Beor. The broader Edomite heartland — centered in the region of modern southern Jordan between Wadi Zered and the Gulf of Aqaba — has been surveyed and partially excavated, revealing Iron Age settlements at sites such as Busayra (biblical Bozrah), Tawilan, and Umm al-Biyara. However, none of these has been credibly linked to Dinhabah. The city may lie unexcavated beneath a site yet to be identified, or its ancient name may have been replaced entirely in the surviving geographic record.
Verse Appearances (2)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →