Japhia
Japhia is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Yafa. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Japhia appears in the Old Testament as a border town of the tribal territory of Zebulun. In Joshua 19:12, the boundary of Zebulun's allotment is described as turning from Sarid eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Chisloth-tabor, then proceeding to Daberath and up to Japhia. This places Japhia along the southeastern boundary of Zebulun's territory, near the prominent landmark of Mount Tabor. The town's strategic position on the border meant it served as a marker defining the extent of Zebulun's inheritance in the Promised Land. While the city does not feature in any major biblical narrative beyond this boundary description, its location near Mount Tabor connects it to a region of considerable biblical significance, as Tabor was the staging ground for Deborah and Barak's victory over Sisera (Judges 4). Zebulun's territory in the lower Galilee region would later become part of the land where Jesus conducted much of His earthly ministry, lending theological significance to even its quieter settlements.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Japhia is identified with modern Yafa (Yafa an-Naseriyye), a village located approximately two kilometers southwest of Nazareth in the Lower Galilee. The site preserves remains from multiple periods, including the Bronze and Iron Ages. During the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-70 CE), Josephus mentions Japhia as a fortified village that resisted the Roman legions under Trajan before being captured with great slaughter. Archaeological surveys have revealed ancient building foundations, rock-cut tombs, and pottery from the Israelite period through the Roman era. The modern village continues to be inhabited, and its proximity to Nazareth has made it part of the broader archaeological landscape studied in connection with early Christianity in Galilee.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
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]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]