Places in the Bible Today:

Valley of Shittim

Data

Translated NamesShittim, Valley of Acacias, Valley of Acacia Trees, valley of Acacia Trees, Valley of Shittim, Wadi Shittim
Typeriver
Notesa possibly symbolic river flowing from Jerusalem to the Salt Sea
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

4 Possible Identifications

  1. Wadi en Nar (modern): 70% confidence

    1. panorama of Wadi en NarWadi en Nar

  2. another name for the Kidron (ancient): less than 10% confidence

    1. panorama of the Kidron Valley at JerusalemKidron River

  3. not a place (symbolic): less than 10% confidence
  4. within 5 km of Shittim (ancient): less than 10% confidence. It may be:

    1. panorama of Tall el Hammamwithin 5 km of Tall el Hammam

    2. satellite view of the region around Tall Kafraynwithin 5 km of Tall Kafrayn

    3. satellite view of the region around Tell Matabiwithin 5 km of Tell Matabi

Verses (1)

Joel 3:18

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookValley of Shittim
OpenBible.info (2007)Valley of Shittim
OpenBible.infoa01769f (Valley of Shittim)
TIPNRShittim_Valley@Jol.3.18

Sources

  1. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Shittim
  2. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  3. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Shittim
  4. IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary (2000): Joel 3:18
  5. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Valley of Shittim
  6. New Bible Dictionary (1996): Shittim
  7. Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary (2012): Joel 3:18-21
  8. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Valley of Shittim
  9. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Shittim
  10. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  11. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Joel 3:18

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others (in this case, Wadi en Nar), then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Thumbnail Image Credits

DovGazit, Chris Yunker, Deg777, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.