Places in the Bible Today:

Eltolad

Data

Translated NamesEltolad, Tolad
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

3 Possible Identifications

  1. within 10 km of Beersheba 1 (ancient): 25% confidence. It may be:
    1. panorama of ruins at Tel Beer Shevawithin 10 km of Tel Beer Sheva

    2. well at Bir es Sebawithin 10 km of Bir es Seba

  2. Khirbet Erqa Saqra (modern): 20% confidence
    1. satellite view of the region around Khirbet Erqa SaqraKhirbet Erqa Saqra

  3. Tell el Meleiha (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. historical panorama of Tell el MeleihaTell el Meleiha

Verses (3)

Josh-Ruth (2)
Josh 15:30, 19:4
1Sam-Esth (1)
1Chr 4:29

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookEltolad
OpenBible.info (2007)Eltolad, Tolad
OpenBible.infoa5709da (Eltolad)
TIPNREltolad@Jos.15.30, Tolad@1Ch.4.29
UBS Names Databaseot ID_280, ot ID_3017
WikipediaEltolad (redirect)

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Eltolad (place)
  2. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Eltolad
  3. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Eltolad
  4. McKinny, Historical Geography of the Administrative Division of Judah (2014): page 100
  5. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)

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, for example, 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

gugganij, Daniel Baránek, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019, Matson Collection

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.