Places in the Bible Today:

Valley of Achor

Data

Translated NamesValley of Achor, valley of Achor, Valley of Disaster, Valley of Trouble
Typevalley
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

3 Possible Identifications

  1. Al Buqay’ah (modern): 60% confidence
    1. panorama of Al Buqay’ahAl Buqay’ah

  2. Wadi Qelt (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. canyon of Wadi QeltWadi Qelt

  3. Wadi Nu’eima (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. closeup of Wadi Nu’eimaWadi Nu’eima

Verses (5)

Josh-Ruth (3)
Josh 7:24, 7:26, 15:7
Job-Mal (2)
Isa 65:10
Hos 2:15

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookValley of Achor
OpenBible.info (2007)Valley of Achor
OpenBible.infoa31492f (Valley of Achor)
TIPNRAchor_Valley@Jos.7.24

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Achor (place)
  2. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (1990): Achor (Valley of)
  3. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Achor, valley of
  4. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1974): page 185
  5. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Achor
  6. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011): Achor, Valley of
  7. Hess, Joshua (1996): table 10
  8. Holman Illustrated Guide to Bible Geography (2020): page 122
  9. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Achor
  10. IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary (2000): Josh 7:26; Josh 7:26; Isa 65:10
  11. McKinny, Historical Geography of the Administrative Division of Judah (2014): page 290
  12. New Bible Dictionary (1996): Achor
  13. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988)
  14. Oxford Bible Atlas, Fourth Edition (2007)
  15. Schlegel, Satellite Bible Atlas (2016): page 38
  16. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Achor
  17. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Achor, Valley of
  18. Woudstra, Joshua (1981): 15:7-8 note 17
  19. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  20. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  21. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Hos 2:15

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, Al Buqay’ah), 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

Mujaddara, Hardscarf, DYKT Mohigan

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.