Places in the Bible Today:

Mahalab

Data

Translated NamesHebel, Mahalab, Mehebel
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

3 Possible Identifications

  1. another name for Ahlab (ancient): 65% confidence. It may be:
    1. satellite view of the region around Khirbet al MahalibKhirbet al Mahalib

    2. satellite view of the region around Ras el BiyadaRas el Biyada

  2. not a proper name (region of): 15% confidence
  3. Khirbet al Mahalib (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. satellite view of the region around Khirbet al MahalibKhirbet al Mahalib

Verses (1)

Josh 19:29

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Biblemapper.com644
OpenBible.info (2007)Mahalab
OpenBible.infoac6f1a8 (Mahalab)
TIPNRAhlab@Jdg.1.31
UBS Names Databaseot ID_1723

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992)
  2. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013)
  3. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Mahalab
  4. Carta Bible Atlas, 5th Edition (2011)
  5. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)
  6. ESV Bible Atlas (2010)
  7. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Mahalab
  8. HarperCollins Concise Atlas of the Bible (1991)
  9. Hess, Joshua (1996): table 22
  10. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979)
  11. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  12. Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible (1981): Mahalab
  13. Rogerson, New Atlas of the Bible (1985): page 73
  14. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001)
  15. Tübingen Bible Atlas (2001): Mahalib
  16. Woudstra, Joshua (1981): 19:29
  17. 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 (in this case, another name for Ahlab), 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

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.