Places in the Bible · Settlement

Gibeah

Gibeah is a settlement mentioned in 45 verses. Its most likely location is Tel el Ful. The name means “a hill.”

Where is Gibeah?

Approx. 31.8231, 35.2307 · OpenStreetMap · Google Maps

Possible modern locations

IdentificationTypeConfidence
Tel el FulsettlementHigh
another name for Geba 1settlementLow
JabasettlementLow

Gibeah in the Bible dictionary

A hill or hill-town, “of Benjamin” (1 Sam. 13:15), better known as “Gibeah of Saul” (11:4; Isa. 10:29). It was here that the terrible outrage was committed on the Levite’s concubine which led to the almost utter extirpation of the tribe of Benjamin (Judg. 19; 20), only six hundred men surviving after a succession of disastrous battles. This was the birthplace of Saul, and continued to be his residence after he became king (1 Sam. 10:26; 11:4; 15:34). It was reckoned among the ancient sanctuaries of Palestine (10:26; 15:34; 23:19; 26:1; 2 Sam. 21:6-10), and hence it is called “Gibeah of God” (1 Sam. 10:5, R.V. marg.). It has been identified with the modern Tell el-Ful (i.e., “hill of the bean”), about 3 miles north of Jerusalem.

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), public domain. Full dictionary entry →

Verses that mention Gibeah

  • Judges 19:12

    And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.

  • Judges 19:13

    And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

  • Judges 19:14

    And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.

  • Judges 19:15

    And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.

  • Judges 19:16

    And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.

  • Judges 20:4

    And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

  • Judges 20:5

    And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

  • Judges 20:9

    But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;

  • Judges 20:10

    And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

  • Judges 20:13

    Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

All 45 references