Places in the Bible · Settlement

Joppa

Joppa is a settlement mentioned in 14 verses. Its most likely location is Jaffa. The name means “beauty; comeliness.”

aerial cityscape of Jaffa
aerial cityscape of Jaffa · Photo: Godot13 (CC-BY-SA-4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Where is Joppa?

Approx. 32.0545, 34.7530 · OpenStreetMap · Google Maps

Possible modern locations

IdentificationTypeConfidence
JaffasettlementHigh

Joppa in the Bible dictionary

Beauty, a town in the portion of Dan (Josh. 19:46; A.V., “Japho”), on a sandy promontory between Caesarea and Gaza, and at a distance of 30 miles north-west from Jerusalem. It is one of the oldest towns in Asia. It was and still is the chief sea-port of Judea. It was never wrested from the Phoenicians. It became a Jewish town only in the second century B.C. It was from this port that Jonah “took ship to flee from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3). To this place also the wood cut in Lebanon by Hiram’s men for Solomon was brought in floats (2 Chr. 2:16); and here the material for the building of the second temple was also landed (Ezra 3:7). At Joppa, in the house of Simon the tanner, “by the sea-side,” Peter resided “many days,” and here, “on the house-top,” he had his “vision of tolerance” (Acts 9:36-43). It bears the modern name of Jaffa, and exibituds all the decrepitude and squalor of cities ruled over by the Turks. “Scarcely any other town has been so often overthrown, sacked, pillaged, burned, and rebuilt.” Its present population is said to be about 16,000. It was taken by the French under Napoleon in 1799, who gave orders for the massacre here of 4,000 prisoners. It is connected with Jerusalem by the only carriage road that exists in the country, and also by a railway completed in 1892. It is noticed on monuments B.C. 1600-1300, and was attacked by Sannacharib B.C. 702.

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

Verses that mention Joppa

  • Joshua 19:46

    And Me–jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho.

  • 2 Chronicles 2:16

    And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

  • Ezra 3:7

    They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

  • Jonah 1:3

    But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

  • Acts 9:36

    Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

  • Acts 9:38

    And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

  • Acts 9:42

    And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

  • Acts 9:43

    And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

  • Acts 10:5

    And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

  • Acts 10:8

    And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

All 14 references

Events at Joppa