Shittim

Shittim , or Abel-Shittim ( Hebrew אָבֵל הַשִּׁטִּים 'Ābel haššiṭṭîm , ancient Greek Βελσαττιμ , Latin Belsattim ) is a place named in the Old Testament with the meaning "floodplain of the acacia". The exact location of the place is unknown.

Biblical mention

According to the biblical narrative, the Exodus group encamped after the migration through the East Bank between Bet-Jeschimot and Abel-Shittim ( Num 25.4  EU ). From there scouts were sent to the West Bank ( Jos 2.1  EU ). After their return, the exodus group, led by Joshua , sets out to cross the Jordan and take possession of the promised land ( Jos 3,1  EU , Micha 6,5  EU ).

In the literature it is sometimes assumed that the name Shittim, in contrast to the place Abel-Shittim, does not refer to a place, but to a region and thus could possibly be identical with the “ Moab steppes ”. This is supported by the fact that the camp of the Israelites could hardly have crowded into such a narrow space. However, the distinction between Abel-Shittim and Shittim is not mandatory.

Extra-biblical sources

Josephus mentions the place Abel-Schittim repeatedly in the short form Αβελα or Αβιλη. According to him, the place Abila is 60 stadia away from the Jordan River and lies between Bet-Mimra and Bet-Haram.

Abel-Shittim is still mentioned in the Zenon papyri without further details of the location . The church fathers Hieronymus and Eusebius of Caesarea also mention the place, but with an ambiguous localization.

According to the Jerusalem Talmud , Tractate Shevit 36c, 14f, the place is said to be 12 miles from Beth-Jeschimot.

Localization

Neither the names Abel-Shittim or Shittim nor Abila can be found in today's place names. Due to the interpretation of the name as “Aue der Akacien”, there is much to suggest that the place is to be found in the then wooded hill country of Moab. Today the place is usually equated with either Tell el-Kefrēn or Tell el-Ḥammām.

Tell el-Kefrēn

The Tell el-Kefrén rises on a rocky, raised from the surrounding hills. This towers over the surrounding area by about 40 m. You can therefore see the whole area from here. Tombs and caves carved into the rock can be found on the west and east sides of the hill of ruins. Ceramic finds can be classified from the Iron Age II to the early Roman period.

The ceramic findings of the neighboring village of Chirbet el-Kefrēn point to the Roman to Arab era. In this respect, there are a few arguments in favor of locating the Roman-Byzantine place Abila here.

Tell el-Ḥammām

On Tell el-Ḥammām is a 140 × 25 m fortress with around 1.2 m thick fortification walls. The pottery found can be dated to the Iron Age I and II. The fortress is located in a strategically important place, as the traffic routes on the plateau can be monitored from here and the Wādī el-Kefrēn can be controlled.

Result

There is therefore some evidence that the settlement mound of Tell el-Ḥammām can be equated with the biblical Abel-Shittim. Because from here the ascent to the Moabitian plateau and the water supply of the Wādī el-Kefrēn can be controlled. Not least because of these strategic advantages, a fortress was built here as early as the Iron Age.

literature

• Erasmus Gaßl:  Abel (in place names). In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (Eds.): The Scientific Biblical Lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.

Individual evidence

1. ^ J. Simons: The Geographical and Topographical Texts of the Old Testament. A Concise Commentary in XXXII Chapters (= Studia Francisci Scholten memoriae dicata 2). Leiden 1959, p. 268
2. ↑ Josephus: Bellum Judaicum II 13.2 252
3. ↑ Josephus: Bellum Judaicum IV 7,6 438
4. ↑ Josephus: Antiquitates V 1,1 4  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ Josephus: Bellum Judaicum IV 7.1-6 438