Bible Location

Zemaraim

A Visit With Jesus

Zemaraim was a town belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. Joshua lists it among Benjaminite settlements in the region between the Jordan Valley and the central hill country.

A Mount Zemaraim is also mentioned in 2 Chronicles as the location from which King Abijah of Judah addressed the forces of Jeroboam of Israel before a major battle.

The town and mountain were probably located near the border between Benjamin and Ephraim, although their precise modern identification remains uncertain.

Biblical Significance

Joshua includes Zemaraim among the cities allotted to Benjamin.

Second Chronicles describes King Abijah of Judah standing on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and addressing Jeroboam and the army of the northern kingdom.

Abijah appealed to the Davidic covenant and contrasted Judah's worship at the Jerusalem Temple with the religious system established by Jeroboam.

The resulting battle ended in a major victory for Judah, after which Abijah captured several towns from Jeroboam, including Bethel.

Historical Background

Zemaraim lay somewhere in the region where the territories of Benjamin and Ephraim approached one another.

The city listed in Joshua and Mount Zemaraim mentioned in Chronicles may have been associated with one another, although Scripture does not explicitly state that they were identical locations.

The geographical setting of the battle in 2 Chronicles fits the contested border region between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel after the division of the monarchy.

Modern Identification

The precise location of Zemaraim has not been established.

The biblical evidence points toward the central hill country near the Benjamin-Ephraim boundary and probably not far from Bethel.

Several sites have been proposed, but no inscription or archaeological discovery presently establishes a particular location with certainty.

Scripture References

Joshua 18:22 2 Chronicles 13:4

Related Resources

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Sources

Bible: Joshua 18:22, 2 Chronicles 13:4-20; historical geography of Benjamin and Ephraim; biblical geographical studies concerning Zemaraim, Mount Zemaraim, and Bethel