Bible Location

Chezib of Judah

Chezib was a town in the Shephelah, or lowland foothills, of Judah. Genesis 38:5 identifies it as the place where Judah's third son, Shelah, was born.

Chezib is generally understood to be the same place called Achzib in Joshua 15:44 and Micah 1:14 and Cozeba in 1 Chronicles 4:22. It must be distinguished from another Achzib located on the Mediterranean coast within the territory of Asher.

The exact archaeological identification of the Judean Chezib is not completely certain, although Tell el-Beida and nearby sites in the Shephelah have been proposed.

Biblical Significance

Genesis 38:5 places Judah at Chezib when his wife gave birth to Shelah, the youngest of their three sons. Shelah later became the ancestor of an important Judahite family.

Joshua 15:44 lists Achzib among towns within Judah's inheritance, while 1 Chronicles 4:21-22 associates Cozeba with descendants of Shelah. These references support the connection between the differently rendered forms of the place name.

Micah 1:14 includes Achzib in a prophetic series of wordplays involving towns of Judah. The prophet uses the name in connection with deception or disappointment while announcing judgment upon the region.

Historical Background

Chezib belonged to Judah's Shephelah, a region of rolling foothills between the Judean highlands and the coastal plain. This area contained important agricultural settlements and routes and repeatedly became a frontier zone during conflicts involving Judah and its western neighbors.

The different biblical forms Chezib, Achzib, and Cozeba are generally regarded as referring to the same Judean settlement. The name itself is related to a Hebrew root conveying the idea of disappointment, deception, or failure, a meaning exploited in Micah's prophetic wordplay.

Evidence is insufficient to reconstruct a detailed independent history of the town.

Modern Identification

The location of Chezib of Judah is not securely established. Tell el-Beida in the Judean Shephelah has often been proposed, and other nearby ruins have also entered geographical discussions.

The biblical geographical setting near other towns of Judah provides a general regional location, but AVWJ should treat any precise archaeological marker as proposed rather than certain.

This Chezib should always be distinguished from Achzib of Asher, a separate settlement much farther north on the Mediterranean coast.

Scripture References

Genesis 38:5

Related Resources

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Sources

Bible: Genesis 38:5, Joshua 15:44, Micah 1:14, 1 Chronicles 4:21-22; Encyclopedia of the Bible: Chezib and Achzib; modern biblical atlases and geographical studies of the Judean Shephelah