Beth Hoglah
בֵּית חָגְלָה · “Beit Hogla” on the map
Where was biblical Beth Hoglah? Near Ein Hajla and Deir Hajla, southeast of Jericho, about 25 km east of Jerusalem. I mark it very likely.
Judah and Benjamin drew their shared border past this village and down to the place where the Jordan runs into the Dead Sea.
By Aaron Shaffier, licensed Israel tour guide and mapmaker · About the mapmaker
- Site today
- Near Ein Hajla and Deir Hajla, southeast of Jericho
- How sure
- Very likely Strong evidence, with no serious rival.
- Other names
- Beth-hoglah, Bethagla, Ein Hajla, 'Ain Hajla, Deir Hajla, Qasr Hajla
- Location
- 31.8258° N, 35.5085° E (Google Maps)
How we know where it was
A hoglah is a partridge. The spring here is still called Ein Hajla, the spring of the partridge, and the monastery beside it is Deir Hajla. Hebrew hoglah and Arabic hajla are the same word, hardly changed.
The border lists tell you where to look. Judah's line climbs to Beit Hogla. Benjamin's line passes its north side and ends at the northern tip of the Salt Sea, where the Jordan flows in. Benjamin's town list names Beit Hogla right after Jericho. So the village belongs in the plain between Jericho and the river mouth, which is where the spring is.
Eusebius places Bethagla three Roman miles from Jericho and two from the Jordan. The Madaba Map draws it in the same spot.
What nobody has found is the biblical mound itself. Surveys at the monastery turned up only medieval remains, so the village is placed near the spring, not on a known tel. Eusebius and the Madaba Map also tied Beit Hogla to the threshing floor of Atad, where Joseph and his brothers mourned Jacob for seven days. That is a tradition, not a proof.
Visiting today
The Greek Orthodox monastery of Deir Hajla is open to visitors off Route 90, near the crossing site at Qasr al-Yahud. Nothing from the biblical village is on display.
Read it in the Bible
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In a handful of chapters English Bibles count one verse off.
See Beit Hogla on the interactive map →
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Get the print + free ebookNearby places
- Gilgal 4 km north
- Jericho 8 km northwest
- Beth Jeshimoth 15 km southeast
- Abel Shittim 16 km east
- Mount Nebo 21 km east
- Michmash 22 km west