Two items appear below:
1 Names in the Old Testament —- Skeptics Challenged!
2 Bible Cities [A Letter to the Editor]
NAMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
SKEPTICS CHALLENGED!(Investigator 50, 1996 September)
How would a logician respond if, from a list of those places named in the Old Testament and independently confirmed, someone predicts that eventually every location named in the Bible will be validated?
About 311 Old Testament places and locations now have archaeological or other confirmation. About 228 more named locations have been tentatively identified. A list is supplied with the tentatives identified by a question mark.
The total number of countries, tribal areas, cities, villages, mountains, mountain ranges, plains, valleys, wildernesses, seas, rivers, cisterns and wells named in the Old Testament comes to 897.
In addition about 2,889 people are named in the Old Testament. About 50 have definite or tentative historical support. These estimates for the numbers of people are revisions of estimates published in Investigator No. 47.
The total number of proper nouns is not however 897 + 2,889 = 3,786. If you try to count the names in a concordance you will get a lower number.
The reasons for the discrepancy are:
1 Some names are used of many different individuals. The Old Testament mentions about 30 different men named Zechariah, 27 named Azariah, 26 named Shemaiah, 21 named Meshullam, 20 named Maasaiah, 19 named Shimei , etc.
2 Some individuals have two different names.
3 Some names of villages apply to three or four different villages.
4 Some names apply to both a person and a village.
5 A few names are symbolic and do not apply to a real person or place.
6 A few names in some Bibles are mistranslations or otherwise wrong due to reliance on different manuscripts.
7 Some names have slightly different spellings in some Bibles.
8 Sometimes it is uncertain whether a name is used of two persons or just one, or two locations or just one.
9 A naive count of proper nouns in a concordance or Bible dictionary might also include names of months, festivals, stars, gods, tribes and peoples.
[Continued after the following table]********************
Below: 539 of the 897 places/locations named in the Old Testament. Question marks indicate tentative identification. Repetitions of names refer to different places having the same name. Names in brackets are alternative names for the same town or location.
The division between the definitely and tentatively identified is imprecise and assignment to one category or the other sometimes a guess.
Abana River Assyia Bezek
Abarim Mountains? Ataroth Bezer
Abdon (Ebron)? Avith Bikath-aven?
Abel-Keramim? Avvim Bozrah
Abronah? Azekah
Acco Azmaveth (Beth-azmaveth) Cabbon?
Achor Azmon? Cabul
Achshaph Aznoth-tabor Calah
Achzib Calneb (Calno)?
Achzib (Cozeba)? Canaan
Adam Baalah Caphtor (Crete)
Adami Baalah (Kirath-jearim) Carchemish
Addar Baal-hazor Carmel
Adoraim Baal-hermon Chaldea
Adullam Baalmeon (Beth-meon) Chebar River?
Adummim Baal-perazim? Chephirah
Ahava Babylon Chesalon
Ai? Bashan Chesulloth
Aijalon Beeroth? Chinnereth
Akrabbim Beeroth-bene-jaakan Chisloth-tabor
Almon (Alemeth) (Bene-jaakan) Chitlish
Amanah Beersheba Cuth (Cuthah)
Anab Ben-barak
Ananiah Benjamin Dabbasheth?
Anathoth Beracah Daberath (Rabbith)
Anen Berothai (Cun)? Damascus
Anim Besor Valley Dan
Aphek Beten Dan
Aphek Beth-anath Debir (Keriath-sepher)
Aphek Beth-anoth Debir?
Aphekah Beth-eden? Dibon
Arab Bethel Dilean
Arabah Beth-emek Dimnab
Arabah Beth-ezel? (Rimmon) (Rimmono)
Arabia Beth-gamul Dophkah?
Arad Beth-haccherem? Dor
Aram Beth-haran? Dothan
Ararat Beth-hoglah? Duma
Arbel? Beth-horon Dora?
Argob? Beth-horon
Arnon Valley Beth-jeshimoth?
Aroer Bethlehem (Ephrathah) Ebal Mount
Aroer Beth-maacah Ebenezer?
Aroer? (Abel-beth-maacah) Ecbatana
Arpad Beth-nimrah (Nimrah)? Eder
Arubboth Beth-peor? Edom
Arumah Beth-shan Edrei
Arvad Beth-shemesh Edrei
Ashan (Irshemesh) (Heres) Eglaim?
Ashdod Beth-shemesh Eglon
Ashkelon Beth-shemesh Egypt
AshkenazBethuel (Bethul) (Chesil)? Egypt, River of
Ashnah Beth-zur Egypt,Valley of
Ashtaroth Betonim Ekron?
Elah Valley? Gibbethon Hukkok?
Elath (Eloth)? Gibeah?
Elealeh? Gibeon Ibleam
Elim? Gihon Spring Ijon?
Elkosh? Gilboa Mount India
Eltekeh? Gilead Iphtah?
Eltekon? Gilgal Irpeel?
Endor (Gibeath-hanraloth)? Israel
En-eglaim? Gilgal? Issachar
En-gannim? Gimzo
Engedi Golan Jabbok Valley
En-haddab Gozan? Jabesh-gilead?
En-hazor? Jabneel
En-rimmon (Ain; Rimmon) Habor? Jahneel
En-rogel Spring Hadarimmon Jagur?
En-shemesh Hadid? Janim?
En-tappuah Spring? Hadrach? Janoah
Ephraim Halhul Janoah?
Ephraim? Hali? Japhia
Erech Ham Jattir?
Eshtamoa (Eshtemoh) Hamath Jebus
Eshtaol Hammath Jehoshaphat Plain
Etam? (Hammon) (Hammoth-dor) Jehud?
Etam? Hammon Jekabzeel?
Etam, Rock of? Hannathon? Jericho
Ether Hapharaim? Jerusalem
Ethiopia Haran Jeshanah?
Eth-kazin? Harod, Well of Jeshimon?
Euphrates River Harosheth? Jeshua?
Ezem? Hauran? Jezreel
Ezion-geber? Hazar-enan? Jogbehah
Hazar-shual? Jokdeam?
Gad Hazar-susah? Jokmeam?
Galilee Hazazon-tamar? Jokneam
Gallilee, Sea of Hazeroth? Joppa
(Chinnereth) (Cinneroth) Hazor Jordan River
Gallim? Hazor? Jotbah?
Gath? Hebron Jotbathah?
Gath-hepher Helam? Judah
Gath-rimmon? Helbon (Kiriath-arba) Judah Wilderness
Gaza? Heleph? Juttah
Geba? Helkath (Hukok)?
Gebal Hepher? Kabzeel?
Gederah Hemon Mount Kadesh (En-mishpat)?
Gederoth? (Senir) (Sinon) (Sion) Kain
Gedor Heshbon Kamon?
Gedor? Hethlon? Kanah
G-harashim? Hiddekel River (Tigris) Kanah Valley
Geliloth? Hinnom Valley Karkaa (Karka)?
Gerar? Hobah? Kartan (Kiriathaim)
Gerar Valley Holon? Kedemoth?
Gerizim Mount Hor Mount? Kedesh
Geshur Horesh? Kedesh (Kishion)?
Gezer Horonaim? Keilah
Kenath (Nobah) Mephaath? Paran Wilderness
Kerioth? Merom, Waters of Pathros?
Kerioth-hezron (Hazor) Meroz? Pekod?
Kibroth-hattaavah? Mesopotamia.(Shinar) Penuel (Peniel)
Kidron Valley Michmas Peor
Kinah? Michmethath Perazim Mount
Kir? Middin? (Baal-perazim)
Kir of Moab Midian (Cushan)? Persia
(Kir-haraseth) Migdael? Petho
(Kir-heres) Migdal-gad? Pharphar River
Kirathaim (Kirjathaim) Migron? Philistia
Kiriath-baal (Kirjath-baal) Minnith? Pibeseth
Kishon Valley Misgab Mountains Pi-hariroth?
Kittim (Cyprus) Misrephoth-maim? Pirathon?
Koa? Mizpah? Pisgah?
Mizpah? Punon?
Lachish Mizpah?
Lahmam Moab
Laish Moreh? Raamah?
Laishah Moresheth-gath Rabbah
Lakum (Lakkum)? Moriah? Rakkath
Lasha? Mozab Rakkon?
Lebanon Ramah
Lebonah? Naarah? Ramah?
Lehi? Nahaliel? Ramah?
Libnah? Naphtali Ramoth?
Libya Neah? Ramoth-gilead?
Lod Neballat Red Sea
Luhith? Nebo Rehob?
Luz? Nebo? Rehoboth, Well of?
Nebo Mount Reuben
Maacah? Negeb Rezeph?
Maarath? Neiel Riblah
Machpelah? Nephtoah Spring Rimmon
Madmannah? Netophah Rimmon
Madmenah? Nezib Rimmon-perez?
Madon Nibshan? Rogelim?
Magog? Nile River Rumah?
Makaz? Nimrin, Waters of?
Makkedah? Nineveh
Mamre? No (No-ammon) Salca (Salcha) (Salecah)?
Manahath? Nob? Salt
Manasseh Salt Valley
Maon Samaria
Marah? On (Beth-shemesh) Samaria
Mareal? Ono Sansannah
Mareshah Ophel Sarid
Mattanah? Ophir? Seba?
Mearah? Ophni? Secacah?
Medeba Ophra? Seir Mountains
Media Ophra Seir.Mount
Megiddo Sela (Joktheel)
Mejarkon? Palestine Senaah?
Memphis (Noph) Parab Shaalbim
Shaalim Succoth Vedan?
Shalisha Syene Yiron?
Shamir? Syria
Shaphir?
Sharon Plain Taanach
Skaruhen (Shilhim) Taanach-shiloh Zaanan?
(Shaaraim)? Tabbath? Zalmon Mount?
Shaveh-kiriathaim? Tabor Mount Zalmonah?
Sheba Tadmor Zanoah
Shechem Tahapanes Zanoah
Shephelah Tamar Zaphon?
Shihor-libnath River? Tappuach Zarephath?
Shikeron? Tappuach? Zaretan (Zaredah)?
Shiloah Canal Tarshish? Zareth-shahar?
Shiloh Tekoa Zeboim?
Shimron-meron Tema? Zebulun
Shion? Teman? Zedad?
Shittim? Thebez? Zenan?
Shunern Timnah? Zeredah?
Shushan Timnah Zered Valley
Sibmab (Sebam)? Timnath-serah Zereth-skahar?
Sidon (Timnath-heres)? Ziglag?
Simeon Tiphsah? Zin Wilderness?
Sin Tirzah Zion
Sin Wilderness? Tob? Zior
Sinai Mount (Horeb)? Topheth? Ziph
Sirah Cistern? Tubal? Ziphron?
Socho Tyre Ziz
Socho Zoan
Socho? Ur Zoar
Sorek Valley Uzzen-sheerah? Zorah
********************
My counts of 897 places and 2,889 people named in the Old Testament should not be taken as 100% accurate due to the above listed complications. These numbers are simply my latest counts — although care was taken.
The places marked tentative in the list are tentative because:
1. In some cases there are two or three archaeological sites in close proximity and it is uncertain which is the one named in the Bible.
2. In some cases only one site is known but archaeologists disagree whether it is the one named in the Old Testament.
All the definites and most of the tentatives are actual places and locations we can go to and see. Bible names repeated by other writers such as Josephus, but without physical remains, are mostly excluded from my list.
For example the Moabite Stone, written by King Mesha of Moab, was discovered in 1868. The Stone includes the names of about 20 places also named in the Old Testament. Of these 20, three are not on my list. Simply being recorded by King Mesha, without physical remains, did not qualify them for my list.
The list of 539 names was put together from Bible dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias, and archaeological books and journals. A recent copy of Archaeological Diggings, for example, described a visit to Endor — where King Saul of Israel consulted a “witch”. Endor is included in the list.
With over 300 Old Testament locations now validated, and over 200 more with tentative identification, skeptics face the possibility that more and more will be confirmed. We’re dealing with an ongoing and long-term trend. Skeptics should wonder whether the score will eventually be 100%! I would reason inductively and actually predict an eventual 100% score!
Dr Chris Mortensen, lecturer in logic at the University of Adelaide, said,
“Induction is so sensitive to background information that we’d need to be very careful. We’d need to know what’s been done so far and what are the trends. Without knowing a great deal more about it your prediction is a big inductive leap.”Regarding Old Testament people and predicting almost 2,900 confirmations from about fifty successes Dr Mortensen said,“It strikes me as unlikely that all 2,900 will be confirmed. In my opinion most of the persons would be identified early and then successes would peter out. We’d want to know more about each particular case. I’d be very skeptical.”In ancient times there were no atlases and even maps were rudimentary and inaccurate.For dozens of different writers across ten centuries to name hundreds of places correctly in relation to each other without maps and atlases is remarkable. How many skeptics, although having used maps since childhood, could do that with hundreds of modern towns (without actually using maps for this experiment)?
(A)
Letter to the Editor
(Investigator 61, 1998)
BIBLE CITIES
In Investigator No. 50 I claimed the Old Testament gives the names of 897 geographical locations — mainly towns and villages. I listed 311 which have archaeological confirmation and 228 tentatively identified and argued:
…skeptics face the possibility that more and more will be confirmed. … I would reason inductively and actually predict an eventual 100% score! (p. 20)Recently two more came to my attention.Abel-meholah was the hometown of Elisha the prophet:
Abel-meholah has now been identified with much confidence with Tell Abu Sus on the bank of the Jordan, 15 km, south of Beth-shean.From being excluded Abel-meholah should now be in the tentative list.
(The Land of the Bible 1979 Y Aharoni p. 313)The magazine Archaeology (1998 January/February) says:
Ekron Identity Confirmed. (pp. 30-31)Ekron was one of the five cities of the Philistines — the guys who came to blows with Samson. (See Samson: Myth or Fact, Investigator 55)Ekron should now switch from my tentative list to the “confirmed” list.
Anonymous SA
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