Chesil was a town allotted to the tribe of Judah in the southern part of their territory.
Also known as Kesil
Chesil is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Joshua 15:30, as one of the towns in the southernmost region of the territory allocated to the tribe of Judah. It is listed among other towns such as Hormah, Ziklag, and Madmannah.
No further details are provided about Chesil in the biblical text, such as its exact location, history, or significance. Its inclusion in the list of Judah's towns suggests that it was a recognized settlement during the time of Joshua and the division of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel.
The name Chesil may be derived from the Hebrew word "kesil," which means "fool" or "stupid one." However, without additional context, the meaning and implications of the town's name remain uncertain.
Approximate location: 31.245, 34.841 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Ungodly, a town in the south of Judah (Josh. 15:30); probably the same as Bethul (19:4) and Bethuel (1 Chr. 4:30); now Khelasa.
(idolatrous), a town in the extreme south of Palestine, (Joshua 15:30) 15 Miles southwest of Beersheba. In (Joshua 19:4) the name is Bethul.
CHE'SIL (fool, or idolatrous), in the south of Judah, Josh 15:30; probably the same as Bethul and Bethuel; if so, it may be at Beit Aula, 7 miles northwest of Hebron.
CHE'SIL (fool, or idolatrous), in the south of Judah, Josh 15:30; probably the same as Bethul and Bethuel; if so, it may be at Beit Aula, 7 miles northwest of Hebron.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
1 verse in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H3686
Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.