Kiriathaim, also known as Kerioth, was a Moabite city later allotted to the tribe of Reuben (Numbers 32:37; Joshua 13:19; Jeremiah 48:1, 23).
Also known as Kirjathaim · Kerioth · cities
Kiriathaim, also referred to as Kerioth or "cities," was a city in Moab, east of the Dead Sea. It is first mentioned in Numbers 32:37 as one of the cities rebuilt by the Reubenites after the conquest of the region. Joshua 13:19 confirms that Kiriathaim was allotted to the tribe of Reuben as part of their inheritance. However, the city later appears to have reverted to Moabite control, as the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel speak of God's judgment against Moab, specifically mentioning Kiriathaim (Jeremiah 48:1, 23; Ezk.25.9). The name "Kiriathaim" means "double city" or "two cities," possibly indicating that it consisted of two parts or was a significant city in the region. The exact location of Kiriathaim is uncertain, but it is believed to be near the modern-day town of Quraiyat in Jordan.
Approximate location: 31.583, 35.700 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
9 verses in 6 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H7156
In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley,
Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the fortress will be shattered and dismantled.
upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,
upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab, those far and near.
Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moabʼs warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
therefore I will indeed expose the flank of Moab beginning with its frontier cities—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim—the glory of the land.
So I will send fire against Moab to consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die in tumult, amid war cries and the sound of the ramʼs horn.
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.