Ophrah, also known as Hapharaim, was Gideon's hometown in Manasseh and the site of important events during his time as a judge, as well as a town allotted to the tribe of Issachar.
Also known as Hapharaim
There are two places named Ophrah mentioned in the Bible:
Ophrah of Manasseh: This Ophrah was the hometown of Gideon, one of the judges of Israel (Judg. 6:11). It was here that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and commissioned him to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judg. 6:11-24). Gideon built an altar to the Lord in Ophrah and destroyed the altar of Baal (Judg. 6:24-27). After his victory over the Midianites, Gideon made an ephod from the spoils of war and placed it in Ophrah, which became a snare to him and his family (Judg. 8:27). Gideon died and was buried in Ophrah (Judg. 8:32). Later, Gideon's son Abimelech killed his seventy brothers in Ophrah (Judg. 9:5). The exact location of this Ophrah is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the region of Manasseh, west of the Jordan River.
Ophrah of Issachar: This Ophrah was a town allotted to the tribe of Issachar during the division of the Promised Land (Josh. 19:19). It is listed along with other towns in the region, such as Jezreel, Chesulloth, and Shunem. Its location is unknown.
Approximate location: 32.609, 35.288 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
6 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6084
Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
He went to his fatherʼs house in Ophrah, and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.
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.