Zaphon, a city allotted to the tribe of Gad, also used as a term for the north or the heavenly dwelling place of God (Josh. 13:27; Judg. 12:1; Ps. 48:2; Isa. 14:13).
Also known as north
Zaphon has two distinct meanings in the Bible. First, it is the name of a city allotted to the tribe of Gad in the division of the Promised Land (Josh. 13:27). This city was located in the Jordan Valley, near the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee). Second, Zaphon is used as a term for the north or the heavenly dwelling place of God. In Psalm 48:2, Mount Zion is described as being "in the far north," using the term "Zaphon" to emphasize its sacred status. In Isaiah 14:13, the king of Babylon is portrayed as aspiring to ascend to heaven and sit on the mount of assembly "in the far reaches of the north" (Zaphon), symbolizing his desire to usurp God's authority. The term "Zaphon" is also mentioned in Judges 12:1, where the Ephraimites gathered in Zaphon before confronting Jephthah. The dual usage of Zaphon in the Bible highlights the interplay between physical locations and spiritual symbolism in the biblical narrative.
Approximate location: 32.238, 35.586 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
(north), a place mentioned in the enumeration of the allotment of the tribe of Gad. (Joshua 13:27)
ZA'PHON (the north), a city of Gad, east of the Jordan. "in the valley." Josh 13:27. The word translated "northward" in Jud 12:1 is rendered in the Septuagint "to Zaphon." The Talmud identifies it as Amathus, and it is now represented by the ruined site Amateh, south-east of the Sea of Galilee.
ZA'PHON (the north), a city of Gad, east of the Jordan. "in the valley." Josh 13:27. The word translated "northward" in Jud 12:1 is rendered in the Septuagint "to Zaphon." The Talmud identifies it as Amathus, and it is now represented by the ruined site Amateh, south-east of the Sea of Galilee.
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.
3 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6829
and in the valley, Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon (the territory on the east side of the Jordan up to the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth).
Beautiful in loftiness, the joy of all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the great King.
You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north.
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.