Ashteroth Karnaim
Summary
An ancient city east of the Jordan, the abode of the Rephaim giants, which was defeated by Chedorlaomer in Abraham's time.
☩Location and History
Ashteroth Karnaim, meaning 'Ashteroth of the two horns' or 'peaks,' was an ancient city of great antiquity situated between two hills. It was the dwelling place of the Rephaim, a race of giants, and was conquered by Chedorlaomer and his allied kings during their campaign in Abraham's day. The city's name may derive from the two-horned goddess Astarte, with the crescent moon depicted on her head.
☩Later References
The name reappears in the apocryphal books as Carnaim or Carnion, located in 'the land of Gilead.' The site has been identified with various locations, including Es-Sanamein, approximately 25 miles south of Damascus, and Tell Ashary. Some scholars connect it with extensive ruins of immense basaltic blocks on a double ridge in the eastern border of Gilead.
Related Verses1 mention
Genesis· 1 verse
References
- 1.George Morrish, "Ashteroth Karnaim," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Ashteroth Karnaim," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Ashteroth-Karnaim," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).