Kirjathaim(kiriathaim)
“Double city, or two cities”
Summary
Name of two biblical cities: a Reubenite city east of the Jordan later possessed by Moab, and a Levitical city in Naphtali.
☩City of Reuben
Kirjathaim, meaning 'double city' or 'two cities,' was located in the territory assigned to the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan. It was originally inhabited by the Emim, whom the Moabites called Emim, a race of giants whom the Moabites dispossessed (Genesis 14:5; Deuteronomy 2:10-11). The city was rebuilt by the Reubenites after the conquest (Numbers 32:37; Joshua 13:19) but was later taken by the Moabites, as indicated by the Moabite Stone and prophetic oracles against Moab.
☩Prophetic Judgment
Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel include Kirjathaim in their prophecies against Moab. Jeremiah declares that judgment has come upon Kirjathaim, and it is put to shame and broken down (Jeremiah 48:1, 23). Ezekiel lists Kirjathaim among the cities that would be given to the people of the east as a possession (Ezekiel 25:9). These prophecies confirm that by the time of the prophets, the city had returned to Moabite control.
☩Levitical City in Naphtali
A second Kirjathaim was a Levitical city in the territory of Naphtali, assigned to the Gershonite Levites (1 Chronicles 6:76). This northern city should not be confused with the Reubenite city of the same name east of the Jordan. The name 'double city' may have been common for towns that grew from two adjacent settlements.
Related Verses7 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Kirjathaim," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Kirjathaim," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).