Michmethah
מַכְמְתָת/mik-MEE-thah/
“Possibly hiding place”
Summary
Michmethah was a town on the boundary between the tribal territories of Ephraim and Manasseh, located east of Shechem.
☩Location and Identification
Michmethah served as a landmark defining the border between Ephraim to the south and Manasseh to the north, west of the Jordan River. The town lay eastward from Shechem, in the direction of Tappuah. The presence of the definite article in the Hebrew ('the Michmethah') suggests the name may be an appellative describing some feature of the landscape rather than a proper name. Some scholars have suggested identifying it with the plain of Makhneh, which lies east of Nablus (ancient Shechem), where the ancient name may possibly survive.
Key verses:Joshua 16:6Joshua 17:7
References
- 1.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Michmethah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 2.John McClintock and James Strong, "Michmethah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VI (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 3.James Orr (ed.), "Michmethah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).