Tophel
“Mortar; whitewash”
Summary
A place in the wilderness mentioned in Deuteronomy as a geographical marker for Moses's address to Israel, probably located southeast of the Dead Sea.
☩Biblical Reference
Tophel appears only once in Scripture, in Deuteronomy 1:1, as one of several places mentioned to help locate where Moses addressed the Israelites in the wilderness east of the Jordan. The verse lists several locations to define the general region, though not all have been satisfactorily identified.
☩Identification
Tophel has been identified with high probability with modern Tufileh, located on a wadi of the same name running north of Bozra toward the southeast corner of the Dead Sea. The brook Tufileh still serves as the recognized boundary between the regions of Edom and Moab. The area is remarkably fertile, with many springs and rivulets, large orchards of fig, pomegranate, apricot, and olive trees, from which figs are exported.
Related Verses1 mention
Deuteronomy· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Tophel," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Tophel," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Tophel," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).