Zer
“Rock or flint”
Summary
A fortified city in the tribal territory of Naphtali, mentioned only once in Scripture and not positively identified.
☩Biblical Reference
Zer appears in Joshua 19:35 as one of the fortified cities allotted to the tribe of Naphtali, listed between Ziddim and Hammath. From its position in the list near Hammath (south of Tiberias), it is supposed to have been located southwest of the Sea of Galilee. The Septuagint rendering suggests a textual difficulty, reading the verse as referring to 'Tyrians' rather than a city name.
☩Identification
The exact location of Zer remains unidentified. Some scholars suggest it may actually be part of the preceding name, forming 'Ziddim-zer' as a compound place name, which would account for the total count of nineteen cities listed for Naphtali. The Jerusalem Talmud mentions Zer as lying near Ziddim, supporting a location in the region west of the Sea of Galilee.
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Zer," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Zer," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.John McClintock and James Strong, "Zer," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).