Zorah
“Hornet or place of hornets”
Summary
A town on the border of Dan and Judah, famous as the birthplace and burial place of Samson the judge.
☩Location
Zorah was located in the northwestern corner of Judah's lowland district, though it was assigned to the tribe of Dan. The town occupied a position on a sharp conical hill at the shoulder of the ranges, overlooking the Wady Ghurab which leads into the great Wady Surar (Valley of Sorek). It is almost always mentioned in connection with neighboring Eshtaol. The modern village of Sur'ah preserves the ancient site, about ten miles north of Eleutheropolis.
☩Samson's Connection
Zorah was the residence of Manoah and the native place of his son Samson. The place of both Samson's birth and burial is specified with precision as being 'between Zorah and Eshtaol,' in the camp of Dan. The valley below was famous for its vineyards, making the Nazirite restriction on wine a particularly demanding test of Samson's consecration. Zorah's location near Timnah, only three miles away, helps explain Samson's fateful encounters with the Philistines.
☩Later History
From Zorah, spies were sent by the tribe of Dan to scout the territory they would eventually conquer in the far north. Rehoboam fortified Zorah as it commanded one of the main approaches from the Philistine plain into the hill country. After the Babylonian captivity, descendants of Judah resettled the town.
Related Verses12 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Zorah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Zorah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Zorah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).