A town in the Shephelah, home of Samson
Zorah
Named in 10 verses across 4 books, first in Joshua 15:33.
צׇרְעָהZorah
The name means “leprosy; scab; hornet.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
About Zorah Written by AI
Zorah was a town located in the Shephelah, the foothills between the coastal plain and the hill country of Judah. It was originally allotted to the tribe of Judah (Jos.15.33) but later became part of the territory of Dan (Jos.19.41). Zorah was the hometown of Samson, the judge of Israel (Jdg.13.2). The Spirit of the Lord began to stir Samson in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol (Jdg.13.25). Men from Zorah and Eshtaol were involved in the Danite migration (Jdg.18.2,8,11). Samson was buried between Zorah and Eshtaol (Jdg.16.31). During the reign of Rehoboam, Zorah was fortified as a defensive city (2Ch.11.10). In the time of Nehemiah, the people of Zorah helped rebuild Jerusalem (Neh.11.29). Zorah is identified with the modern-day village of Sar'a, about 15 miles west of Jerusalem.
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
Place of wasps, a town in the low country of Judah, afterwards given to Dan (Josh. 19:41; Judg. 18:2), probably the same as Zoreah (Josh. 15:33). This was Samson’s birthplace (Judg. 13:2, 25), and near it he found a grave (16:31). It was situated on the crest of a hill overlooking the valley of Sorek, and was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:10). It has been identified with Sur’ah, in the Wady Surar, 8 miles west of Jerusalem. It is noticed on monuments in the fifteenth century B.C. as attacked by the Abiri or Hebrews.
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
31.762, 34.969 See it on a map
Where the Bible names it
- Joshua 15:33
These were in the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
- Joshua 19:41
The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,
- Judges 13:2
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
- Judges 13:25
And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
- Judges 16:31
Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.
- Judges 18:2
So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
- Judges 18:8
When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
- Judges 18:11
So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
- 2 Chronicles 11:10
Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
- Nehemiah 11:29
in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.