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Place Old Testament

Diviners' Oak

Also known as Diviners', Oak =ESV; diviners', tree =NIV; plain of, Meonenim =KJV

The Diviners' Oak was a tree near Shechem, likely associated with pagan divination practices (Judges 9:37). Mentioned once in Scripture, at Judges 9:37.

Why it matters. A tree near Shechem, associated with pagan divination practices.

Primary passages
Location
32.214, 35.282 (approximate, within about 2 km)

Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.

Last reviewed
2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team

About Diviners' Oak

The Diviners' Oak was a tree located near the city of Shechem, mentioned in the story of Abimelech's rise to power (Judges 9:37). It was likely a prominent tree used by pagan diviners for their occult practices. In the context of the story, Gaal, one of Abimelech's opponents, refers to the Diviners' Oak when warning of an approaching army. The mention of this tree suggests that pagan divination practices were still prevalent in the region during the time of the judges. The Diviners' Oak stands as a reminder of the Israelites' struggle to remain faithful to God in the face of surrounding pagan influences.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.

Connections

No reviewed connections yet.

Appears in Scripture

Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.

  • Judges (1 verse)

    9:37

Record type: Place. FaithGraph explanations on this page are editorial and are not Scripture.