Place Old and New Testament
Elam
Also known as Elamite
Elam, an ancient nation east of Babylon, at times an ally and at times an enemy of Israel. Mentioned in 16 verses across 7 books, first at Genesis 14:1.
Why it matters. Ancient kingdom east of Babylon; ally and enemy of Israel
- Primary passages
- Location
- 32.189, 48.258 (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 Elam
Elam was an ancient kingdom located east of Babylonia in what is now southwestern Iran. The Elamites were descendants of Shem, son of Noah (Genesis 10:22). Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, was an ally of other Mesopotamian kings who fought against Sodom and Gomorrah and took Lot captive before being defeated by Abraham (Genesis 14:1-16).
The Elamites were skilled archers (Isaiah 22:6) and were sometimes allies of Israel's enemies. Elamite kings are mentioned in Assyrian records of campaigns against Judah. The prophets Isaiah (11:11, 21:2, 22:6) and Jeremiah (25:25, 49:34-39) foretold Elam's conquest by the Babylonians and Medes as part of God's judgment.
However, Jeremiah also prophesied Elam's restoration in the latter days (49:39). Some Elamites were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Act.2.9). Nehemiah's opponents included a man named Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab (Nehemiah 2:19, 6:1), possibly indicating alliances between Elam and Israel's neighbors. The references to Elam in Dan.8.2 suggest the province maintained some importance during the Persian period.
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
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 16 verses across 7 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.