Place Old and New Testament
Ephraim
Ephraim, a city near the Judean wilderness where Jesus withdrew after the raising of Lazarus. Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at 2 Samuel 13:23.
Why it matters. City near the Judean wilderness; Jesus withdrew there
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.954, 35.299 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from OpenBible.info geocoding data (CC BY 4.0). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ephraim
Ephraim is mentioned in Jhn.11.54 as the place where Jesus withdrew with His disciples after the raising of Lazarus. This event had intensified the opposition of the Jewish religious leaders, who were plotting to kill Jesus (Jhn.11.45-53).
The city of Ephraim was located near the wilderness, likely referring to the Judean wilderness east of Jerusalem. By withdrawing to this area, Jesus sought to avoid confrontation with His enemies until the appointed time for His passion and death.
The exact location of Ephraim is uncertain, but it may be the same as the city of Ephron mentioned in 2Ch.13.19, which was situated in the hill country of Judah, near Bethel.
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 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.