Place Old Testament
Golan
Golan was a city of refuge in Bashan, allotted to the Levites of the family of Gershon and located in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh (Deu.4.43; Joshua 20:8; 21:27; 1Ch.6.71). Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Deuteronomy 4:43.
Why it matters. A city of refuge in Bashan, allotted to Manasseh.
- Primary passages
- Location
- 32.800, 35.937 (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 Golan
Golan was a city located in the region of Bashan, east of the Jordan River, within the territory allotted to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was designated as one of the six cities of refuge, along with Kedesh and Hebron (Deu.4.43; Joshua 20:8). These cities served as places of protection for individuals who had unintentionally killed someone, providing them with a safe haven from avengers of blood until a proper trial could be conducted. Golan was also allotted to the Levites of the family of Gershon, along with other cities in the region, as part of their inheritance in the Promised Land (Joshua 21:27; 1Ch.6.71). This allocation of cities to the Levites ensured that they would be dispersed throughout the land and could carry out their priestly duties among the various tribes of Israel. The region surrounding Golan became known as the territory of Golan or Gaulonitis. Apart from its designation as a city of refuge and a Levitical city, no other specific events or details about Golan are recorded in the Bible.
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.