Place Old Testament
Havilah
Havilah was a region inhabited by the descendants of Ishmael (Gen.25.18), which was later raided by King Saul during his campaign against the Amalekites (1Sa.15.7). Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Genesis 25:18.
Why it matters. Region inhabited by Ishmaelites, raided by Saul
- Primary passages
- Location
- 30.140, 35.220 (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 Havilah
Havilah was a region located in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula, inhabited by the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son (Gen.25.18). The Ishmaelites settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, which bordered Egypt to the east. During King Saul's reign, he launched a military campaign against the Amalekites, a nomadic people who lived in the region. Saul's army attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur (1Sa.15.7), indicating that Havilah marked the eastern extent of the Amalekite territory. This Havilah is distinct from the one mentioned in the Garden of Eden account and is likely located in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia.
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.