Place Old Testament
Ophrah
Also known as Hapharaim
Ophrah, also known as Hapharaim, was Gideon's hometown in Manasseh and the site of important events during his time as a judge, as well as a town allotted to the tribe of Issachar. Mentioned in 6 verses across 2 books, first at Joshua 19:19.
Why it matters. Gideon's hometown in Manasseh; a town in Issachar
- Primary passages
- Location
- 32.609, 35.288 (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 Ophrah
There are two places named Ophrah mentioned in the Bible:
Ophrah of Manasseh: This Ophrah was the hometown of Gideon, one of the judges of Israel (Judg. 6:11). It was here that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and commissioned him to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judg. 6:11-24). Gideon built an altar to the Lord in Ophrah and destroyed the altar of Baal (Judg. 6:24-27). After his victory over the Midianites, Gideon made an ephod from the spoils of war and placed it in Ophrah, which became a snare to him and his family (Judg. 8:27). Gideon died and was buried in Ophrah (Judg. 8:32). Later, Gideon's son Abimelech killed his seventy brothers in Ophrah (Judg. 9:5). The exact location of this Ophrah is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the region of Manasseh, west of the Jordan River.
Ophrah of Issachar: This Ophrah was a town allotted to the tribe of Issachar during the division of the Promised Land (Josh. 19:19). It is listed along with other towns in the region, such as Jezreel, Chesulloth, and Shunem. Its location is unknown.
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 6 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.