Place Old Testament
Tel-harsha
Also known as Tel-harsha =ESV, KJV; Tel Harsha =NIV; Tel–harsa =KJV
Tel-harsha, a Babylonian city from which some Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem, but could not prove their genealogy (Ezra 2:59; Neh. 7:61). Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Ezra 2:59.
Why it matters. Babylonian city from which exiles returned
- Primary passages
- Location
- 32.127, 45.230 (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 Tel-harsha
Tel-harsha is mentioned in Ezra 2:59 and Nehemiah 7:61 as one of the Babylonian cities from which Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem after the decree of Cyrus the Great. The returning exiles from Tel-harsha, along with those from Tel-melah and Cherub-addan-immer, were unable to prove their ancestry or demonstrate that they belonged to the people of Israel. This suggests that during the Babylonian captivity, some Jews may have lost track of their genealogical records or intermarried with non-Jewish populations. The exact location of Tel-harsha is unknown, but it was likely situated in Babylonia, the region where the Jewish exiles had been deported. The name "Tel-harsha" may be derived from the Akkadian language, meaning "mound of the forest" or "hill of the woods." The mention of Tel-harsha in the context of the returning exiles highlights the challenges faced by some Jews in establishing their identity and lineage after the Babylonian exile.
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 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.