Place Old Testament
Tirzah
Tirzah, a Canaanite city captured by Joshua, later served as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel before Samaria (Josh. 12:24; 1Kgs. 14:17; 15:21, 33; 16:6-23). Mentioned in 13 verses across 4 books, first at Joshua 12:24.
Why it matters. Canaanite city that became the capital of Israel
- Primary passages
- Location
- 32.271, 35.294 (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 Tirzah
Tirzah was a Canaanite city that was captured by Joshua during the conquest of Canaan (Josh. 12:24). It later became the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Jeroboam I, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Omri (1Kgs. 14:17; 15:21, 33; 16:6-23). Tirzah served as the royal residence and administrative center until Omri built Samaria, which then became the new capital (1Kgs. 16:23-24). The city is also mentioned in the Song of Solomon, where the beauty of the Shulammite woman is likened to that of Tirzah (Sng.6.4). Tirzah's exact location is uncertain, but it is believed to have been situated in the hill country of Samaria, possibly near modern-day Tell el-Far'ah, about 7 miles northeast of Nablus.
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 13 verses across 4 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.