Place Old Testament
Zaanan
Zaanan, a town mentioned in Micah's prophecy, possibly located in the Shephelah region of Judah (Mic. 1:11). Mentioned once in Scripture, at Micah 1:11.
Why it matters. A town mentioned in Micah's prophecy
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.744, 34.694 (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 Zaanan
Zaanan is a town mentioned only once in the Bible, in Micah 1:11, as part of a series of judgments pronounced against various cities and towns in Judah. The prophet Micah declares, "Pass by in naked shame, you inhabitant of Shaphir; the inhabitant of Zaanan does not go out. Beth Ezel mourns; its place to stand is taken away from you." The exact location of Zaanan is uncertain, but based on the context of Micah's prophecy, it was likely situated in the Shephelah, the lowland region between the coastal plain and the Judean hills. The name "Zaanan" is derived from the Hebrew word meaning "to go out" or "to come forth," which may be a wordplay on the town's failure to come to the aid of its neighbors during a time of crisis. Micah's prophecy against Zaanan and the other towns in the region underscores the judgment and consequences that would come upon Judah for their unfaithfulness to God and their lack of justice and righteousness.
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.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Micah (1 verse)