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Place Old Testament

Zereth-shahar

Also known as Zereth-shahar =ESV; Zereth Shahar =NIV; Zareth-shahar =KJV

Zereth-shahar was a city in the territory of Reuben, located on a mountain in the plain by the Dead Sea . Mentioned once in Scripture, at Joshua 13:19.

Why it matters. A city in Reuben's territory by the Dead Sea

Primary passages
Location
31.617, 35.568 (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 Zereth-shahar

Zereth-shahar was a city allotted to the tribe of Reuben as part of the distribution of land east of the Jordan River (Jos.13.19). It is described as being on a mountain in the plain, likely referring to the tableland east of the Dead Sea. The name Zereth-shahar means "splendor of dawn," though the significance of the name is uncertain. No further details are given about the city's history or importance. Its exact location is unknown but was likely somewhere near the northeastern shore of the Dead Sea within the territory of Reuben.

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 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.

Record type: Place. FaithGraph explanations on this page are editorial and are not Scripture.