Achor
Encyclopedia
Achor is the name of a valley
in the vicinity of Jericho
.
Eusebius (in Onomasticon) and Jerome
(in Book of Sites and Names of Hebrew Places) implied that they thought it was a valley north of Jericho. In the nineteenth century some writers identified the valley with the wadi
al-Qelt, a deep ravine located to Jericho's south. In the twentieth century the Hyrcania
valley (El-Buqei'a in Arabic) west and south of Qumran
, and Wadi en-Nu'eima have also been suggested. One difficulty is that the narrative of Joshua appears to place the valley of Achor to the north of Jericho, between Jericho and Ai
; but Joshua makes the valley part of the boundary between the tribe of Judah
and the tribe of Benjamin
, to the south of Jericho, but not as far south as El-Buqei'a.
The Book of Joshua
, chapter seven, relates the story from which the valley's name comes. After the problems the Israelites had as a result of Achan
's immoral theft of items commanded to be destroyed, the Israelite community stoned Achan and his household. Liberal scholars and archaeologists regard the narrative about Achan as an aetiological myth, and instead suspect that it gained this name for another reason.
Due to the horrific nature of this narrative, the phrase valley of trouble became eminently proverbial and occurs elsewhere in the Hebrew bible. The Book of Isaiah
and Book of Hosea
use the term - the valley of trouble, a place for herds to lie down in (Isaiah ), the valley of trouble for a door of hope (Hosea ) as a way of describing the redemption promised by God.
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
in the vicinity of Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
.
Eusebius (in Onomasticon) and Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
(in Book of Sites and Names of Hebrew Places) implied that they thought it was a valley north of Jericho. In the nineteenth century some writers identified the valley with the wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
al-Qelt, a deep ravine located to Jericho's south. In the twentieth century the Hyrcania
Hyrcania (fortress)
Hyrcania was an ancient fortress in the Judean Desert of the West Bank.The site is located on an isolated hill about 200 m above the Hyrcania valley, on its western edge. It is about 5 km west of Qumran, and 16 km east of Jerusalem. The site has not yet been thoroughly excavated...
valley (El-Buqei'a in Arabic) west and south of Qumran
Qumran
Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
, and Wadi en-Nu'eima have also been suggested. One difficulty is that the narrative of Joshua appears to place the valley of Achor to the north of Jericho, between Jericho and Ai
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
; but Joshua makes the valley part of the boundary between the tribe of Judah
Tribe of Judah
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Judah was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes....
and the tribe of Benjamin
Tribe of Benjamin
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Benjamin בִּנְיָמִין was one of the Tribes of Israel.From after the conquest of the land by Joshua until the formation of the first Kingdom of Israel in c. 1050 BCE, the Tribe of Benjamin was a part of a loose confederation of Israelite tribes...
, to the south of Jericho, but not as far south as El-Buqei'a.
The Book of Joshua
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
, chapter seven, relates the story from which the valley's name comes. After the problems the Israelites had as a result of Achan
Achan (Bible)
Achan , also called Achar, is a figure mentioned by the Book of Joshua in connection with the fall of Jericho and conquest of Ai.According to the narrative of Joshua chapter 7, Achan pillaged an ingot of gold, a quantity of silver, and a costly garment, from Jericho; the text states "But all the...
's immoral theft of items commanded to be destroyed, the Israelite community stoned Achan and his household. Liberal scholars and archaeologists regard the narrative about Achan as an aetiological myth, and instead suspect that it gained this name for another reason.
Due to the horrific nature of this narrative, the phrase valley of trouble became eminently proverbial and occurs elsewhere in the Hebrew bible. The Book of Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
and Book of Hosea
Book of Hosea
The Book of Hosea is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It stands first in order among what are known as the twelve Minor Prophets.-Background and Content:...
use the term - the valley of trouble, a place for herds to lie down in (Isaiah ), the valley of trouble for a door of hope (Hosea ) as a way of describing the redemption promised by God.