kirjathaim Summary and Overview

two cities; a double city. (1.) A city of refuge in Naphtali (1 Chr. 6:76). (2.) A town on the east of Jordan (Gen. 14:5; Deut. 2:9, 10). It was assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Num. 32:37). In the time of Ezekiel (25:9) it was one of the four cities which formed the "glory of Moab" (compare Jer. 48:1, 23). It has been identified with el-Kureiyat, 11 miles south-west of Medeba, on the south slope of Jebel Attarus, the ancient Ataroth.

(the two cities). 1. On the east of the Jordan, one of the places which were taken possession of and rebuilt by the Reubenites, and had fresh names conferred on them, #Nu 32:37| and see #Nu 32:38| the first and last of which are known with some tolerable degree of certainty. #Jos 12:19| It existed in the time of Jeremiah, #Jer 48:1,23| and Ezekiel. #Eze 25:9| In the three passages named the Authorized Version gives the name KIRIATHAIM. By Eusebius it appears to have been well known. He describes it as a village entirely of Christians, ten miles west of Medeba, "close to the Baris." 2. A town in Naphtali not mentioned in the original list of the possession allotted to the tribe, see #Jos 19:32-39| but inserted in the list of cities given to the Gershonite Levites in #1Ch 6:76| in place of KARTAN in the parallel catalogue, Kartan being probably only a contraction thereof.

KIRJATHA'IM . See Kiriathaim.