What is…
Kirjathaim

also known as: Kirja-thaim and Kiryathaim

Hebrew: קֵרְיָתַיִם —transliteration: Qiryathayim —meaning: two cities; a double city

This is the name of 2 biblical places…

1. Kirjathaim, a city of refuge

   This Levitical city of refuge was located within the tribal land of Naphtali (1 Chronicles 6:76).

   • What is a city of refuge?
   • Who is Levi?
   • Who are the Levites?
   • What is Levirate law?

2. Kirjathaim, a city of Moab

   also known as: Ataroth

   It was located east of the Jordan, and was an ancient city of the Emims (Genesis 14:5; Deuteronomy 2:9-10) inhabited by Moabites (land of Moab), and later by Amorites, and eventually Israelites.

   In the time of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 25:9) it was one of the 4 cities which formed the “glory of Moab” (compare Jeremiah 48:1; 48:23).

   It has been identified with el-Kureiyat, 11 miles southwest of Medeba, on the south slope of Jebel Attarus, the ancient Ataroth.