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What are the…
Cities of the Bible
names, descriptions, locations and types

The earliest mention of city-building is that of the pre-Flood city of Enoch, which was built by Cain, son of Adam (Genesis 4:17).

After the Flood and the confusion of tongues at Babel, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).

Next, we have a record of the cities of the Canaanites, Sidon, Gaza, Sodom, etc. (10:12, 19; 11:3, 9; 36:31-39). The earliest description of a city is that of Sodom (19:1-22).

Damascus is said to be the oldest of the post-Flood cities still inhabited today.

Before the time of Abraham there were cities in Egypt (Numbers 13:22). The Israelites in Egypt were employed in building the “treasure cities” of Pithom and Raamses (Exodus 1:11); but it does not seem that they had any cities of their own in Goshen (Genesis 46:34; 47:1-11).

In the kingdom of Og in Bashan there were sixty “great cities with walls,” and twenty-three cities in Gilead partly rebuilt by the tribes on the east of Jordan (Numbers 21:21, 32,33,35; 32:1-3, 34-42; Deuteronomy 3:4,5, 14; 1 Kings 4:13). On the west of Jordan were thirty-one “royal cities” (Joshua 12), besides many others spoken of in the history of Israel.

Fenced Cities

A fenced city was a city surrounded by fortifications and high walls, with watch-towers upon them (2 Chronicles 11:11; Deuteronomy 3:5). There was also within the city generally a tower to which the citizens might flee when danger threatened them (Judges 9:46-52).

Cities of Refuge

There were 6 cities of refuge, 3 on each side of Jordan, namely, Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron, on the west of Jordan; and on the east, Bezer, Ramoth-gilead, and Golan. The cities on each side of the river were nearly opposite each other. See: CITIES OF REFUGE

City of David

When David destroyed the fortress of the Jebusites which stood on Mount Zion, he built on the site a palace and a city, which he called by his own name (1 Chronicles 11:5), the city of David. Bethlehem is also so called as being David’s native town (Luke 2:4).

Holy City

Jerusalem is called the Holy City, the holiness of the temple being regarded as extending in some measure over the whole city (Neh. 11:1).

Treasure cities

Pithom and Raamses, built by the Israelites as “treasure cities,” were not places where royal treasures were kept, but were fortified towns where merchants might store their goods and transact their business in safety, or cities in which munitions of war were stored. (See PITHOM.)

Levitical cities (list)

  1. Ain
  2. Anathoth
  3. Anem
  4. Ayalon Valley (Ajalon, Aijalon , Aij'alon, Ayyalon)
  5. Beth-Shemesh
  6. Bethoron (Beth-Horon)
  7. Bezer
  8. Bosor
  9. Daberath
  10. Eshtemoa
  11. Geba
  12. Gezer
  13. Golan
  14. Heshbon
  15. Jarmuth
  16. Jazer (Numbers 32:1; 32:3; Joshua 13:25)
  17. Kartah
  18. Kedesh
  19. Kibzaim
  20. Mahanaim
  21. Nahalal (Nahalal)
  22. Ramoth-Gilead
  23. Shechem
  24. Taanach (Ta'anakh, Ti'inik, or Ti’innik)
  25. Jokneam (aka Jokneam Illit, Yokneam Illit, and Yokneam

List of Biblical cities

Also see: List of cities in the Tribe of Judah

  1. Abel-beth-maachah
  2. Abdon
  3. Accad (Akkad)
  4. Accho
  5. Acco
  6. Achmetha
  7. Achzib (Achziv)
  8. Achshaph
  9. Adam —miracle here
  10. Adamah —destroyed by God
  11. Adramyttium
  12. Adullam
  13. Aeolis
  14. Ai
  15. Aid-el-ma
  16. Aijalon
  17. Ajalon
  18. Akkad
  19. Alemeth
  20. Alexandria
  21. Almon
  22. Amphipolis
  23. Anab
  24. Ananiah
  25. Anathoth
  26. Anem
  27. Aner
  28. Anim
  29. Antioch
  30. Antipatris
  31. Aphek
  32. Aphik
  33. Apollonia
  34. Ar
  35. Arab
  36. Arad
  37. Archi
  38. Arimathea
  39. Aroer
  40. Arpad
  41. Arvad
  42. Ascalon
  43. Ashdod
  44. Ashkelon
  45. Askelon
  46. Ashtaroth
  47. Ashterah
  48. Asshur
  49. Ataroth
  50. Athens
  51. Azekah
  52. Baal
  53. Baalbec
  54. Baal-gad
  55. Baal-hazor
  56. Baal-hermon
  57. Baalah
  58. Baale of Judah
  59. Babel
  60. Babylon—miracle here
  61. Baghdad
  62. Bajith
  63. Balah
  64. Bashan havoth jair
  65. Beeroth
  66. Beersheba
  67. Bela
  68. Berea
  69. Betah
  70. Beth-anath
  71. Beth-anoth
  72. Beth-arabah
  73. Beth-dagon
  74. Beth-diblathaim
  75. Beth-gamul
  76. Bethshan
  77. Beth-Omri
  78. Beth-shean
  79. Beth-shemesh
  80. Bethel
  81. Bethsaida
  82. Bethuel
  83. Bethlehem—miracles here, birthplace of David and Jesus Christ
  84. Bezer
  85. Bozrah
  86. Cabul
  87. Caesara Philippi
  88. Caesarea
  89. Calah
  90. Calneh
  91. Camon
  92. Capernaum—miracles here
  93. Carchemish
  94. Cenchrea
  95. Chephirah
  96. Chinnereth
  97. Chor-ashan
  98. Chorazin
  99. Chun
  100. Cinnereth
  101. The City of Salt
  102. The City of Palm Trees
  103. Colossae
  104. Corinth
  105. Cuthah
  106. Cyrene
  107. Damascus
  108. Dannah
  109. Debir
  110. Diblathaim
  111. Dibon
  112. Dimnah
  113. Dinhabah
  114. Dor
  115. Dothan
  116. Ecbatana
  117. Eder
  118. Edrei
  119. Eglon
  120. Egyptian cities
  121. Elath
  122. Elon
  123. Eltekeh
  124. En-gannim
  125. Enoch—first city (antediluvian)
  126. Ephah
  127. Ephesus
  128. Ephratah
  129. Ephrath
  130. Erech
  131. Eshtemoa
  132. Etam
  133. Ezion-geber
  134. Gadara
  135. Gath
  136. Gath-rimmon
  137. Gaulanitisrefuge
  138. Gaza
  139. Geba
  140. Gebal
  141. Gedor
  142. Gennesaret
  143. Gezer
  144. Gibbethon
  145. Gibeah of Judah
  146. Gibeah of Phinehas
  147. Gibeon
  148. Giloh
  149. Gimzo
  150. Gittite
  151. Golanrefuge
  152. Gomorrah—destroyed by God
  153. Hadashah
  154. Hammath
  155. Hammon
  156. Hammoth-dor
  157. Haran
  158. Harosheth of the Gentiles
  159. Hazar-gaddah
  160. Hazar-shual
  161. Hazar-susah
  162. Hazor
  163. Hazor-hadattah
  164. Hebron
  165. Heleph
  166. Heliopolis of Egypt
  167. Heliopolis of Syria
  168. Hena
  169. Hepher
  170. Heshbon
  171. Hierapolis
  172. Horem
  173. Horonaim
  174. Ibleam
  175. Iconium
  176. Idalah
  177. Iim
  178. Ijon
  179. Irha-heres
  180. Ivah
  181. Jaazer
  182. Jabesh-Gilead
  183. Jabneel
  184. Jagur
  185. Janoah
  186. Jano’hah
  187. Jarmuth
  188. Jattir
  189. Jazer (Numbers 32:1; 32:3; Joshua 13:25)
  190. Jebus
  191. Jericho—miracle here
  192. Jerusalem—miracles here
  193. Jeshanah
  194. Jeshua
  195. Jethlah
  196. Jokdeam
  197. Jokmeam
  198. Jokneam
  199. Joktheel
  200. Joppa
  201. Juttah—birthplace of John the Baptist
  202. Kabzeel
  203. Kadesh
  204. Kartah
  205. Kartan
  206. Kedemoth
  207. Kedesh
  208. Keilah
  209. Kenath
  210. Kerioth
  211. Keziz
  212. Kibzaim
  213. Kinah
  214. Kir-haraseth
  215. Kir
  216. Kirjath-arba
  217. Kirjath-huzoth
  218. Kirjath-jearim
  219. Kirjath-sannah
  220. Kirjath-sepher
  221. Kirjath
  222. Kirjathaimrefuge
  223. Kishion
  224. Kitron
  225. Laban
  226. Lachish
  227. Laish
  228. Laodicea
  229. Lasaea
  230. Libnah
  231. Luz
  232. Lystra
  233. Madmen
  234. Madon
  235. Magdala
  236. Mahanaim
  237. Makkedah
  238. Maktesh
  239. Mareshah
  240. Medeba
  241. Megiddo
  242. Memphis
  243. MephaathLevitical
  244. Middin
  245. Migdal-el
  246. Mishal
  247. Mitylene
  248. Mizpah
  249. Moladah
  250. Mozah
  251. Naamah
  252. Nahallal
  253. Nazareth
  254. Neapolis
  255. Nibshan
  256. Nicopolis
  257. Nimrah
  258. Nineveh
  259. No
  260. NobLevitical
  261. Nobah
  262. Noph
  263. Nophah
  264. On
  265. Open place
  266. Ophni
  267. Ophrah
  268. Pai
  269. Palestinae
  270. Patara
  271. Pau
  272. Pelusium
  273. Penuel—miracle here
  274. Pergamos
  275. Pethor
  276. Petra
  277. Philadelphia
  278. Philippi
  279. Pithom
  280. Ptolemais
  281. Puteoli
  282. Raamses
  283. Rabbah
  284. Rakkath
  285. Rama
  286. RamothLevitical
  287. Ramoth-gilead —a cities of refuge
  288. Rehoboth
  289. Resen
  290. Rimmon
  291. Rome
  292. Salamis
  293. Salcah
  294. Sardis
  295. Secacah
  296. Seleucia
  297. Sepharvaim
  298. Shaaraim
  299. Shalem
  300. Shalem
  301. Shechem
  302. Shiloh
  303. Shimron-meron
  304. Shimron
  305. Sichem
  306. Sidon
  307. Sin
  308. Smyrna
  309. Socho
  310. Sodom—destroyed by God
  311. Succoth
  312. Taanach
  313. Tanis (called Zoan)
  314. Tadmor
  315. Tahapanes
  316. Tappuah
  317. Tarsus
  318. Thebez
  319. Tekoa
  320. Thessalonica
  321. Thyatira
  322. Tiberias
  323. Tibhath
  324. Timna
  325. Timnath-serah
  326. Tirza
  327. Troas
  328. Tyre
  329. Ur
  330. Uzal
  331. Zarethan (a.k.a. Zaretan, Zartanah, Zarthan and Zeredathah, Zeredah) (see: Joshua 3:16; 1 Kings 4:12; 7:46; 2 Chronicles 4:17)
  332. Zareth-shahar
  333. Zeboim—destroyed by God
  334. Zeboim
  335. Zidon
  336. Zior
  337. Ziph
  338. Ziphron
  339. Zoan

Suburbs

A city with suburbs was a city surrounded with open pasture-grounds, such as the forty-eight cities which were given to the Levites (Numbers 35:2-7).

Things in cities

Also see

Article Version: July 2, 2021