What is…
Lebonah

Meaning: frankincense, or white

This is a town near Shiloh, on the north side of Bethel that is mentioned in the book of Judges. It is mentioned only once in Scripture.

So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.” —Judges 21:19 LSB

It has been identified with Luban e-Sharkiya (aka el-Lubban, or Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya), to the south of Nablus, Israel. It sits at an elevation of 1,923 feet above sea level (586 meters).

The nearby Israeli community of Ma'ale Levona, located near this site, takes its name from Lebonah.

The Crusaders knew it as “Lubanum”.

Archaeologists have found pottery and sherds here from Biblical times—the Iron Age, Greek and Roman times, as well as later.