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)
- Ain
- Anathoth
- Anem
- Ayalon Valley (Ajalon, Aijalon , Aij'alon, Ayyalon)
- Beth-Shemesh
- Bethoron (Beth-Horon)
- Bezer
- Bosor
- Daberath
- Eshtemoa
- Geba
- Gezer
- Golan
- Heshbon
- Jarmuth
- Jazer (Numbers 32:1; 32:3; Joshua 13:25)
- Kartah
- Kedesh
- Kibzaim
- Mahanaim
- Nahalal (Nahalal)
- Ramoth-Gilead
- Shechem
- Taanach (Ta'anakh, Ti'inik, or Ti’innik)
- Jokneam (aka Jokneam Illit, Yokneam Illit, and Yokneam
List of Biblical cities
Also see: List of cities in the Tribe of Judah
- Abel-beth-maachah
- Abdon
- Accad (Akkad)
- Accho
- Acco
- Achmetha
- Achzib (Achziv)
- Achshaph
- Adam —miracle here
- Adamah —destroyed by God
- Adramyttium
- Adullam
- Aeolis
- Ai
- Aid-el-ma
- Aijalon
- Ajalon
- Akkad
- Alemeth
- Alexandria
- Almon
- Amphipolis
- Anab
- Ananiah
- Anathoth
- Anem
- Aner
- Anim
- Antioch
- Antipatris
- Aphek
- Aphik
- Apollonia
- Ar
- Arab
- Arad
- Archi
- Arimathea
- Aroer
- Arpad
- Arvad
- Ascalon
- Ashdod
- Ashkelon
- Askelon
- Ashtaroth
- Ashterah
- Asshur
- Ataroth
- Athens
- Azekah
- Baal
- Baalbec
- Baal-gad
- Baal-hazor
- Baal-hermon
- Baalah
- Baale of Judah
- Babel
- Babylon—miracle here
- Baghdad
- Bajith
- Balah
- Bashan havoth jair
- Beeroth
- Beersheba
- Bela
- Berea
- Betah
- Beth-anath
- Beth-anoth
- Beth-arabah
- Beth-dagon
- Beth-diblathaim
- Beth-gamul
- Beth-hoglah, a city of the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:20-24)
- Bethshan
- Beth-Omri
- Beth-shean
- Beth-shemesh
- Bethel
- Bethsaida
- Bethuel
- Bethlehem—miracles here, birthplace of David and Jesus Christ
- Bezer
- Bozrah
- Cabul
- Caesara Philippi
- Caesarea
- Calah
- Calneh
- Camon
- Capernaum—miracles here
- Carchemish
- Cenchrea
- Chephirah
- Chinnereth
- Chor-ashan
- Chorazin
- Chun
- Cinnereth
- The City of Salt
- The City of Palm Trees
- Colossae
- Corinth
- Cuthah
- Cyrene
- Damascus
- Dannah
- Debir
- Diblathaim
- Dibon
- Dimnah
- Dinhabah
- Diospolis
- Dor
- Dothan
- Ecbatana
- Eder
- Edrei
- Eglon
- Egyptian cities
- Elath
- Emek-keziz, a city of the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:20-24)
- Elon
- Eltekeh
- En-gannim
- Enoch—first city (antediluvian)
- Ephah
- Ephesus
- Ephratah
- Ephrath
- Erech
- Eshtemoa
- Etam
- Ezion-geber
- Gadara
- Gath
- Gath-rimmon
- Gaulanitis—refuge
- Gaza
- Geba
- Gebal
- Gedor
- Gennesaret
- Gezer
- Gibbethon
- Gibeah of Judah
- Gibeah of Phinehas
- Gibeon
- Giloh
- Gimzo
- Gittite
- Golan—refuge
- Gomorrah—destroyed by God
- Hadashah
- Hammath
- Hammon
- Hammoth-dor
- Haran
- Harosheth of the Gentiles
- Hazar-gaddah
- Hazar-shual
- Hazar-susah
- Hazor
- Hazor-hadattah
- Hebron
- Heleph
- Heliopolis of Egypt
- Heliopolis of Syria
- Hena
- Hepher
- Heshbon
- Hierapolis
- Horem
- Horonaim
- Ibleam
- Iconium
- Idalah
- Iim
- Ijon
- Irha-heres
- Ivah
- Jaazer
- Jabesh-Gilead
- Jabneel
- Jagur
- Janoah
- Jano’hah
- Jarmuth
- Jattir
- Jazer (Numbers 32:1; 32:3; Joshua 13:25)
- Jebus
- Jericho—miracle here
- Jerusalem—miracles here
- Jeshanah
- Jeshua
- Jethlah
- Jokdeam
- Jokmeam
- Jokneam
- Joktheel
- Joppa
- Juttah—birthplace of John the Baptist
- Kabzeel
- Kadesh
- Kartah
- Kartan
- Kedemoth
- Kedesh
- Keilah
- Kenath
- Kerioth
- Keziz
- Kibzaim
- Kinah
- Kir-haraseth
- Kir
- Kirjath-arba
- Kirjath-huzoth
- Kirjath-jearim
- Kirjath-sannah
- Kirjath-sepher
- Kirjath
- Kirjathaim—refuge
- Kishion
- Kitron
- Laban
- Lachish
- Laish
- Laodicea
- Lasaea
- Libnah
- Lod
- Ludd
- Luz
- Lydda
- Lystra
- Madmen
- Madon
- Magdala
- Mahanaim
- Makkedah
- Maktesh
- Mareshah
- Medeba
- Megiddo
- Memphis
- Mephaath—Levitical
- Middin
- Migdal-el
- Mishal
- Mitylene
- Mizpah
- Moladah
- Mozah
- Naamah
- Nahallal
- Nazareth
- Neapolis
- Nibshan
- Nicopolis
- Nimrah
- Nineveh
- No
- Nob—Levitical
- Nobah
- Noph
- Nophah
- On
- Open place
- Ophni
- Ophrah
- Pai
- Palestinae
- Patara
- Pau
- Pelusium
- Penuel—miracle here
- Pergamos
- Pethor
- Petra
- Philadelphia
- Philippi
- Pithom
- Ptolemais
- Puteoli
- Raamses
- Rabbah
- Rakkath
- Rama (Ramah)
- Ramoth —Levitical
- Ramoth-gilead —a cities of refuge
- Rehoboth
- Resen
- Rimmon
- Rome
- Salamis
- Salcah
- Sardis
- Secacah
- Seleucia
- Sepharvaim
- Shaaraim
- Shalem
- Shalem
- Shechem
- Shiloh
- Shimron-meron
- Shimron
- Sichem
- Sidon
- Sin
- Smyrna
- Socho
- Sodom—destroyed by God
- Succoth
- Taanach
- Tanis (called Zoan)
- Tadmor
- Tahapanes
- Tappuah
- Tarsus
- Thebez
- Tekoa
- Thessalonica
- Thyatira
- Tiberias
- Tibhath
- Timna
- Timnath-serah
- Tirza
- Troas
- Tyre
- Ur
- Uzal
- Zarethan (a.k.a. Zaretan, Zartanah, Zarthan and Zeredathah, Zeredah) (see: Joshua 3:16; 1 Kings 4:12; 7:46; 2 Chronicles 4:17)
- Zareth-shahar
- Zeboim—destroyed by God
- Zeboim
- Zidon
- Zior
- Ziph
- Ziphron
- 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
- baths
- battlement
- Beams
- bed-chamber
- bedstead
- Bricks
- Buildings
- Chambers
- church
- cistern
- conduit
- corner
- council
- defenses: doors, gates, walls, fences, towers, bars
- dungeon
- dwelling
- fence
- fountain
- gate
- Guest chamber
- Highways
- Houses
- Inns
- Marketplaces
- Palaces
- pool
- praetorium
- prison
- quarries
- streets
- Temples
- tombs
- Towers
- treasure
- Treasure houses
- Wells
- Window
- Wood
More information
- Carpenters
- Citizenship
- City of refuge
- Colony
- Decapolis
- Kings of the Bible
- Lines
- Masons
- Places in the Bible
- Suburbs
- Tents
- Villages
- Citizenship, Government & and the Bible—questions & answers
- city building information in our article: Is there archaeological evidence of the Tower of Babel?