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Judith includes locations, such as Hoba and Salem, that also appear in Genesis where Abram defeats kings and meets Melchizedek. Judith connects its narrative to Israel’s literature and distant past, grounding its events within biblical tradition.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 14:18
Hebrew Bible
15 Then, during the night, Abram divided his forces against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 He retrieved all the stolen property. He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of the people. 17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 19 He blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Judith 4:4
Deuterocanon
2 They were exceedingly afraid at his approach, and were troubled for Jerusalem and for the temple of the Lord their God; 3 because they had newly come up from the captivity, and all the people of Judea were recently gathered together; and the vessels, the altar, and the house were sanctified after being profaned. 4 And they sent into every coast of Samaria, to Konae, to Beth-horon, Belmaim, Jericho, to Choba, Aesora, and to the valley of Salem; 5 and they occupied beforehand all the tops of the high mountains, fortified the villages that were in them, and stored supplies for the provision of war, for their fields were newly reaped. 6 Joakim the high priest, who was in those days at Jerusalem, wrote to those who lived in Bethulia and Betomesthaim, which is opposite Esdraelon toward the plain that is near to Dothaim,
Date: 100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The combination here of known, partially known, and unknown place names is typical of the difficulties raised by the geographical information provided in Judith. Samaria, Beth-horon, and Jericho are known, identifiable places. Hoba is mentioned in Genesis 14, a biblical tale of a military coalition, as is the city – but not the valley – of Salem (Gen 14:15, 18), but neither Hoba nor the valley of Salem can be assigned a precise location. The towns of Kona, Belmain, and Aesora are mentioned only in Judith (see too 15:5) and consequently are difficult to place and identify. A further complication is the varied transmission in Greek manuscripts of these unfamiliar and presumably transliterated Hebrew names ..."
Deborah Levine Gera, Judith (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2014), 171.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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