Zephath standard

Where is Zephath in the Bible?

Zephath was a Canaanite city located in the southern regions of ancient Canaan, later known as Hormah. The city appears prominently in the biblical accounts of Israel's conquest, first mentioned in Numbers and Deuteronomy as a place the Israelites initially failed to capture during their wilderness journey. However, in the book of Judges, the tribes of Judah and Simeon successfully defeated Zephath and destroyed it, renaming it Hormah, which means "devoted to destruction." The site also features in later biblical history as the location where King Asa of Judah defeated the Ethiopian army under Zerah, an important military victory recorded in 2 Chronicles 14. This place thus represents both a significant obstacle during Israel's early conquest and a site of God's deliverance in the later monarchy period.