Tishbe

Tishbe, sometimes transliterated as Thisbe,

toponym

may denominate another location, as discussed below.

Demonym or descriptor?

Many of the

Hebrew prophets are introduced with the name of their father, their original place of residence, or both. For instance, Jonah is introduced as "Jonah, the son of Amittai... of Gath-hepher",^[3] Elisha is introduced as "Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel-meholah",^[4] Micah is introduced as "Micah the Morashtite",^[5] etc. Elijah, in turn, is introduced as "Elijah the Tishbite, of the settlers of Gilead."^[6]

When considering the general pattern of how prophets are first introduced in the text of the Hebrew Bible, it would seem the passage is a simple statement of Elijah's origins.

Because the original Hebrew words for "Tishbite" (תִּשְׁבִּי‎, tīšbī) and "settlers" (תֹּשָׁבֵי‎, tōšāḇē) are strikingly similar, some scholars have questioned whether tīšbī is actually a demonym for a place called "Tishbe", or if it is a form of the word "settler" conjugated to match Elijah – thereby reading "Elijah the settler" rather than "Elijah the Tishbite". The word tīšbī appears just six times in the Hebrew Bible, each time in conjunction with Elijah's own name, but no place called "Tishbe" appears throughout the entire

Tanakh. Therefore, it is debated whether or not the text is indicating Elijah hailed from a place called Tishbe, or that he originated from amongst settlers in the Gilead.^[7]

Possible locations

Tishbe in Gilead

Tishbe: the likely location near the stream of Chorath, identified here with today's Wadi al-Yabis

1 Kings 17:1 indicates that

Israelite Tribe of Manasseh and, possibly also, the Tribe of Gad, have been in possession of Gilead; therefore Tishbe was probably in the territory of the eastern half of Manasseh, or possibly in that of Gad. According to Pfeiffer and Vos, it is located in the territory of Manasseh, in proximity to the wadi known from the Bible as Cherith, in present-day Jordan.^[9]

Tishbe has for a long time been identified as the historical town of Listib in Gilead, due to its location and the similarity between the ancient Hebrew name and the

Northern Kingdom of Israel.^[10]

Tishbe in Naphtali

Alternatively, Tishbe may be identical to the as-yet undiscovered "Thisbe" referenced in the Book of Tobit (Tobit 1:2), which was located west of the Jordan River in the territory of the tribe of Naphtali, "to the south of Kedesh Naphtali in Upper Galilee, above Asher toward the west, and north of Phogor".^[11]

References

^ "An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of the First Book of Kings", Christian Classics Ethereal Library
^ ^a ^b ^c International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), Tishbite, via BiblicalTraining.org, accessed 2020-01-13
^ 2 Kings 14:25
^ 1 Kings 19:15–16
^ Micah 1:1
^ 1 Kings 17:1
^ McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia, "Tishbite"; Biblical Training, "Tishbite"
^ Ant., 8: 13, 2.
^ Charles F. Pfeiffer and Howard Frederic Vos, The Wycliffe Historical Geography of Bible Lands, Map 6 (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1967).
^ Harrison, R. K., "Tishbite", in G. W. Bromiley, gen. ed., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Rev., Vol. 4, p. 861 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988).
^ Tobit 1:2: New Revised Standard Version

External links

Photos of Listib at the American Center of Research

[1] "An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of the First Book of Kings", Christian Classics Ethereal Library

[Training-2] International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), Tishbite, via BiblicalTraining.org, accessed 2020-01-13

[3] 2 Kings 14:25

[4] 1 Kings 19:15–16

[5] Micah 1:1

[6] 1 Kings 17:1

[7] McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia, "Tishbite"; Biblical Training, "Tishbite"

[8] Ant., 8: 13, 2.

[9] Charles F. Pfeiffer and Howard Frederic Vos, The Wycliffe Historical Geography of Bible Lands, Map 6 (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1967).

[10] Harrison, R. K., "Tishbite", in G. W. Bromiley, gen. ed., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Rev., Vol. 4, p. 861 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988).

[11] Tobit 1:2: New Revised Standard Version

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