Gibeah is the name of three places mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, and Ephraim respectively. The location in Benjamin is best-known, and generally identified with Tell el-Fūl in northern Jerusalem.
Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin was the location of the turning out of the Levite's concubine, and the resulting Battle of Gibeah. Israel’s first king, King Saul, reigned here for 22 years. It is mentioned several times in later prophetic writings. Also known as Gibeat. Perhaps to avoid confusion with other places named Gibeah, this location is also called "Gibeah of Benjamin" and "Gibeah of Saul". The latter name is also used by the modern neighborhood Givat Shaul, which however is located in a different location. According to Josephus, the 10th Roman Legion camped near Gabaothsaul in its assault on Jerusalem in 70 CE. The name "Gibeah of God" may also refer to this Gibeah.
Geography
This Gibeah is generally identified with Tell el-Fūl, a hill in the northern reaches of modern Jerusalem, on the outskirts of the Pisgat Ze'ev and Shuafat neighborhoods. This location is north of ancient Jerusalem, along the watershed ridge at above sea level. According to Josephus, Gabaothsaul was located about 30 stadia north of Jerusalem, which would have roughly corresponded with the location of Tell el-Fūl. King Hussein of Jordan began construction on his royal palace at Tell el-Ful, but construction was halted when the Six-Day War broke out. Since Israel won the war, King Hussein's palace was never finished and now all that remains is the skeleton of the building. Alternatively, Gibeah may have been where Jaba' now stands, a view held by biblical scholarEdward Robinson and C. Umhau Wolf. Israel Finkelstein also challenged the identification with Tell el-Fūl.
Archaeology
Tell el-Ful was first excavated in 1868 by Charles Warren, while C.R. Conder described the remains in 1874. William F. Albright led his first excavation from 1922 to 1923, and returned for a second season in 1923. His work was published in 1960. P.W. Lapp conducted a six-week salvage excavation in 1964. According to Kenneth Kitchen, "Upon this strategic point was found an Iron I occupation replaced by a fortress, subsequently refurbished, and then later in disuse. The oldest level may reflect the Gibeah of. The excavations by Albright, checked by Lapp, would favor the view that it was Saul who built the first fortress, later repaired by him or David. The first fort had at least one rectangular corner-tower at its southwest angle; it may have had others at the other corners, but no traces were detected."
Gibeah of Judah and Ephraim
A city in the tribal inheritance of Judah ; cities mentioned in nearby verses included Zanoah and Halhul. C. R. Conder identifies this Gibeah with the modern Palestinian village of Jab'a. A city in the tribal inheritance of Ephraim, "the Gibeah of Phinehas" ; Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was buried here. Possibly Awarta.
