1015. Beth Diblathayim
Lexical Summary
Beth Diblathayim: House of Fig Cakes

Original Word: בֵּית דִּבְלָתיִם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Beyth Diblathayim
Pronunciation: bayth dib-lah-thah'-yim
Phonetic Spelling: (bayth dib-law-thah'-yim)
KJV: Beth-diblathaim
NASB: Beth-diblathaim
Word Origin: [from H1004 (בַּיִת - house) and the dual of H1690 (דְּבֵלָה - cake)]

1. house of (the) two figcakes
2. Beth-Diblathajim, a place East of the Jordan

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Beth-diblathaim

From bayith and the dual of dbelah; house of (the) two figcakes; Beth-Diblathajim, a place East of the Jordan -- Beth-diblathaim.

see HEBREW bayith

see HEBREW dbelah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from bayith and a word from the same as debelah
Definition
a place in Moab (the same as NH5963)
NASB Translation
Beth-diblathaim (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
בֵּית דִּבְלָתָ֑יִם proper name, of a location in Moab Jeremiah 48:22 = עַלְמֹן דִּבְלָתָ֑יְמָה Numbers 33:46,47 (MI בת דבלתן) see ׳ד.

דִּבְלָתַ֫יִם in proper name, of a location see ׳בית ד, ׳עלמן ד (possibly from √ דבל in sense of collect, assemble, Ethiopic III. 3 se colligere, coetus, chorus, conventus, concilium) — Jeremiah 48:22; דִּבְלָתָ֑יְמָה Numbers 33:46,47.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Setting within Scripture

Beth-diblathaim appears once in the Old Testament, in the oracle against Moab recorded by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 48:22). The site is listed among a series of Moabite towns upon which divine judgment is pronounced.

Geographical Location

Scholars generally place Beth-diblathaim on the elevated plateau of central Moab, east of the Dead Sea and south-east of Mount Nebo. It is grouped in Jeremiah 48 with Dibon and Nebo (Jeremiah 48:21-22), suggesting proximity to those better-attested cities. Some propose a connection with modern Khirbet al-Blaiha or a nearby tell along the Wadi Wala system, yet no definitive identification has been confirmed archaeologically. Its pairing with Dibon—which has yielded the famous Mesha Stele—implies a location along the main north-south caravan route that once linked the Arnon Gorge to the Kerak plateau.

Historical Context

Jeremiah 48 speaks during the late seventh or early sixth century BC, shortly before Babylon’s assault on the Transjordan. Moab had enjoyed a measure of independence after Assyria’s decline, but its continued reliance on false deities and pride (Jeremiah 48:7, 29) invited the judgment Jeremiah foretold. Beth-diblathaim shared in Moab’s prosperity and therefore also in the sweeping devastation soon imposed by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies (Jeremiah 48:42). The city’s mention testifies to Moab’s extensive settlement network and reminds readers that divine justice addresses every locale, great or small.

Canonical Interconnections

The element “Diblathaim” echoes Almon-diblathaim in Numbers 33:46-47, a staging point for Israel on its wilderness march. Though the names are not identical, the similarity indicates that this region was well known to ancient Israel. Jeremiah’s inclusion of Beth-diblathaim therefore ties his prophecy back to Israel’s formative era, underscoring Yahweh’s enduring sovereignty over the same terrain through successive generations.

Theological and Prophetic Significance

1. Completeness of Judgment: By itemizing places such as Beth-diblathaim, the Lord shows that His verdict touches every sector of Moab. “Judgment has come upon… Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim” (Jeremiah 48:22). Divine justice is thorough, sparing neither fortress nor frontier village.
2. Accountability of Nations: Moab’s downfall, including the ruin of Beth-diblathaim, illustrates the principle announced in Genesis 12:3 and reaffirmed by the prophets: God blesses those who honor His people and judges those who oppress them (compare Jeremiah 48:27).
3. Hope beyond Ruin: Jeremiah 48 closes with a pledge of future restoration for Moab (Jeremiah 48:47). The fall of Beth-diblathaim is therefore not the last word. God’s redemptive purposes encompass even those nations once hostile to Israel, foreshadowing the gospel’s reach to “all families of the earth” (Acts 3:25-26).

Lessons for Ministry and Faith

• God’s omniscience: The mention of an otherwise obscure town proves that no corner of the world escapes His notice (Hebrews 4:13).
• The peril of complacency: Moab’s security in fortified towns like Beth-diblathaim bred complacency. Believers are warned against trusting in earthly strongholds rather than in the Lord (Psalm 20:7).
• The scope of the Great Commission: Beth-diblathaim’s inclusion in prophecy anticipates the global horizon of redemption. As the gospel advances, servants of Christ are called to reach both the great cities and the forgotten places of the earth (Matthew 28:19-20).

Related Biblical Themes

Moabite pride and downfall – Isaiah 16; Zephaniah 2:8-11

God’s concern for individual cities – Amos 1–2; Revelation 2–3

Restoration of the nations – Isaiah 19:23-25; Romans 15:9-12

Forms and Transliterations
דִּבְלָתָֽיִם׃ דבלתים׃ diḇ·lā·ṯā·yim diḇlāṯāyim divlaTayim
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Englishman's Concordance
Jeremiah 48:22
HEB: וְעַל־ בֵּ֖ית דִּבְלָתָֽיִם׃
NAS: Dibon, Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,
KJV: and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim,
INT: Nebo against and Beth-diblathaim

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 1015
1 Occurrence


diḇ·lā·ṯā·yim — 1 Occ.

1014
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