Tappuah

Tap'puah

[some Tappu'ah] (Heb. Tappu'ach, תִּפּוּח [in 1Ch 2:43, תִּפּח, an apple, as often; Sept. Τάφου, Ταφούτ, Θαφέθ, Θαφφού, etc., and twice [Jos 15:34; Jos 17:8] omits; Vulg. Taphucu), the name of a man and also of two places in Palestine. SEE APPLE.

1. Second named of the four sons of Hebron of the lineage of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2, 43); not to be confounded with either of the following (see Keil, ad loc.). B.C. ante 1618.

⇒Bible concordance for TAPPUAH.

2. A town in the lowland district of Judah, mentioned between Engannim and Enam (Jos 15:34), in the group situated in the N.W. corner (see Keil, ad loc.); differs from the Beth tappuah (q.v.) of ver. 53, but probably the same with the royal city of the Canaanites (Jos 12:17), conquered by the Israelites (see Keil, ad loc.). It is perhaps the present Beita tab, an important place on a conspicuous hill, about half-way from Jerusalem to Beit-Jebrin. It contains about 600 or 700 inhabitants, is built of stone, and has a ruined tower or castle (Robinson, Bibl. Res. 2, 13). This is apparently the place meant by Schwarz (Palest. p. 102) by "the village Beth-Tapa, five English miles N.W. [ten N.E.] of Beit-Jibrin."

3. A town in the tribe of Ephraim, near the border of Manasseh, in which latter the adjacent territory ("land of Tappuah") lay (Jos 16:8; Jos 17:8); probably containing a fine spring, and hence called (ver. 7) EN-TAPPUAR SEE EN-TAPPUAR (q.v.). It is no doubt, as suggested by Van de Velde (Memoir,' p. 351), although this is disputed by Keil (Comment. ad loc.), the same as the present 'Atuf, a deserted village about four hours N.E. by E. of Nablis, with traces of antiquity and ancient wells of excellent water. Schwarz also states that "at the present day the Arabs call the country between Nablds and the Jordan Balad-tapuach, as probably the town of this name was formerly in it" (Palest. p. 89). SEE TRIBE.