Etymology and Meaning:
The name "Abel-shittim" is derived from two Hebrew words: "Abel," meaning "meadow" or "stream," and "Shittim," referring to the acacia trees that were abundant in the area. Thus, Abel-shittim can be understood as "Meadow of the Acacias."

Biblical References:
Abel-shittim is mentioned in the Old Testament as a significant location during the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. It is primarily noted in the Book of Numbers and the Book of Joshua.

1. Numbers 33:49 : "They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab." This verse situates Abel-shittim as a camping ground for the Israelites on the plains of Moab, near the Jordan River, as they prepared to enter Canaan.

2. Numbers 25:1 : "While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab." This passage highlights a significant event at Shittim, where the Israelites fell into sin by engaging in idolatry and immorality with the Moabites, leading to a divine plague.

3. Joshua 2:1 : "Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, 'Go, look over the land, especially Jericho.' So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there." Abel-shittim served as the launching point for the espionage mission into Jericho, marking a pivotal moment in the Israelites' conquest of Canaan.

Geographical Location:
Abel-shittim is located in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho. It is part of the larger region known as Shittim, characterized by its acacia trees. The exact modern location is uncertain, but it is generally believed to be in the area of modern-day Jordan, near the Dead Sea.

Historical and Theological Significance:
Abel-shittim holds historical significance as the final encampment of the Israelites before crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The events that transpired there, including the sin with the Moabite women and the subsequent judgment, underscore themes of covenant faithfulness and the consequences of disobedience. Additionally, the sending of spies from Abel-shittim to Jericho marks a strategic and faith-driven initiative by Joshua, setting the stage for the miraculous crossing of the Jordan and the conquest of Canaan.

Cultural Context:
The mention of acacia trees in the name Abel-shittim is culturally significant, as acacia wood was commonly used in the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings (Exodus 25-27). This connection may symbolize the presence of God with the Israelites even as they camped on the brink of entering the land He had promised them.Abel-Shittim

mourning of thorns

Meadow of the acacias, frequently called simply "Shittim" (Numbers 25:1; Joshua 2:1; Micah 6:5), a place on the east of Jordan, in the plain of Moab, nearly opposite Jericho. It was the forty-second encampment of the Israelites, their last resting-place before they crossed the Jordan (Numbers 33:49; 22:1; 26:3; 31:12; Comp. 25:1; 31:16). ABEL-SHITTIM

a'-bel-shit'-tim ('abhel ha-shiTTim, "the meadow of the Acacias"): The name appears only in Numbers 33:49; but the name Shittim is used to denote the same locality (Numbers 25:1 Joshua 2:1; Joshua 3:1 Micah 6:5). The name always has the article, and the best expression of it in English would be "the Acacias." `The valley of the Acacias' (Joel 3:18 (4:18)) is, apparently, a different locality.

For many weeks before crossing the Jordan, Israel was encamped in the vicinity of the Jordan valley, North of the Dead Sea, East of the river. The notices in the Bible, supplemented by those in Josephus and Eusebius and Jerome, indicate that the camping region was many miles in extent, the southern limit being Beth-jeshimoth, toward the Dead Sea, while Abel of the Acacias was the northern limit and the headquarters. The headquarters are often spoken of as East of the Jordan at Jericho (e.g. Numbers 22:1; Numbers 26:3, 63). During the stay there occurred the Balaam incident (Numbers 22-24), and the harlotry with Moab and Midian (Numbers 25) and the war with Midian (Numbers 31), in both of which Phinehas distinguished himself. It was from the Acacias that Joshua sent out the spies, and that Israel afterward moved down to the river for the crossing. Micah aptly calls upon Yahweh's people to remember all that happened to them from the time when they reached the Acacias to the time when Yahweh had brought them safely across the river to Gilgal.

Josephus is correct in saying that Abel of the Acacias is the place from which the Deuteronomic law purports to have been given. In his time the name survived as Abila, a not very important town situated there. He says that it was "sixty furlongs from Abila to the Jordan," that is a little more than seven English miles (Ant., IV, viii, 1 and V, i, 1; BJ, IV, vii, 6). There seems to be a consensus for locating the site at Kefrein, near where the wady of that name comes down into the Jordan valley.

Willis J. Beecher

63. Abel Hashshittim -- a place in the lowlands of Moab
... a place in the lowlands of Moab. Transliteration: Abel Hashshittim Phonetic Spelling:
(aw-bale' hash-shit-teem') Short Definition: Abel-shittim. ... Abel-shittim. ...
/hebrew/63.htm - 6k

Some Miscellaneous Matters Belonging to the Country About Jericho.
... Numbers 33:49: "They encamped near Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth unto Abel-shittim."""
From Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim were twelve miles." It is a most ...
/.../from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 48 some miscellaneous matters.htm

Abelshittim (1 Occurrence)
... 25:1; 31:16). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ABEL-SHITTIM. ... Willis J. Beecher.
Multi-Version Concordance Abelshittim (1 Occurrence). ...
/a/abelshittim.htm - 10k

Abel-shittim (1 Occurrence)
Abel-shittim. Abelshittim, Abel-shittim. Abez . Easton's Bible Dictionary Meadow ...
RSV). Abelshittim, Abel-shittim. Abez . Reference Bible.
/a/abel-shittim.htm - 10k

Beth-jeshimoth (4 Occurrences)
... House of wastes, or deserts, a town near Abel-shittim, east of Jordan, in the desert
of Moab, where the Israelites encamped not long before crossing the Jordan ...
/b/beth-jeshimoth.htm - 9k

Shittim (34 Occurrences)
... Acacias, also called "Abel-shittim" (Numbers 33:49), a plain or valley in the land
of Moab where the Israelites were encamped after their two victories over ...
/s/shittim.htm - 20k

Bethjeshimoth (3 Occurrences)
... House of wastes, or deserts, a town near Abel-shittim, east of Jordan, in the desert
of Moab, where the Israelites encamped not long before crossing the Jordan ...
/b/bethjeshimoth.htm - 8k

Jeshimoth (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Jeshimoth (4 Occurrences). Numbers 33:49 They encamped
by the Jordan, from Beth Jeshimoth even to AbelShittim in the plains of Moab. ...
/j/jeshimoth.htm - 7k

Lowlands (25 Occurrences)
... Numbers 33:49 Planting their tents by the side of Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth
as far as Abel-shittim in the lowlands of Moab. (BBE). ...
/l/lowlands.htm - 14k

Meadow (8 Occurrences)
... margin, "Abel") of the vineyards" (Judges 11:33); "Abel-beth-maacah" (1 Kings
15:20 2 Kings 15:29; compare 2 Samuel 20:14, 15, 18); "Abel-shittim" (Numbers 33 ...
/m/meadow.htm - 12k

Plains (31 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Numbers 33:49 They encamped by the Jordan,
from Beth Jeshimoth even to AbelShittim in the plains of Moab. ...
/p/plains.htm - 16k

What is the significance of Shittim in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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Of whom was Cain afraid after he killed Abel? | GotQuestions.org

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