OPHRAH

(Ophʹrah).

1. [Young One [of the Stags]]. A descendant of Judah through Meonothai.​—1Ch 4:1, 14.

[2, 3: possibly, Place of Dust]

2. A city of Benjamin. (Jos 18:21, 23) Its relative location may be deduced from the narrative about Israel’s encounters with the Philistines during Saul’s reign. From their camp at Michmash, bands of Philistine pillagers sallied forth in three different directions. One band turned to the road to Ophrah. Another went westward on the road to Beth-horon, while yet another traveled eastward on “the road to the boundary that looks toward the valley of Zeboim.” Since at least part of the Israelite army was encamped at Geba to the S of Michmash, apparently the Philistine band taking the road to Ophrah went northward. Accordingly, this would place Ophrah to the N of Michmash.​—1Sa 13:16-18.

Scholars often equate Ophrah with the city called Ephraim (2Sa 13:23; Joh 11:54) and Ephrain (2Ch 13:19), thought to be represented by et-Taiyiba (c. 6 km [3.5 mi] ENE of Bethel).

3. The home of Gideon and the place where Jehovah’s angel commissioned him to save Israel out of Midian’s palm. (Jg 6:11-32) After his victory over the enemy forces, Gideon made an ephod from the contributed spoils and exhibited it at Ophrah. Subsequently this ephod became an object of idolatrous veneration. (Jg 8:24-27) Later, after Gideon’s death and burial at Ophrah, his ambitious son Abimelech “killed his brothers . . . seventy men, upon one stone, but Jotham the youngest . . . was left over.” (Jg 8:32; 9:5) Not counting Abimelech, Gideon had 70 sons. (Jg 8:30, 31) Therefore, since Jotham escaped the slaughter, apparently Abimelech killed only 69 sons at Ophrah. Jotham’s later words concerning the incident merely appear to point to Abimelech’s intention to kill all 70 sons. (Jg 9:18) However, as a Jewish commentary fittingly observes: “It is still correct to speak in round numbers of ‘seventy’ slain.”​—Soncino Books of the Bible, edited by A. Cohen, London, 1950 (Joshua and Judges, p. 234).

This Ophrah apparently lay W of the Jordan. It is tentatively identified with el-ʽAffuleh (ʽAfula), about 45 km (28 mi) N of Shechem.