Atlas Biblica

    place

    Sirah

    סִּרָה

    Sirah, also called the Cistern of Sirah, was a place near Hebron where Joab killed Abner in revenge for the death of his brother Asahel (2Sam. 3:26).

    Where the story of Sirah happensWhere the gazetteer locates Sirah, framed to them: Sirah. Each dot is a coordinate from the gazetteer. The coastline is a modern one, simplified; no border, road or settlement of any period is drawn, and no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.Sirah
    Where the gazetteer locates Sirah
    verses
    1
    first named
    2 Samuel 3:26
    last named
    2 Samuel 3:26
    feature
    well
    coordinates
    31.54°N · 35.10°E
    well31.54°N · 35.10°E

    Ain Sarah (OpenBible)

    Scholarship offers 2 identifications for this place. The leading one is shown; the others are recorded in the gazetteer.

    Description

    Sirah in the text

    In the words of STEPBible TIPNR:

    Sirah, also known as the Cistern of Sirah, is mentioned in the account of the murder of Abner by Joab (2Sam. 3:26). Abner, who had been the commander of Saul's army, had recently defected to David's side after a dispute with Ish-bosheth, Saul's son. Joab, David's military commander, held a grudge against Abner for killing his brother Asahel in battle (2Sam. 2:18-23).

    When Abner left David's presence at Hebron, Joab sent messengers after him and brought him back from the Cistern of Sirah. Upon Abner's return, Joab took him aside and stabbed him to death in revenge for his brother's killing (2Sam. 3:27).

    The exact location of Sirah is not specified in the biblical text, but it was apparently a well-known landmark near Hebron. The name "Sirah" may be derived from the Hebrew word "sur," meaning "to turn aside" or "to depart," possibly indicating a place where travelers would stop or turn off the main road.

    David, who had not authorized Abner's murder, mourned his death and publicly cursed Joab and his family for their treachery (2Sam. 3:28-39). This incident highlights the complex political situation during the early years of David's reign and the challenges he faced in uniting the kingdom under his rule.

    Relations

    Direct connections

    Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.

    Stands in the same events as

    Read it

    Where to read it

    Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — one, across 1 book. The name is written 2 times in them.

    1. 2 Samuel1 verse

      3:26

    Onward

    Where this page goes

    Nothing in the graph stands one hop from this entity yet. These are the best-connected entities of the same type, so the page still ends somewhere. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.

    ElsewhereJerusalemThe capital of Israel, a holy city for three religionsElsewhereEgyptAncient nation; Israelites enslaved there; plagues and ExodusElsewhereJordanA river and region, significant in Israel's history

    Sources

    What this rests on