All of the Zohars listed by Scriptor are near the southern end of the
Dead Sea. I know that because I have a map of Israel that marks both
Neveh Zohar and Arad, and all of the places are described at
(http://www.einbokek.com/deadsea.htm) in relation to Neveh Zohar and
Arad.
My copy of the Bible (Jewish Publication Society) has "Zoar," not
"Zohar" in Gen. 14 and 19, Isaiah 15 and Jer. 48. Gen. 19 explains how
Lot took refuge in Zoar from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
However, Gen. 46 appears to refer to a person, not a place. "Zohar" is
a son of Simeon, a grandson of Jacob.
The HarperCollins Atlas of the Bible locates Zoar on the far southern
end of the Dead Sea, about 15-20 miles south-southeast of Neveh Zohar.
The book identifies Zoar as the place known in Arabic as Es-Safi.
Es-Safi is today on the Jordianian side of the border. The U.S.
National Imagery and Mapping Office locates Es-Safi, or As-Safi, at
31.02.10N 35.28.00E. You can see As Safi on this Perry Map Collection
map of Jordan: (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/jordan_rel91.jpg).
The online book East of the Jordan
(http://www.asor.org/pubs/macdonald.pdf) discusses where the biblical
Zoar is likely to be.
Don't confuse this Es-Safi with Tel Es-Safi, which is the modern name
for the Philistine city of Gath.
So now the question is: Are you looking for info on the Zohar area of
Israel or the Es-Safi (or As-Safi) area in Jordan, which some think is
the biblical Zoar? |