BAAL-TAMAR

(Baʹal-taʹmar) [lord of the palm tree].

A site near Gibeah where Israelite fighting men drew up in formation against the tribe of Benjamin in a costly battle provoked by a revolting sex crime. Some of Israel’s forces were massed at Baal-tamar, while others were placed as an ambush against the Benjamites.—Judg. 19:25-28; 20:33.

The location of Baal-tamar is uncertain; some suggest Ras et-Tawil, a peak about a mile (1.6 kilometers) NE of Gibeah (modern Tell el-Ful), while others associate it with “Deborah’s palm tree,” situated between Bethel and Ramah.—Judg. 4:5.