BAALAH

(Baʹal·ah) [mistress, possessor].

1. A city on the N border of Judah, also called Kiriath-baal but better known as Kiriath-jearim.—Josh. 15:9, 10, 60; 18:14; 1 Chron. 13:6; see KIRIATH-JEARIM.

2. A mountain in the NW corner of Judah, between the towns of Shikkeron and Jabneel, forming part of the N boundary of Judah’s territory. (Josh. 15:11) It may possibly be identified with the hill of Mughar just N of the Valley of Sorek and about seven miles (11 kilometers) in from the Mediterranean coast.

3. A town in the Negeb region of Judah (Josh. 15:29), evidently referred to as Balah in Joshua 19:3, and Bilhah in 1 Chronicles 4:29. It was subsequently allotted to the tribe of Simeon as an enclave city. Its specific location is unknown, but evidently it lay to the SE of Beer-sheba.