Places in the Bible Today:

Valley of Baca

Data

Translated NamesBaca Valley, Valley of Baca, valley of Baca, Valley of Baka, Valley of Weeping
Typevalley
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

4 Possible Identifications

  1. not a place (symbolic or level place): 50% confidence
  2. within 20 km of Jerusalem (ancient): 30% confidence

    1. aerial cityscape of Jerusalemwithin 20 km of Jerusalem

  3. another name for the Valley of Rephaim (ancient): less than 10% confidence

    1. park in the Valley of RephaimValley of Rephaim

  4. El Baq’a (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. panorama of a region including El Baq’a, which is beyond the hills in the middle distanceEl Baq’a

Verses (1)

Ps 84:6

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookValley of Baca
OpenBible.info (2007)Valley of Baca
OpenBible.infoa1f363e (Valley of Baca)
TIPNRHinnom_Valley@Jos.15.8

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Baca, Valley of (place)
  2. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013): Baka, Valley of
  3. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Baca, plain of
  4. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984): Ps 84:6 note
  5. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Baca, Vale of
  6. IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary (2000): Ps 84:6
  7. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Baca, Valley of
  8. New Bible Dictionary (1996): Baca, Valley of
  9. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  10. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988): Baca
  11. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Baca, Valley of
  12. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Baca
  13. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  14. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Ps 84:5-6

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others, for example, then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Thumbnail Image Credits

Godot13, Deror_avi, Deror avi

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.