Bethphage

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Bethphage ( βηθφαγή).—A place unknown to the OT, the Apocrypha, or Josephus, and mentioned in the NT only once—on the occasion of our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem five days before His death. It was certainly situated upon the slope of the Mt. of Olives, on or near the road from Jericho to Jerusalem ( Mark 10:46;  Mark 11:1,  Luke 19:1;  Luke 19:29), and in the immediate neighbourhood of Bethany. The site of the latter being accurately determined as the modern el-ʽAzariyeh (see art. Bethany, 1), it might be expected that there would be little difficulty in locating Bethphage. Unfortunately, however, the texts of the three Synoptists [St. John does not mention Bethphage] are obscure on two points—

(1) As to the relation between Bethphage and Bethany, St. Luke ( Luke 19:29) alone mentions both places (‘as he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany’). His language seems to imply that a traveller coming from Jericho would come first to Bethphage, then to Bethany, and finally to Jerusalem. St. Matthew ( Matthew 21:1) mentions only Bethphage. As for St. Mark, his original text ( Mark 11:1) probably contained no reference to Bethphage, but this name has been inserted, and in the majority of MSS [Note: SS Manuscripts.] stands between Jerusalem and Bethany in such a way that, if this reading were accepted as the original one, we should have to place Bethphage in a different position in relation to Bethany from what is implied in the text of St. Luke.

To reconcile these divergent statements, a hypothesis has been started to the effect that Bethany may have lain a little off the direct route from Jericho to Jerusalem, upon a side road, and Bethphage at the point where this joined the main road. It would thus have been necessary to pass Bethphage both in going to Bethany and in returning from it. Support for this conjecture has been sought in the use of the word ἀμφοδον in  Mark 11:4.

(2) In all three Synoptics, Jesus sends two of His disciples to a village (κώμη) to bring the ass on which He was to ride. Is this village, which is ‘over against’ (κατέναντι), to be identified with Bethphage, or with Bethany, or with some third locality? Each of these views is capable of defence; the traditional identification of the village of the ass’s colt with Bethphage is at least questionable, especially in view of  Matthew 21:1 ‘When they had reached Bethphage … then Jesus sent two disciples to the village over against.’ A site for the village of the colt might be suggested at Siloë , or rather at Kefr et-Tur , on the top of the Mt. of Olives. [It is known that in the time of Jesus Christ there were houses on its summit]. In the circumstances of the case it would be hazardous to offer any opinion as to the probable situation of Bethphage.

Etymologically the name Bethphage appears to mean ‘house ( or place) of unripe fruits,’ more especially ‘of unripe figs’ (cf. Ca 2:13, and see Dalman, Grammatik des jud. pal.-Aramäisch , 1894, p. 152, and Arnold Meyer, Jesu Muttersprache , 1896, p. 166). Recently a connexion has been suggested by Nestle (‘Etymologische Legenden?’ in ZWTh xl. [1897], p. 148) between this etymology of the name Bethphage and the story of the barren fig-tree. But it may be noted that the latter is associated in the Gospels ( Matthew 21:17-22,  Mark 11:11-14;  Mark 11:20-26) with Bethany, not Bethphage. Formerly Nestle ( S K [Note: K Studien und Kritiken.] , 1896, p. 323 ff., and in his Philologiea Saera , 1896, p. 16 f.) had pointed to the possibility of connecting, from the point of view of popular etymology, Bethphage (= בֵּיתפֵגִעִא ‘place of meeting’) and the ἄμφοδον of  Mark 11:4. Finally, another explanation of Bethphage , viewed as a dwelling-place of priests (?), is furnished by Origen, and rests upon a curious combination of the Aramaic word פגא ‘jaw,’ with  Deuteronomy 18:3, which assigns to the priests the jaws of sacrificial victims as part of their portion.

In the Middle Ages, Bethphage was shown to the north of Bethany, higher up the slope of the Mt. of Olives. The site of this medieval Bethphage (which proves nothing for the Bethphage of Scripture) was recovered nearly thirty years ago, thanks to the discovery made by the Franciscan Fathers, control led and described by Guillemot and Clermont-Gannean, of a stone (the fragment of an altar?) bearing inscriptions and pictures relating to Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.

Literature.— PEFS t [Note: EFSt Quarterly Statement of the same.] , 1874, p. 173; 1878, pp. 51–61, 146–149: PE F [Note: EF Palestine Exploration Fund.] , ‘Jerusalem,’ pp. 331–340; Revue Archéologique , Dec. 1877, p. 366 ff.; Revue Biblique , 1892, p. 105 f. Sec also the discussion in Andrews, Life of our Lord 2 [Note: designates the particular edition of the work referred] , 429–432.

Lucien Gautier.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

("house of unripe figs"): testifying the former fertility which no longer remains; a village on the mount of Olives, on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. Close to Bethany, E. of it, since Bethphage stands first in describing a journey from E. to W. The traditional site is above Bethany, between it and the mountain's top. Schwarz places it W. of Bethany, on the S. shoulder of the mount, above Siloam. Here the colt for Jesus' triumphal entry was found ( Matthew 21:1, etc.). The Talmud made Bethphage a district extending from Olivet to the Jerusalem walls. Others allege the sacrificial victims were kept there; this would give significance to its being the point whence the antitypical sacrifice proceeded to Jerusalem.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

BETHPHAGE (‘house of figs’). The place whence Christ, on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, sent His disciples to fetch the ass (  Matthew 21:1 ,   Mark 11:1 ,   Luke 19:29 ). It must have been close to Bethany, and is traditionally identified with Abu Dis , a village that satisfies this condition.

R. A. S. Macalister.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Matthew 21:1 Mark 11:1 Luke 19:29 Matthew 21:18-22 Mark 11:12-14 Mark 11:20-26Triumphal Entry

William Vermillion

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

so called from its producing figs, a small village situated in Mount Olivet, and, as it seems, somewhat nearer Jerusalem than Bethany. Jesus being come from Bethany to Bethphage, commanded his disciples to seek out an ass for him that he might ride, in his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem,  Matthew 21:1 , &c. The distance between Bethphage and Jerusalem is about fifteen furlongs.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Bethphage (Bĕth'Fa-Jee ; Eng. Bĕth'Fâj ), House Of Green Figs. A place near Bethany,  Matthew 21:1;  Mark 11:1;  Luke 19:29, and possibly west of that place.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Village on the Mount of Olives near to Bethany. Its came signifies 'house of figs ' (hard or unripe). Identified with Kefr el Tor, on the mount half way between Bethany and the top.  Matthew 21:1;  Mark 11:1;  Luke 19:29 .

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Place of figs, a little village at the eastern foot of the Mount of Olives, near to Bethany,  Matthew 21:1;  Mark 11:1;  Luke 19:29 .

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Βηθφαγῆ and Βηθφαγή, prob. for Syro-Chald. בֵּית פִּגֵּא, House Of The unripe fig), the name of a village (κώμη ) on the Mount of Olives, along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and situated at a fork of the road, where our Lord, on his way from Bethany to Jerusalem, procured an ass just before reaching the summit of the Mount of Olives ( Matthew 21:1;  Mark 11:1;  Luke 19:29). From the two being twice mentioned together ( Mark 11:1;  Luke 19:29), it was apparently close to BETHANY (See Bethany) (q.v.), and it appears (from  Matthew 21:1) to have been nearer to the city. The fact of our Lord's making Bethany his nightly lodging-place ( Matthew 21:17, etc.) is no confirmation of its direction from Bethphage, since he would doubtless take up his abode in a place where he had friends, even though it were not the first place at which he arrived on the road. Dr. Robinson argues (Researches, 2, 103) from the order of the names in these passages that Bethphage lay to the east of Bethany instead of westward, as the local tradition states; but his view has evidently been biassed by his arrangement of the gospel narrative at that point, by which he places this event on the way from Jericho instead of after the feast at Bethany (see his Harmony of the Gospels compared with Strong's Harmony and Exposition). The name of Bethphage occurs often in the Talmud (Buxtorf, Lex Talm. col. 1691); and the Jewish glossarists misled (see Hugr, Einl. 1, 18, 19) Lightfoot (Chorog. Cent. ch. xli) and Otho (Lex. Rabb. p. 101 sq.) to regard it as a district extending from the foot of the Mount of Olives to the precincts of Jerusalem, and including the village of the same name (comp. Schwarz, Palest.: p. 257). By Eusebius and Jerome (Onomast. s.v.), and also by Origen (see Busching, Harmonie d. Evang. p. 35), the place was known, though no indication of its position is given; they describe it as a village of the priests, possibly deriving the name from "Beth-phace," signifying in Syriac the "house of the jaw," as the jaw in the sacrifices was the portion of the priests (Reland, p. 653). Schwarz (p. 263 sq.) appears to place Bethphage on the southern shoulder of the "Mount of Offence," above the village of Siloam, and therefore west of Bethany. No remains which could answer to such a position have been found (Robinson, 2, 103), and the traditional site is above Bethany, half way between that village and the top of the mount (see Feustel, De Bethphage, Lips. 1686). Dr. Olin mentions (Trav. 2, 257) having seen foundations of houses and a cistern hewn in the rock at that place. Dr. Barclay, however (City of the Great King, p. 66), identifies Bethphage with traces of foundations and cisterns on the rocky S.W. spur of Olivet, a few hundred yards to the south of the Jericho-Jerusalem road, between Bethany and the Kidron (comp. Stewart, Tent and Khan, p. 332). The name of Bethphage, the signification of which, as given above, is generally accepted, is, like those of Bethany, Caphenatha, Bezetha, and the Mount of Olives itself, a testimony to the ancient fruitfulness of this district (Stanley, p. 187).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

beth´fa -jē , beth´fāj (from בּית פגה , bēth paghāh  ; Βεθφαγή , Bethphagḗ , or Βηθφαγή , Bēthphagḗ  ; in Aramaic "place of young figs"): Near the Mount of Olives and to the road from Jerusalem to Jericho; mentioned together with Bethany ( Matthew 21:1;  Mark 11:1;  Luke 19:29 ). The place occurs in several Talmudic passages where it may be inferred that it was near but outside Jerusalem; it was at the Sabbatical distance limit East of Jerusalem, and was surrounded by some kind of wall. The medieval Bethphage was between the summit and Bethany. The site is now enclosed by the Roman Catholics. As regards the Bethphage of the New Testament, the most probable suggestion was that it occupied the summit itself where Kefr et Tûr stands today. This village certainly occupies an ancient site and no other name is known. This is much more probable than the suggestion that the modern Abu Dı̂s is on the site of Bethphage.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Bethpha´ge (house of figs)—comp.  Song of Solomon 2:13), a small village, which our Lord, coming from Jericho, appears to have entered before reaching Bethany ( Matthew 21:1;  Luke 19:29); it probably, therefore, lay near the latter place, a little below it to the east. No trace of it now exists.