Tishbe
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Tishbe, sometimes transliterated as Thisbe,[1] is a town mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's First Book of Kings, 1 Kings 17:1, as the residence and possibly even birthplace of the prophet Elijah, known as the Tishbite (see that page for discussion of the term). It is placed by the biblical text in the historical region of Gilead,[2] now in the western part of modern-day Jordan. However, the toponym may denominate another location, as discussed below.
Many of the Hebrew prophets are introduced with the name of their father, their original place of residence, or both. For instance, Jonah is introduced as "Jonah, the son of Amittai... of Gath-hepher",[3] Elisha is introduced as "Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel-meholah",[4] Micah is introduced as "Micah the Morashtite",[5] etc. Elijah, in turn, is introduced as "Elijah the Tishbite, of the settlers of Gilead."[6] When considering the general pattern of how prophets are first introduced in the text of the Hebrew Bible, it would seem the passage is a simple statement of Elijah's origins.
Because the original Hebrew words for "Tishbite" (תִּשְׁבִּי, tīšbī) and "settlers" (תֹּשָׁבֵי, tōšāḇē) are strikingly similar, some scholars have questioned whether tīšbī is actually a demonym for a place called "Tishbe", or if it is a form of the word "settler" conjugated to match Elijah – thereby reading "Elijah the settler" rather than "Elijah the Tishbite". The word tīšbī appears just six times in the Hebrew Bible, each time in conjunction with Elijah's own name, but no place called "Tishbe" appears throughout the entire Tanakh. Therefore, it is debated whether or not the text is indicating Elijah hailed from a place called Tishbe, or that he originated from amongst settlers in the Gilead.[7]
