Chorath

Brook Cherith, more seldomly rendered as Chorath (/ˈkɔːrɑːθ/; Hebrew: נַחַל כְּרִית Naḥal Kərīṯ; Greek: Χειμάῤῥους Cheimárrhous or Χοῤῥάθ Chorrháth), is the name of a stream or wadi mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} The prophet Elijah hid himself on the banks of the Cherith and was fed by ravens during the early part of the three years' drought which he announced to King Ahab (1 Kings 17:3).

Etymology and toponymy

Cherith comes from the Hebrew root (חרת) meaning engrave or carve. The name also signifies a cutting, separation, gorge, torrent-bed, or winter-stream. Cherith is referred to as a wadi in Arabic (وادي, wādī) or nahal in Hebrew (נחל, naḥal).

Identification

Wadi al-Yabis

It is usually identified with "Wadi al-Yabis", which flows into the Jordan at a spot opposite of Beit She'an and slightly south of it.^[9] Travellers have described it as one of the wildest ravines of the Fertile Crescent, and peculiarly fitted to afford a secure asylum to the persecuted. During summer, the stream is very dry.^[10] Olive trees grow on its banks, and it is home to an array of wildlife including gazelle, hyrax, and egret.^[11]

According to the 1994 Peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, Israel can maintain its use of the Jordan River waters between the Yarmouk and Wadi al-Yabis.^[12]

Wadi Kelt

Alternatively, the stream Cherith has been identified by some with Wadi Kelt at St. George's Monastery.^[13] Since Wadi Kelt is west of the Jordan River, this identification seems to contradict 1 Kings 17:5: "... He went and lived by the stream Cherith that is east of the Jordan."

Wadi at Phasaelis

Marino Sanuto the Elder commented in 1321 that the stream extended into Phasaelis, which was named after Prince Phasael, the brother of King Herod.^[14] This identification would again contradict 1 Kings 17:5, since Phasaelis has been identified at a spot west, not east of the Jordan.

Other uses of the name

The name is also a Mizrahi Jewish surname, specifically among Jews of Yemenite extraction. They descend from the tribe of Bnei Chorath which is of Qahtanite origin and was once one of the most important tribes of the city of Najran.^[15]

References

1. "A dictionary of the Bible; comprising its antiquities, biography, geography, and natural history". CHE'RITH, THE BROOK. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
2. Keller, David (2011). Desert Banquet: A Year of Wisdom from the Desert Mothers and Fathers.
3. Waheeb, M. (2012). "The Discovery of Elijah’s Hill and John’s Site of the Baptism, East of the Jordan River from the Description of Pilgrims and Travellers". Asian Social Science 8. Lay summary.
4. Fitzgerald, S. "The Origins and Continuity of a Hagiographic Habit". Apostolic Geography. Lay summary.
5. "The Life Of John The Elder And The Cave Of Sapsas". St. Luke the Evangelist Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
6. "The Peraea and the Dead Sea". The Madaba Mosaic Map. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
7. Johnson, Scott Fitzgerald (2016). Literary Territories: Cartographical Thinking in Late Antiquity.
8. Pustet, Anton (1901). Studien und Mitteilungen zur Geschichte des Benediktinerordens und seiner Zweige.
9. Armstrong, George (1895). Names and places in the Old and New Testament and apocrypha: With their modern identifications.
10. Easton, Matthew George (1897). The Bible Dictionary: Your Biblical Reference Book (1st ed.).
11. "The Peraea and the Dead Sea". Jordan Beauty. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
12. Shapland, Greg. Rivers of Discord: International Water Disputes in the Middle East (1st ed.).
13. Tourist information for St. George Monastery
14. Armstrong, George (1895). Names and places in the old and new testament and apocrypha: With their modern identifications.
15. Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab lands: A history and source book, p. 117