Josephus on Gibeah: Versions of a Toponym

Gibeah occurs numerous times in Josephus' writings, especially in his description of the story of the Concubine at Gibeah and the reign of Saul in "Antiquities", Books 5-6. But in many cases it is difficult to determine whether he refers to Gibeah or Geba. In one case he even replaces it with Gibeon. Hence, one may suspect that Josephus had only minor knowledge concerning the geography of the land of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem. However, War 5.51 indicates that he was able to identify Gibeah accurately. How, then should we explain Josephus' inaccuracy in "Antiquities"? The confusion lies with Josephus' use of a Greek version of a Hebrew toponym. Since a number of geographical and philological problems in Antiquities regarding the name of Gibeah are also characteristic of the Septuagint, it is possible that Josephus borrowed the Greek version of the name Gibeah from the Septuagint. However, in three cases he uses another toponym that may be his own creation (or taken from another source), since it is very rare in the Septuagint: Gabatha. In these cases it is possible that Josephus used his own geographical knowledge of the Hebrew (or Aramaic) toponym of Gibeah. Thus, the case of Gibeah is not only another example of Josephus' notorious inconsistancy in his use of sources, but also an interesting testimony of his geographical knowledge and proper translation of a Hebrew toponym into Greek.