Bible Encyclopedias

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Ephraim, Forest of

(יער אפרים , ya‛ar 'ephrayim ): The word ya‛ar (Hebrew) probably agrees in meaning with the Arabic wa‛r , which indicates a rough country, abounding in rocks, stones and scrub, with occasional trees; not a "forest," as we understand the term. Here Absalom was defeated and slain (2 Samuel 18:6 , the King James Version "wood of Ephraim"). It must be sought, therefore, east of the Jordan, in the neighborhood of Mahanaim; but no identification is yet possible.