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Bible Encyclopedias
Arad
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (Heb. Arad', עֲרָד, perh. flight), the name of a city and of a man.
1. (Sept. Ἀρἀδ, but in Joshua ῎Αδερ .) An ancient city (so called perhaps from wild asses in the vicinity, comp. עֲרוֹד, onager) on the southernmost borders of Palestine, whose inhabitants drove back the Israelites as they attempted to penetrate from Kadesh into Canaan (Numbers 21:1; Numbers 33:40, where the Auth. Verso has "King Arad," instead of "King of Arad"), but were eventually subdued by Joshua, along with the other southern Canaanites (Joshua 12:14; also Judges 1:16). It lay within the original limits of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 12:14) north (north- west) of the desert of Judah (Judges 1:16). Eusebius (Ἀραμά ) and Jerome place Arad twenty Roman miles from Hebron, and four from Malatha, in the neighborhood of the desert of Kadesh (see Reland, Palaest. p. 481, 501, 573). This accords well with the situation of a hill called Tell Arad, which Dr. Robinson observed on the road from Petra to Hebron. He describes it as "a barren-looking eminence rising above the country around." He did not examine the spot, but the Arabs said there were no ruins upon or near it, but only a cavern (Researches, 2:472, 622). The same identification is proposed by Schwarz (Palest. p. 86). (See HORMIAH). According to Van de Velde (Narrat. 2:83-85) there are fragments of pottery on the top of the Tell, and a ruined reservoir on its south side. It was an episcopal city in Jerome's time (Ritter, Erdk. 14:121).
2. (Sept. Ἀρώδ v. r. ᾿Ωρήδ .) One of the "sons" of Beriah of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:15), B.C. apparently 536.
(See WILD ASS).
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Arad'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/a/arad.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
