Bezer

Bezer is a biblical place-name that refers to a city in the territory of the tribe of Reuben, on the eastern plains of the Moabite region near the Jordan River. It is frequently identified with a site on the east bank of the Jordan in discussions of Transjordanian geography.

According to the Hebrew Bible, Bezer was designated as a city of refuge for those who committed manslaughter, one of the Levitical cities located on the east side of the Jordan. It was part of a trio of refuge cities on that side, along with Ramoth-Gilead and Golan in Bashan. These cities were intended to provide sanctuary and due process for individuals under certain homicide laws within the Israelite judicial system.

Bezer is mentioned in the lists of cities given to the Levites in the book of Joshua and in descriptions of the settlement of the Transjordanian tribes. The exact location of Bezer is uncertain, but most scholars place it at Tel Bezer in present-day Jordan, near the Arnon River. Other identifications have been proposed, but none are universally accepted.

Archaeological work at Tel Bezer has revealed fortifications and occupation in later periods, contributing to discussions about the site’s historical role. While Tel Bezer is the best-supported candidate for the biblical Bezer, definitive confirmation remains elusive, and the identification continues to be debated among scholars.

In biblical geography, Bezer illustrates how the early Israelite settlement pattern intersected with the legal and sacred landscape of the tribal territories east of the Jordan.