Zereda

Zereda is a place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the book of 2 Samuel. According to the biblical account, Zereda was the birthplace of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who later became the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel after the division of the United Monarchy. The text describes Zereda as a town in the territory of Ephraim, noting that his mother was a widow from there.

While the exact location of Zereda is not definitively known, scholars have proposed several possible sites. One prominent candidate is Tell es-Ser'a, located in the West Bank, approximately 10 kilometers northeast of the ancient city of Shiloh. Another possibility is the area around the modern-day Palestinian village of Samaria, north of Jerusalem. The biblical reference to Zereda is brief and primarily serves to establish Jeroboam's origins. Its significance lies in its connection to a pivotal figure in Israelite history, marking the beginning of the schism that divided the Israelite nation.