Succoth

Places in the Bible

The Old Testament mentions two places named Succoth.

Succoth east of the Jordan

• Genesis 33:17: After Jacob is reconciled with Esau and parts from him, he comes to Succoth. The text records that he "built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth."
• Joshua 13:27: Succoth appears as a town in the Jordan Valley among the lands allotted to the tribe of Gad.
• Judges 8:5–16: While Gideon was pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian, he asked the men of Succoth for bread, but their princes (the town's leaders) refused. On his return, Gideon punished the elders of Succoth with "thorns of the wilderness and briers."
• 1 Kings 7:46: When Solomon had the temple furnishings made, they were cast in bronze "in the plain of Jordan... in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan." The same account appears in 2 Chronicles 4:17.
• Psalms 60:6 and 108:7: The phrase "mete out the valley of Succoth" appears in both psalms.

Succoth in Egypt

• Exodus 12:37: This is the first place the children of Israel reached after leaving Rameses.
• Exodus 13:20: Israel set out from Succoth and encamped in Etham, "in the edge of the wilderness."
• Numbers 33:5–6: The same itinerary is recorded again.

Succoth was the first stopping point when the march of the Exodus set out from the land of Goshen, where Israel had lived.

Background

The Hebrew sukkot is the plural of sukkah, a temporary shelter made of interwoven branches or similar materials, and means "booths." Genesis 33:17 traces the origin of the name to the booths Jacob built for his livestock.

Succoth east of the Jordan appears to have been located near the point where the Jabbok River emerges into the Jordan Valley. Some scholars identify the site with Tell Deir Alla, but the identification has not been settled.

Some scholars likewise place Succoth in Egypt in the area of Wadi Tumilat in the eastern Nile Delta, but opinion is divided on its precise location.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The word sukkot is also the Hebrew name of the Feast of Tabernacles. Leviticus 23:42–43 explains that Israel is to dwell in booths because God made them dwell in booths when He brought them out of Egypt. The text, however, does not directly connect this feast with the place named Succoth.

The place name Succoth does not appear in the New Testament. The New Testament carries the word forward through the Feast of Tabernacles, which is mentioned in John 7:2.

Interpretations and Issues

• Jacob's stay at Succoth: Jacob told Esau that he would come to him at Seir (Genesis 33:14), yet he stayed at Succoth. Some sermons read this critically, as Jacob failing to keep his word and choosing to settle down, while other interpretations regard it simply as a record of his travels. The text itself offers no evaluation.
• Succoth in Egypt and the Feast of Tabernacles: Some sermons link Succoth, the first stopping point of the Exodus, with the Feast of Tabernacles and interpret it as "the first dwelling on the pilgrim's journey." This, however, is an application based on the shared word, not a connection the text itself makes.
• Succoth-benoth: "Succoth-benoth" in 2 Kings 17:30 is the name of a deity worshiped by the Babylonians. It is a different word from the place name Succoth.