Shephelah

Shephela

שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה (Hebrew)
Shfela, Judean Foothills, Judean Lowlands
Shephela שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה (Hebrew) Shfela, Judean Foothills, Judean Lowlands
Region
	The Shephela near Tarum
	Coordinates: 31°42′N 34°55′E / 31.700°N 34.917°E
Geology	Rolling hills
Native name	שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה (Hebrew)
Dimensions
• Length	55 km
• Width	10-15 km
Highest elevation	460 m (1,510 ft)

The Shephelah or Shfela, lit. "lowlands"^[1] (Biblical Hebrew: הַשְּפֵלָה hašŠǝfēlā, also Modern Hebrew: שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה‎, Šǝfēlat Yəhūda, the "Judaean Foothills"), is a transitional region of soft-sloping rolling hills in south-central Israel stretching over 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) between the Judaean Mountains and the Coastal Plain.^[2]^[3] The different use of the term "Judean Plain", as either defining just the Coastal Plain segment stretching along the Judaean Mountains, or also including, or only referring to, the Shfela, often creates grave confusion.

Today the Shfela is largely rural with many farms, but the cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Rehovot, Beit Shemesh, and Kiryat Gat roughly surround it.

The Bible assigned land in the Shfela to the tribes of Judah and Dan.^[4]^[5]

^ Claude R. Conder, in Tent Work in Palestine (pub. Richard Bentley and Son: London 1878, p. 276), wrote: "The term Shephelah is used in the Talmud to mean the low hills of soft limestone, which, as already explained, form a distinct district between the plain and the watershed mountains. The name Sifla, or Shephelah, still exists in four or five places within the region round Beit Jibrîn."
^ Cite error: The named reference EncJud was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Jewish National Fund (KKL), British Park – Scenic trails in Israel's Heartland. Quote: "The Judean Plain is an intermediate region situated between the Coastal Plain to the west and the Judean Mountains to the east. The altitude of its hills varies from 150 to 450 meters above sea level, and geologically speaking, the plain is a syncline, i.e., a basin in which the layers of rock have folded downwards and sunk. [...] The plain consists of two distinct landscape units: the lower plain, to the west, where the hills are lower and separated by broad riverbeds; and the upper plain, where the valleys are deeper and the hills rise to a height of between 250 and 450 meters above sea level."
^ Nadav Naʼaman (2005). Ancient Israel and Its Neighbors: Interaction and Counteraction. Eisenbrauns. p. 334. ISBN 978-1-57506-108-5.
^ Joshua 15:33-36, 19:40-41

[1] Claude R. Conder, in Tent Work in Palestine (pub. Richard Bentley and Son: London 1878, p. 276), wrote: "The term Shephelah is used in the Talmud to mean the low hills of soft limestone, which, as already explained, form a distinct district between the plain and the watershed mountains. The name Sifla, or Shephelah, still exists in four or five places within the region round Beit Jibrîn."

[EncJud-2] Cite error: The named reference EncJud was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[KKLBrPark-3] Jewish National Fund (KKL), British Park – Scenic trails in Israel's Heartland. Quote: "The Judean Plain is an intermediate region situated between the Coastal Plain to the west and the Judean Mountains to the east. The altitude of its hills varies from 150 to 450 meters above sea level, and geologically speaking, the plain is a syncline, i.e., a basin in which the layers of rock have folded downwards and sunk. [...] The plain consists of two distinct landscape units: the lower plain, to the west, where the hills are lower and separated by broad riverbeds; and the upper plain, where the valleys are deeper and the hills rise to a height of between 250 and 450 meters above sea level."

[Naʼaman2005-4] Nadav Naʼaman (2005). Ancient Israel and Its Neighbors: Interaction and Counteraction. Eisenbrauns. p. 334. ISBN 978-1-57506-108-5.

[5] Joshua 15:33-36, 19:40-41

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