OPHRAH (rntr, a fawn,' or 'dust ;' 'Eq5paci, rO0Cpd ; Alex. 'Arkpci ; Ophra, Aphra). I. A town of Benjamin, situated among the mountains, and apparently not far distant from Bethel and Geba Josh. xviii. 23). One of the bands of Philistine spoilers was seen by the Israelites to go out from Michmash ' unto the way that leadeth to Oph rah ;' and from the direction taken by the other bands, it would appear that Ophrah must have been to the north of Michmash (I Sam. xiii. t7). Jerome locates it five miles from Bethel towards the east (Onoznast., s. v. Aphra), which pretty nearly accords with the above indication, as Bethel is north-west of Michmash. These notices also suggest the identity of Ophrah with Ephraim, a city which king Abijah took from Jeroboam along with Bethel. The names (MTV and MX/ or ; Greek 'EOpct,p) are radically the same, only differing in termination (2 Chron. xiii. 19). We read in Josephus, also, that Vespasian captured a small town near Bethel called _Ephraim, which appears to be the same place (Bell. dud. iv. 9. 9). And probably it was to the same place, Ephraim CEO pall), Christ went from Jerusalem after the resurrection of Lazarus (John xi. 54 ; see EPHRAIM). The site has not been certainly identified. No village or ruin of that name now exists in the dis trict. Dr. Robinson suggested that probably the village of Taiyibeh may be its modern representa tive. The site is commanding ; ancient ruins exist upon it ; and the position suits the ancient notices. More than this, however, cannot be said. Stanley and Van de Velde adopt the suggestion, which, however, requires confirmation (Robinson, B. R., i. 447 ; Stanley, p. 211 ; Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 238). Taiyibeh is about five Roman miles
north-east of Bethel, and nearly six north of Michmash.
2. A city of Manasseh, as may be inferred from the fact that it was the native-place, and burial place, of Gideon the Manassite (Judg. viii. 27, 32 ; vi. Is). The angel which appeared to summon him to deliver Israel ' sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi ezrite ' (vi. s). The place was celebrated for a time on account of the idolatrous rites established by Gideon (viii. 27) ; but its importance soon de clined, and it disappears altogether from Jewish history. Neither Eusebius nor Jerome appears to have known anything of it (Reland, p. 913). Its site has not been identified. The Erfai sug gested by Van de Velde (Memoir, 338) is much too far south.
The prophet Micah, when foretelling the de struction of the land and cities of Israel, says, In the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.' Aph rah is in the Hebrew the same as Ophrah. The rendering in the A. V. does not express the mean ing of the original very clearly or forcibly. There is a play upon the word, `In Beth-Ophrah roll thyself in Ophr' (` dust ') ; or, in the house of dust roll thyself in dust (Micah i. to). Beth-Ophrah (ri1D3h rnz ; the appears to be merely the sign of the genitive ; 1E or Kara 7ACJTIX ; in dome Pulveris pulvere vos conspergite) is probably identical with Ophrah of Manasseh ; and the pro phet perhaps intends some allusion to Gideon's de liverance, and to the fact that there would be none like him to deliver them in time of oppression. J. L. P.