Location
Overview
Tekoa lay in the dry hill country of Judah, on the edge of the wilderness toward the Dead Sea. It is best known as the home of the prophet Amos.
Amos the herdsman
"The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa" (Amos 1:1) — a shepherd and dresser of sycomore trees, called from his flocks to prophesy against Israel's injustice and complacency.
The wise woman of Tekoa
Long before, Joab "sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman" to plead with David through a parable for the return of his exiled son Absalom (2 Samuel 14:2–20).
A fortress of Judah
Rehoboam fortified Tekoa among his defensive cities (2 Chronicles 11:6), and Jeremiah later used it as a warning trumpet of invasion: "blow the trumpet in Tekoa" (Jeremiah 6:1).
Events Here
The wise woman of Tekoa pleads with David for Absalom
Amos the herdsman of Tekoa begins to prophesy
Scripture References
9 verses2 Samuel3 verses
2 Samuel 14:2
And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
2 Samuel 14:4
And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. Help: Heb. Save
2 Samuel 14:9
And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
1 Chronicles2 verses
1 Chronicles 2:24
And after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah, then Abiah Hezron's wife bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa.
1 Chronicles 4:5
And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
2 Chronicles2 verses
2 Chronicles 11:6
He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
2 Chronicles 20:20
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Jeremiah1 verse
Jeremiah 6:1
O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.
Amos1 verse
Amos 1:1
The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Archaeology & History
Tekoa survives as Khirbet Tequ’a, on a ridge south of Bethlehem overlooking the Judean desert — exactly the shepherd-and-wilderness setting that shaped Amos. Its position on the desert frontier made it both a place of flocks and a fortress town.
People who appear here
Frequently asked about Tekoa
Where is Tekoa today?
Today, Tekoa corresponds to Khirbet Tequ’a, West Bank.
What happened at Tekoa in the Bible?
Key biblical events at Tekoa include the wise woman of tekoa pleads with david for absalom; amos the herdsman of tekoa begins to prophesy.
Where is Tekoa first mentioned in the Bible?
Tekoa is first mentioned in 2 Samuel 14:2.
How often is Tekoa mentioned in the Bible?
Tekoa is mentioned in 9 verses across 5 books: 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, Amos.
Who was from Tekoa?
The prophet Amos, "among the herdmen of Tekoa," and the "wise woman of Tekoa" whom Joab used to appeal to David on behalf of Absalom.
Where is Tekoa?
In the hill country of Judah south of Bethlehem, on the edge of the wilderness, at Khirbet Tequ’a in the West Bank.