Have you noticed how many towns have biblical place names? Do you know what state has the most? Do you know that OH, IN, and KY all have a Hebron, a Lebanon, and a Salem?
There are over one thousand biblical place names in the U.S. The eastern and central states have more of them, especially Ohio (the most) and Pennsylvania. Many were established by 19th c. religious Christian settlers who expressed their attachment to the land and people of the Bible. Some were named by association with an already existing church, some because of the meaning of the name. Hebron Lutheran Church in Indiana gave its name to the town of Hebron; Lebanon in Ohio because of the many juniper and red cedar trees found there at the time. Salem has been chosen thirty-nine times in the states. On the other hand, there is only one Hell—it’s in Michigan. And perhaps only one Sodom. Legend has it that a speechifying temperance advocate (who attracted few) was so disgusted with the reception that he called the town Sodom and the name stuck. One hopes that the more genteel, gentle and inspiring biblical names truly represent their inhabitants.
In 1954 Lottie and Rabbi Moshe Davis (Moshe, a prominent Jewish scholar) published a map of the United States illustrated by Charley Harper showing biblical place names throughout. Their purpose was to “engage the general public in understanding the spiritual and cultural bonds between America and the Holy Land.” You can enlarge this map onscreen at the website: https://www.georgeglazer.com/wpmain/product/map-united-states-pictorial-land-of-our-fathers-biblical-names-judaica-vintage-print-1954/
Wikipedia does a good job showing the breadth of biblical place names in the U.S., both by name and by state. An interesting and rewarding afternoon on the internet.
