Baal-tamar

Baal-tamar (meaning lord of the palm tree or master of the palm trees) was a place in the territory of Benjamin near Gibeah of Saul, mentioned in Judges 20:33 as the position from which the Israelite forces deployed in their third and final assault on Gibeah during the civil war against Benjamin triggered by the crime of Gibeah. The Israelites rose from their position at Baal-tamar while a rear ambush emerged from its concealed place west of Gibeah, surrounding the Benjaminites.

The site is also associated with the palm tree of Deborah, where the prophetess held court between Ramah and Bethel in Judges 4:5, though the identification is not certain. Baal-tamar is remembered primarily as a tactical position in one of the most violent episodes of the period of the judges, the near-annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin.