Bible Locations

Kerioth-hezron was a town in the Negev of Judah, near the border of Edom. Joshua 15:25 lists it as "Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor)," giving it another name. Kerioth means "towns," possibly because it was made up of several settlements. It's often identified with Khirbet el-Qaryatein, about four miles north of Arad, whose Arabic name means "the two towns." Many scholars think Judas Iscariot's surname comes from the Hebrew "ish Kerioth," "man of Kerioth," which would make him from this town in Judea, the only one of the twelve apostles not from Galilee. John 6:71 calls him "Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot," which suggests a family name. Others think "Iscariot" means "dagger man" or "false one." The area around Arad is dry, open land in the eastern Negev. No events are recorded there.