Bible Locations

Michmas is a variant spelling of Michmash, used in the lists of exiles who returned from Babylon. Ezra 2:27 says, "of Mikmash, 122," and Nehemiah 7:31 says the same. Michmash was a town in Benjamin, about seven miles northeast of Jerusalem, at the village of Mukhmas, on the north side of the deep Wadi Suweinit, facing Geba across the gorge. It's famous as the Philistine camp where Jonathan and his armor bearer climbed the cliffs and attacked, starting a great victory for Israel. After the exile, men of Michmas returned to resettle their town, and Benjamites lived there (Nehemiah 11:31). The area is on the edge of the hill country, where the land drops toward the Judean wilderness and the Jordan Valley, with small fields and grazing land. Later, Jonathan Maccabeus lived at Michmash and judged Israel there.