Pigah Explained

Pigah was one of the four legendary rivers that encompassed Ancient Israel, the other three of which are Yarden, Kidomiyon and Yarmoch, and which are probably tributaries of the River Jordan.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

The waters of the Pigah are a pond, and thus were considered ritually unclean.^[5] Another translation asserts that the waters are "muddy" and thus not suitable, or "not fit (to sprinkle the unclean) ...."^[6]

It is not clear to which modern wadi or stream this refers.

Notes and References

1. The Babylonian Talmud – Bava Basra 74b, fn. 46, found at Come and Hear website. Accessed June 17, 2009.
2. Other translators state that the Yarden is the same thing as the Jordan, and name the Pigah as a separate river. See, Rabbi Joseph Schwarz, Descriptive Geography and Brief Historical Sketch of Palestine, Explanation of the Seas, Rivers, Mountains, and Valleys of Palestine. (A. Hart, 1850), p. 41, found at Jewish History online and Google Books. See also, Michael A. Fishbane, Biblical myth and rabbinic mythmaking, p. 316, (Oxford University Press, 2003) found at Google Books. Both accessed June 17, 2009.
3. A French language translation states, "Les quatre fleuves sont le Jourdain, le Yarmouk, le Kirmion et le Pigah. Nous connaissons le Jourdain. ... Quant au Pigah, nous ne le connaissons pas." LA PALESTINE AU TEMPS DE JÉSUS-CHRIST: CHAPITRE XIV: LA SCIENCE, found at regard.eu.org website. Accessed June 17, 2009.
4. A Latin translation states, "Iarmoch Plinio Hieramax, Kirmion, Pigah seu Pharphar, Nehel Escol etc." J.J. Hofmann: Lexicon universale, (1698) (excerpts from machine-readable version with annotation of references to the Bible), found at University of Mannheim website. Accessed June 17, 2009.
5. The Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, Folio 5b, fn. 7, found at Come and Hear website. Both accessed June 17, 2009.
6. [John Lightfoot]