Zoar

Zoar was one of the “cities of the plain.” It was allied with Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim (Genesis 14:2, 8). Its earlier name was Bela.

Zoar is best known as the town where Lot and his daughters found temporary safety when God destroyed Sodom and the other cities of the plain (Genesis 19:22–23, 30). Zoar was probably a small town. Its name means “little” (verse 22). Even so, it seems to have been an important location in ancient times.

When Abraham and Lot divided the land, Lot chose the area near Zoar (Genesis 13:10). When Moses looked at the promised land from Mount Pisgah, Zoar marked the southern end of the plain near the Jordan Valley and Jericho (Deuteronomy 34:3). During the time of the prophets, Zoar seems to have been near the southern border of Moab (Isaiah 15:5; Jeremiah 48:4, 34).

See also Cities of the Plain.