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Cherith (Hebrew: נַחַל כְּרִית Naḥal Kərīṯ) or sometimes Chorath (/ˈkɔːrɑːθ/; from Greek: Χειμάῤῥους Χοῤῥάθ cheimárrhous Chorrháth, lit. "Wadi Chorath"), is the name of a stream or wadi mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The prophet Elijah hid himself on the banks of the Cherith and was fed by ravens during the early part of the three years' drought which he announced to King Ahab (1 Kings 17:3).
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Etymology and toponymy
Cherith comes from the Hebrew root חרת (kh*r*t) meaning to cut off or cut down. The name also signifies to engrave or carve, a cutting, separation, gorge, torrent-bed, or winter-stream. Cherith is referred to as a nahal in Hebrew (נחל, naḥal), a seasonal stream known in English as a wadi, from the Arabic term وادي (wādī).
Wadi al-Yabis
It is usually identified with Wadi al-Yabis, a stream in western Jordan, which flows into the Jordan River at a spot opposite of Beit She'an and slightly south of it. Travellers have described it as one of the wildest ravines of the Fertile Crescent, and peculiarly fitted to afford a secure asylum to the persecuted. During summer, the stream is very dry. Olive trees grow on its banks, and it is home to an array of wildlife including gazelle, hyrax, and egret.
According to the 1994 Peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, Israel can maintain its use of the Jordan River waters between the Yarmouk and Wadi al-Yabis.
Wadi Kelt
Alternatively, the stream Cherith has been identified by some with Wadi Kelt at St. George's Monastery. If 1 Kings 17:3 is to be translated "Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan", this identification would be in contradiction to the Bible, since Wadi Qelt is west of it. Some translations (i.e. the Orthodox Jewish Bible: [2]) allow such an interpretation, by stating that Cherith is merely "near the Yarden" (Yarden being the Hebrew name of the River Jordan).
Wadi at Phasaelis
Marino Sanuto the Elder commented in 1321 that the stream extended into Phasaelis, which was named after Prince Phasael, the brother of King Herod. This identification would again contradict the more common translation of 1 Kings 17:3 (see above: Wadi Kelt), since Phasaelis has been identified at a spot west, not east of the Jordan.
Other uses of the name
The name is also a Mizrahi Jewish surname, specifically among Jews of Yemenite extraction. They descend from the tribe of Bnei Chorath which is of Qahtanite origin and was once one of the most important tribes of the city of Najran.