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Dothan (Hebrew: דֹתָן) (also Dotan) was a biblical city located north of Shechem, about 100 km north of Hebron. Eusebius places it 12 miles to the north of Sebaste (Samaria). It has been identified with Tel Dothan located ten kilometers (driving distance) southwest of Jenin, near Dotan Junction of Route 60.
History
Dothan is first mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 37:17) in connection with the history of Joseph as the place where Jacob (Israel's) sons had moved their sheep and where, at the suggestion of Judah, the brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelite merchants (Gen. 37:17). It later appears as the residence of Elisha (2 Kings 6:13) and the scene of a vision of chariots and horses of fire surrounding the mountain on which the city stood. The city served as an Israelite administrative center during this period and archaeology has discovered a large complex and Hebrew inscriptions from the site.
The Israeli settlement of Mevo Dotan (lit. Approach to Dothan) is named for the city, as is Dothan, Alabama.