BETHPHAGE (bĕth'fa-jē, Heb. bêth paghah, house of unripe figs). A village on the Mount of Olives, on the road going east from Jerusalem to Jericho. The traditional site is NW of Bethany, and it is mentioned twice in the NT (Mark.11.1-Mark.11.11; Luke.19.28-Luke.19.40). Here the colt was obtained for the Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem (Matt.21.1-Matt.21.11). Jesus cursed the fruitless fig tree in the vicinity of Bethphage (Matt.21.18-Matt.21.20; Mark.11.12-Mark.11.14, Mark.11.20-Mark.11.21).
BETHPHAGE bĕth’fə jĭ (בֵּת פַּגָּה, Βεθφαγή, Βηθφαγή; in Aram., place of unripe figs). A village on the Mt. of Olives which figures in the narrative of the procuring of the colt in preparation for the triumphal entry. It is mentioned together with Bethany in Matthew 21:1; Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29, and was on or near the road from Jericho to Jerusalem. The name is mentioned in a number of Talmudic passages, sometimes as a village on its own and sometimes as part of Jerusalem (see also Mishna Menahoth, XI. 2). The site has not been positively identified but the present Kefr et Tûr is the most probable suggestion.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
beth’-fa-je, beth’-faj (from beth paghah; Bethphage, or Bethphage; in Aramaic "place of young figs"): Near the Mount of Olives and to the road from Jerusalem to Jericho; mentioned together with Bethany (Mt 21:1; Mr 11:1; Lu 19:29). The place occurs in several Talmudic passages where it may be inferred that it was near but outside Jerusalem; it was at the Sabbatical distance limit East of Jerusalem, and was surrounded by some kind of wall. The medieval Bethphage was between the summit and Bethany. The site is now enclosed by the Roman Catholics. As regards the Bethphage of the New Testament, the most probable suggestion was that it occupied the summit itself where Kefr et Tur stands today. This village certainly occupies an ancient site and no other name is known. This is much more probable than the suggestion that the modern Abu Dis is on the site of Bethphage.
