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Bethlehem

A city in the “hill country” of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1 Sam. 17:12), and “the city of David” (Luke 2:4). It is first noticed in Scripture as the place where Rachel died and was buried “by the wayside,” directly to the north of the city (Gen. 48:7). The valley to the east was the scene of the story of Ruth the Moabitess. There are the fields in which she gleaned, and the path by which she and Naomi returned to the town. Here was David’s birth-place, and here also, in after years, he was anointed as king by Samuel (1 Sam. 16:4-13); and it was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his heroes brought water for him at the risk of their lives when he was in the cave of Adullam (2 Sam. 23:13-17). But it was distinguished above every other city as the birth-place of “Him whose goings forth have been of old” (Matt. 2:6; comp. Micah 5:2). Afterwards Herod, “when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men,” sent and slew “all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under” (Matt. 2:16, 18; Jer. 31:15).

Bethlehem bears the modern name of Beit-Lahm, i.e., “house of flesh.” It is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above the sea, thus 100 feet higher than Jerusalem.

There is a church still existing, built by Constantine the Great (A.D. 330), called the “Church of the Nativity,” over a grotto or cave called the “holy crypt,” and said to be the “stable” in which Jesus was born. This is perhaps the oldest existing Christian church in the world. Close to it is another grotto, where Jerome the Latin father is said to have spent thirty years of his life in translating the Scriptures into Latin.

City

KJB,ESV = ‘Bethlehem’

People and places

People born here: Chilion, Elimelech, Jesus Christ, Mahlon

Recorded scripture occurrences (32)

References recorded in the source data; this is not an exhaustive list of mentions.

Show passage in OET: GEN 35:19

OET-RV GEN 35:19

19 Thus Rahel died and was buried on the path to Efrat (which is now called Beyt -Lehem (Bethlehem)).

OET-LV GEN 35:19

19 And_ Rāḩēl _she _died and_she _was _buried on_the _way _of ʼEfrātāh that is_Bēyt- leḩem.

Show passage in OET: GEN 48:7

OET-RV GEN 48:7

7 As for me, when I was coming into Kena’an from Padan, Rahel (Rachel) died beside on the way when we were still quite some distance from Efrat, and I buried her there beside the road of Efrat (which is Beyt -Lehem (Bethlehem)).”

OET-LV GEN 48:7

7 And_I when_came_I from_Paddan she _died on_me Rāḩēl in_land of _Kənaˊan/(Canaan) on_journey at_yet a _distance _of land to_go ʼEfrātāh and_I_buried _her there on_the _journey _of ʼEfrāt that is_Bēyt- leḩem.

Show passage in OET: JDG 12:8

OET-RV JDG 12:8

8 Then after him, Ivtsan of Beyt -Lehem (Bethlehem) led Yisrael (Israel).

OET-LV JDG 12:8

8 And_he _judged after_him DOM Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) ʼIⱱʦān from_Bēyt- leḩem.

Jump to OET GEN 35:19 section.

Jump to OET GEN 48:7 section.

Jump to OET JDG 12:8 section.

GEN: all 2 recorded references

Jump to OET GEN 35:19 section.

Jump to OET GEN 48:7 section.

JDG: all 2 recorded references

Jump to OET JDG 12:8 section.

Jump to OET JDG 12:10 section.

RUT: all 4 recorded references

Jump to OET RUT 1:19 section.

Jump to OET RUT 1:22 section.

Jump to OET RUT 2:4 section.

Jump to OET RUT 4:11 section.

SA1: all 4 recorded references

Jump to OET SA1 16:4 section.

Jump to OET SA1 17:15 section.

Jump to OET SA1 20:6 section.

Jump to OET SA1 20:28 section.

SA2: all 5 recorded references

Jump to OET SA2 2:32 section.

Jump to OET SA2 23:14 section.

Jump to OET SA2 23:15 section.

Jump to OET SA2 23:16 section.

Jump to OET SA2 23:24 section.

CH1: all 4 recorded references

Jump to OET CH1 11:16 section.

Jump to OET CH1 11:17 section.

Jump to OET CH1 11:18 section.

Jump to OET CH1 11:26 section.

CH2: all 1 recorded references

Jump to OET CH2 11:6 section.

JER: all 1 recorded references

Jump to OET JER 41:17 section.

EZR: all 1 recorded references

Jump to OET EZR 2:21 section.

NEH: all 1 recorded references

Jump to OET NEH 7:26 section.

MAT: all 5 recorded references

Jump to OET MAT 2:1 section.

Jump to OET MAT 2:5 section.

Jump to OET MAT 2:6 section.

Jump to OET MAT 2:8 section.

Jump to OET MAT 2:16 section.

LUK: all 2 recorded references

Jump to OET LUK 2:4 section.

Jump to OET LUK 2:15 section.

Words tagged with this person or place

These links follow the source-word tags and may include pronouns. Tagging is not exhaustive.

MAT: 5 tagged passages

MAT 2:1: Βηθλέεμ

MAT 2:5: Βηθλέεμ

MAT 2:6: σύ · Βηθλέεμ · σοῦ

MAT 2:8: Βηθλέεμ

MAT 2:16: Βηθλέεμ · αὐτῆς

LUK: 2 tagged passages

LUK 2:4: Βηθλέεμ

LUK 2:15: Βηθλέεμ

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