Ephrath

Ephrath

Ephrath or Ephratah (Hebrew: אפרתה) is the name of a Biblical place or tribe.

The first mention of Ephrath occurs in Genesis, [Genesis, chapter 35, verses 16, 19, and 48:7] in reference to where Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin and is buried on the road from Bethel. A very old tradition is that Ephrath refers to Bethlehem, [ [http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/ephratah.html Ephratah (Ephrath) (WebBible Encyclopedia) - ChristianAnswers.Net ] ] and thus that she died on the way there, reflected by the ancient Tomb of Rachel at the city's entrance.

However, some modern scholars have placed this location closer to Bethel, in the vicinity of Ramallah, based on verses in Samuel I [Samuel I, 10:2] and Jeremiah. [Jeremiah, 31:14] A prime candidate according to this view is a site known in Arabic as "kubur beni israil" ("burial of the Children of Israel"), and is adjacent to the "Farah" wadi, whose name recalls "Ephrath". [http://amudanan.co.il/?lon=35.2717&lat=31.8423]

Throughout much of the Bible, [Judges, 12:5] Ephrath is a description for members of the Israelite tribe of Ephraim, as well as for the possible founders of Bethlehem. [Chronicles I, 4:4]

The birth of Jesus in nearby Bethlehem in the territory of or "towards Ephrata" ("Bethlehem Ephrata") has always been accounted by Christians a fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah (5:2) [5:1 by Judaism's count] :

:"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (King James Version).---- Ephrath was the wife of Caleb (son of Hezron) and mother of Hur ("I Chronicles" ii. 19 and 50; iv. 4).

Geographic Names

Some modern places are named after Ephrath:

The Israeli settlement of Efrat, near Bethlehem
The town of Ephrata, Pennsylvania
The town of Ephratah, New York
The town of Ephrata, Washington

References


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  • EPHRATH — (Heb. אֶפְרָת), an additional name for bethlehem of Judah: Ephrath – the same is Bethlehem (Gen. 35:19; 48:7; LXX, Josh. 15:59b; cf. Micah 5:1). In the genealogical tables in the Bible, which provide information on the distribution of the clans… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • HUR — (Heb. חוּר). (1) Grandfather of the master craftsman bezalel of the tribe of Judah (Ex. 31:2; 35:30; I Chron. 2:20, 50; II Chron. 1:5); son of caleb and Ephrath (I Chron. 2:19). Another tradition seems to make him the son of Carmi, and describes… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • RACHEL — (Heb. רָחֵל), matriarch of Israel, wife of jacob and the mother of joseph and Benjamin. Her name means ewe, while that of her sister leah means cow. She was the younger daughter of laban , brother of Rebekkah. Rachel first appears as a… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Ephrata — is the name of several places in the United States of America, named for Biblical Ephrath: on the road between Ephrath and Bethel, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin ( Genesis, xxxv:19). The modern city of Efrata in the West Bank occupies a… …   Wikipedia

  • Rachel's Tomb — (Hebrew: קבר רחל; Arabic: translit. Qubbat Rakhil , trans. Dome of Rachel), is the traditional gravesite of the Biblical Matriarch Rachel and is widely considered the third holiest site in Judaism. It is located in the central West Bank on the… …   Wikipedia

  • Vayishlach — or Vayishlah (וישלח Hebrew for “and he sent,” the first word of the parshah) is the eighth weekly Torah portion ( parshah ) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis [http://www.mechon mamre.org/p/pt/pt0132.htm#4 32:4–36 …   Wikipedia

  • Genesis 35 — 1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with… …   The King James version of the Bible

  • Genesis 48 — 1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened… …   The King James version of the Bible

  • List of Biblical names — This is a list of names from the Bible, mainly taken from the 19th century public domain resource: : Hitchcock s New and Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible by Roswell D. Hitchcock, New York: A. J. Johnson, 1874, c1869.Each name is given with its …   Wikipedia

  • Cave of the Patriarchs — Southern view of the enclosure …   Wikipedia

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