Bethlehem (Easton)

DIC dictionary-entry · status:draft · license:PD

House of bread. A city in the 'hill country' of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Genesis 35:16,19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11 ). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2 ), Beth-lehem-judah (1 Samuel 17:12 ), and 'the city of David' (Luke 2:4 ). It is first noticed in Scripture as the place"> StudyL ı ght .org Plug in, Turn on and Be En light ened! Not Yet a Member? Click to Sign Up Now! --> --> Bible Study Tools Lang uage Tools Study Lib rary Hist orical Writings Pas toral Resources Per sonal Resources Site Resources Lectionary Calendar Saturday, June 6th, 2026 the Week of Proper 4 / Ordinary 9 video advertismenet advertisement advertisement advertisement Attention! Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause! Click here to learn more! Home » Bible Dictionaries » Easton's Bible Dictionary » Letter B Bible Dictionaries Bethlehem Easton's Bible Dictionary Search for… Enter query below: or A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Prev Entry Bethesda Next Entry Bethsaida Resource Toolbox Print Article Additional Links Concordances Nave Topical Bible Bethlehem Treasury of Biblical Knowledge Bethlehem Dictionaries American Tract Society Bethlehem Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Bethlehem Charles Buck Dictionary Bethlehemites Easton's Bible Dictionary Bethlehem Fausset Bible Dictionary Bethlehem Holman Bible Dictionary Bethlehemite Bethlehem-Ephratah Bethlehem Hastings' BibleDictionary Bethlehem Hastings' NT Dictionary Bethlehem King James Dictionary Bethlehem Morrish Bible Dictionary Bethlehemite Bethlehem 1910 New Catholic Dictionary Order of Our Lady of Bethlehem Bethlehemites Bethlehem, of Noblest Cities (only first 3 shown) Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary Bethlehem People's Bible Dictionary Bethlehem Smith Bible Dictionary Bethlehem Wilson's Bible Types Bethlehem Webster Dictionary Bethlehemite Bethlehem Watson's Theological Dictionary Bethlehem Encyclopedias 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Bethlehem, Palestine Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehemites (only first 3 shown) International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Bethlehem Bethlehem, Star of Star of Bethlehem Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Bethlehem McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Bethlehem As a Symbol Bethlehem As an Architectural Term Bethlehem in Judea (only first 3 shown) The Nuttall Encyclopedia Bethlehem The Catholic Encyclopedia Bethlehem Bethlehem Bethlehem (as used in architecture) (only first 3 shown) Lexicons ܒ݁ܶܝܬ݂‌ܠܚܶܡ Βηθλέεμ בֵּית־הַלַּחְמִי , הַלַּחְמִי בֵּית לֶחֶם House of bread. A city in the "hill country" of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath ( Genesis 35:16,19 ; 48:7 ; Ruth 4:11 ). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah ( Micah 5:2 ), Beth-lehem-judah ( 1 Samuel 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 ( Genesis 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 Samuel 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 Samuel 23:13-17 ). But it was distinguished above every other city as the birth-place of "Him whose goings forth have been of old" ( Matthew 2:6 ; Compare 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" ( Matthew 2:16,18 ; Jeremiah 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. (See VERSION .) A city of Zebulun, mentioned only in Joshua 19:15 . Now Beit-Lahm, a ruined village about 6 miles west-north-west of Nazareth.

Source

• part_of source-manifest/easton — Easton's Bible Dictionary (PD)