Difference between revisions of "Bethlehem"

<p> '''Beth'lehem.''' ''(House Of Bread).'' One of the oldest towns in Palestine, already in existence, at the time of Jacob's return to the country. Its earliest name was [[Ephratah]] , '''Ephrath''' or '''Ephratah''' . See &nbsp;Genesis 35:16; &nbsp;Genesis 35:19; &nbsp;Genesis 48:7. </p> <p> After the conquest, Bethlehem appears under its own name, '''Bethlehem-Judah''' . &nbsp;Judges 17:7; &nbsp;1 Samuel 17:12; &nbsp;Ruth 1:1-2. The book of Ruth is a page from the domestic history of Bethlehem. It was the home of Ruth, &nbsp;Ruth 1:19, and of David. &nbsp;1 Samuel 17:12. It was fortified by Rehoboam. &nbsp;2 Chronicles 11:6. </p> <p> It was here that our Lord was born, &nbsp;Matthew 2:1, and here, that he was visited by the shepherds, &nbsp;Luke 2:15-17, and the Magi. Matthew 2. </p> <p> The modern town of ''Beit-Lahm'' lies to the east of the main road from Jerusalem to Hebron, six miles from the former. It covers the east and northeast parts of the ridge of a long gray hill of [[Jura]] limestone, which stands nearly due east and west, and is about a mile in length. </p> <p> The hill has a deep valley on the north and another on the south. On the top, lies the village in a kind of irregular triangle. The population is about 3000 souls, entirely Christians. The Church of the Nativity, built by the empress Helena, A.D. 330, is the oldest Christian church in existence. It is built over the grotto where [[Christ]] is supposed to have been born. A town in the portion of Zebulun, named nowhere, but in &nbsp;Joshua 19:15. Now known as ''Beit-Lahm.'' </p>

<p> '''Bethlehem''' (''Bĕth'Le-Hem'' ), ''House Of Bread.'' 1. A town in the "hill-country," about six miles south of Jerusalem, situated on a narrow ridge running eastward, which breaks down in abrupt terraced slopes to the deep valleys below. The town is 2527 feet above the sea. It is one of the oldest in Palestine. Nearby was Rachel's burial-place (still marked by a white mosque near the town), and called Ephrath, &nbsp;Genesis 35:19; the home of Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth, &nbsp;Ruth 1:19; birthplace of David, &nbsp;1 Samuel 17:12; burial-place of Joab's family, &nbsp;2 Samuel 2:32; taken by the Philistines, and had a noted well, &nbsp;2 Samuel 23:14-15; fortified by Rehoboam, &nbsp;2 Chronicles 11:6; foretold as the birthplace of Christ, &nbsp;Micah 5:2; the birthplace of Jesus, &nbsp;Matthew 2:1; was visited by the shepherds, &nbsp;Luke 2:15-17, and by the Magi, &nbsp;Matthew 2:1-23. It is noticed over 40 times in the Bible. It has existed as a town for over 4000 years. It was a small place until after the time of Christ; was improved and its wall rebuilt by Justinian; now has about 5000 inhabitants, nearly all nominally Christians, mostly of the Greek church. It Is now called Beit-lahm. It is surrounded by nicely-kept terraces covered with vine, olive, and fig trees. The church of the Nativity, the oldest in Christendom, built in a.d. 330 by the empress Helena, stands over the grotto reputed to be the place of our Lord's birth, and is the joint property of the Greeks, Latins, and Armenians, who have separate convents adjoining it. The "plain of the Shepherds" is about a mile from the town. </p>

<p> '''''beth´lē̇''''' -'''''hem''''' ( בּית־לחם , <i> '''''bēthleḥem''''' </i> ; Βαιθλεέμ , <i> '''''Baithleém''''' </i> , or Βηθλεέμ , <i> '''''Bēthleém''''' </i> , "house of David," or possibly "the house of Lakhmu," an [[Assyrian]] deity): </p> I. Bethlehem Judah <p> Bethlehem Judah, or Ephrath or Ephrathah (which see) is now <i> '''''Beit Lahm''''' </i> (Arabic = "house of meat"), a town of upward of 10,000 inhabitants, 5 miles South of Jerusalem and 2,350 ft. above sea level. It occupies an outstanding position upon a spur running East from the watershed with deep valleys to the Northeast and South It is just off the main road to [[Hebron]] and the south, but upon the highroad to [[Tekoa]] and En-gedi. The position is one of natural strength; it was occupied by a garrison of the Philistines in the days of David (&nbsp;2 Samuel 23:14; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 11:16 ) and was fortified by Rehoboam (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 11:6 ). The surrounding country is fertile, cornfields, fig and olive yards and vineyards abound. Bethlehem is not naturally well supplied with water, the nearest spring is 800 yds. to the Southeast, but for many centuries the "low level aqueduct" from "Solomon's Pools" in the <i> '''''Arṭās''''' </i> valley, which has here been tunneled through the hill, has been tapped by the inhabitants; there are also many rock-cut cisterns. </p> <p> 1. Early History </p> <p> In &nbsp;1 Chronicles 2:51 Salma, the son of Caleb, is described as the "father of Bethlehem." In &nbsp; Genesis 35:19; &nbsp;Genesis 48:7 it is recorded that Rachel "was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem)." Tradition points out the site of Rachel's tomb near where the road to Bethlehem leaves the main road. The Levites of the events of &nbsp; Judges 17:1-13; 19 were Bethlehemites. In the list of the towns of Judah the name Bethlehem occurs, in the [[Septuagint]] version only in &nbsp;Joshua 15:57 . </p> <p> 2. David the Bethlehemite </p> <p> Ruth, famous chiefly as the ancestress of David, and of the Messiah, settled in Bethlehem with her second husband Boaz, and it is noticeable that from her new home she could view the mountains of Moab, her native land. David himself "was the son of that [[Ephrathite]] of Bethlehem-judah, whose name was Jesse" (&nbsp;1 Samuel 17:12 ). To Bethlehem came Samuel to anoint a successor to unworthy Saul (&nbsp;1 Samuel 16:4 ): "David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem" (&nbsp;1 Samuel 17:15 ). David's "Three mighty men" "brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David" (&nbsp;2 Samuel 23:14 , &nbsp;2 Samuel 23:16 ). Tradition still points out the well. From this town came those famous "sons of Zeruiah," David's nephews, whose loyalty and whose ruthless cruelty became at once a protection and a menace to their royal relative: in &nbsp;2 Samuel 2:32 it is mentioned that one of them, Asahel, was buried "in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem." </p> <p> 3. Later Bible History </p> <p> After the time of David, Bethlehem would appear to have sunk into insignificance. But its future fame is pointed at by Micah (&nbsp;Micah 5:2 ): "But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." </p> <p> In the return of the Jews captive [[Bethlehemites]] re-inhabited the place (&nbsp;Ezra 2:21; &nbsp;Nehemiah 7:26 "men"; 1 [[Esdras]] 5:17 "sons"). </p> <p> 4. The Christian [[Era]] </p> <p> In the New Testament Bethlehem is mentioned as the birthplace of the Messiah Jesus (&nbsp;Matthew 2:1 , &nbsp;Matthew 2:5; &nbsp;Luke 2:4 , &nbsp;Luke 2:25 ) in consequence of which event occurred Herod's "massacre of the innocents" (&nbsp;Matthew 2:8 , 26). Inasmuch as Hadrian devastated Bethlehem and set up there a sacred grove to Adonis (Jerome, <i> Ep. ad Paul </i> , lviii.3) it is clear that veneration of this spot as the site of the Nativity must go back before 132 ad. Constantine (circa 330) founded a basilica over the cave-stable which tradition pointed out as the scene of the birth, and his church, unchanged in general structure though enlarged by Justinian and frequently adorned, repaired and damaged, remains today the chief attraction of the town. During the Crusades, Bethlehem became of great importance and prosperity; it remained in Christian hands after the overthrow of the Latin kingdom, and at the present day it is in material things one of the most prosperous Christian centers in the Holy Land. </p> II. Bethlehem of Zebulun <p> Bethlehem of Zebulun (&nbsp;Joshua 19:15 ) was probably the home of Ibzan (&nbsp;Judges 12:8 , 20) though [[Jewish]] tradition is in support of (1). See Josephus, <i> Ant </i> , V, vii, 13. This is now the small village of <i> '''''Beit Lahm''''' </i> , some 7 miles Northwest of Nazareth on the edge of the oak forest. Some antiquities have been found here recently, showing that in earlier days it was a place of some importance. It is now the site of a small German colony. See <i> PEF </i> , I, 270, Sh V. </p>