Bethlehem Town

בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם41 n.pr.loc. 1. in Judah (place of bread (food), mod. Arabic بَيْت لَحْم, place of meat), 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David;—בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם Ru 1:19 + 11 times; בּ׳־לֶחֶם 1 S 20:6 + 9 times; בֵּית לָ֑חֶם Ju 12:8 = 11 times + Gn 35:19; 48:7, where הוא בית לחם is a gloss, v. אֶפְרָ֫תָה" dir="rtl" >אֶפְרָ֫תָה, p. 68; בּ׳־לָ֑חֶם 1 S 17:15 + 3 times;—as cstr. בּ׳ לֶ֫חֶם יְהוּדָה Ju 17:7, 8, 9; 19:1, 2, 18(×2) Ru 1:1, 2; 1 S 17:12; treated as n.pr.m. 1 Ch 2:51, 54; 4:4; men of Bethlehem אַנְשֵׁי בּ׳ Ne 7:26 = בְּנֵי בּ׳ Ezr 2:21;—on אֶפְרָ֫תָה as name of Bethlehem, & confusion arising from gloss Gn 35:19; 48:7, v. p. 68;—mod. Beit Laḥm, 5 m. S. of Jerus. RobBR i. 471 BdPal. 123 Surveyiii. 28, 83 GuérinJudée i. 120–206. 2. בֵּית לָ֑חֶם in Zeb. Jos 19:15; perhaps also Ju 12:8, 10; = Beit Laḥm, 7 m. NW. of Nazareth RobBR iii. 113 Survey i. 301.

† אֶפְרָ֫תָה n.pr. (v. Sta§ 308 d. 1; 342 d. 2; Morgenl. Forsch. 215)—might in several cases, e.g. Gn 35:16, be אֶפְרָת + ה loc., but v. Ru 4:11;— 1. n.pr.loc. place near Bethel, where Rachel died & was buried Gn 35:16, 19; 48:7 (אֶפְרָת only Gn 48:7 where ה perhaps dropped on acc. of ה following (Ol); in last two passages הוא בית לחם is a gloss, v. Di; cf. 1 S 10:2). 2. id., a name of Bethlehem Mi 5:1 Ru 4:11; cf. perhaps כָּלֵב אֶפְרָ֑ת֑ה 1 Ch 2:24 (𝔊 ἦλθεν Χαλὲβ εἰς Ἐφράθα). 3. id. ψ 132:6, perhaps applied to district where Kirjath Jearim lay, on the border of Judah & Benjamin, cf. De Che. 4. n.pr.f. אֶפְרָת name given to wife of Caleb 1 Ch 2:19 = אֶפְרָ֑תָה v 50 4:4.

Βηθλέεμ, ἡ, indecl. (Heb. בֵּית לֶחֶם, house of bread), Bethlehem, a town 6 m. S. of Jerusalem: Mat.2:1, 5 6, 8, 16, Luk.2:4, 15 Jhn.7:42.† (From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)

† בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי adj.gent. the Bethlehemite 1 S 16:18; 17:58; 2 S 21:19, so read prob. also in ‖ 1 Ch 20:5 for MT את לחמי cf. Be Th EwH iii. 70 WeH. 266 Kue DrSm; בּ׳־הַלּ׳ 1 S 16:1.

† יָשֻׁ֫בִי לָ֑חֶם n.pr.m. in Judah 1 Ch 4:22; 𝔊L ἐπέστρεψαν ἑαυτοῖς Λεεμ.