Chevron (Hebron, meaning 'association' or 'league') is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, situated in the hill country of Judah about 19 miles south of Jerusalem. It holds patriarchal significance as the place where Abraham settled by the oaks of Mamre, purchased the cave of Machpelah for Sarah's burial (Gen 23), and where the patriarchs and matriarchs were interred. It later became David's first capital, where he reigned over Judah for seven and a half years before capturing Jerusalem (2 Sam 2:11; 5:5). Numbers 13:22 notes it was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt, underscoring its antiquity. Spanish Hebron, French Hebron, and German Hebron preserve the name with minor phonetic variation.