Hebron
A place in the Bible
A city in the hill country of Judea, south of Jerusalem. It used to be called Kiriath-arba (in the Douay-Rheims, “Arbee”). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived there.
What happened here
- Sarah: she died in Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham mourned her.
- Jacob: he went to see his father Isaac at Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived as strangers.
- David: after Saul died, the Lord told David to go up to Hebron. There he was anointed king of Judah, and later king of all Israel.
- Seven years: David reigned in Hebron seven years and six months, and then in Jerusalem.
Today
Today it is the city of Hebron, in the West Bank.
Where it appears in the Bible
Genesis 23:2; Genesis 35:27; 2 Samuel 2:1-4; 2 Samuel 5:3; 2 Samuel 5:5
What the Bible says
Genesis 23:2
And she died in the city of Arbee which is Hebron, in the land of Chanaan: and Abraham came to mourn and weep for her.
Genesis 35:27
And he came to Isaac his father in Mambre, the city of Arbee, this is Hebron: wherein Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
2 Samuel 2:1-4
1And after these things David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I go up into one of the cities of Juda? And the Lord said to him: Go up. And David said: Whither shall I go up? And he answered him: Into Hebron. 2So David went up, and his two wives, Achinoam the Jezrahelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel: 3And the men also that were with him, David brought up every man with his household: and they abode in the towns of Hebron. 4And the men of Juda came, and anointed David there, to be king over the house of Juda. And it was told David, that the men of Jabes Galaad had buried Saul.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Hebron”; Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), “Hebron”