 | Ephratah | |
Fruitful.
(1.) The second wife of Caleb, the son of Hezron, mother of Hur, and grandmother of Caleb, who was one of those that were sent to spy the land (1 Chronicles 2:19, 50).
(2.) The ancient name of Bethlehem in Judah (Genesis 35:16, 19; 48:7). In Ruth 1:2 it is called "Bethlehem-Judah," but the inhabitants are called "Ephrathites;" in Micah 5:2, "Bethlehem-Ephratah;" in Matthew 2:6, "Bethlehem in the land of Judah." In Psalm 132:6 it is mentioned as the place where David spent his youth, and where he heard much of the ark, although he never saw it till he found it long afterwards at Kirjath-jearim; i.e., the "city of the wood," or the "forest-town" (1 Samuel 7:1; Comp. 2 Samuel 6:3, 4).
