אֶפְרָתʼEphrâth
Ephrath, another name for Bethlehem;
Pronunciation: ef-rawth' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H672
Meanings
1. place near Bethel, where Rachel died & was buried (Genesis 35:16; Genesis 35:19; Genesis 48:7)
2. id., a name of Bethlehem (Micah 5:1; Ruth 4:11; 1 Chronicles 2:24)
3. id., perhaps applied to district where Kirjath Jearim lay, on the border of Judah & Benjamin (Psalms 132:6)
4. name given to wife of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:19; 1 Chronicles 2:50; 1 Chronicles 4:4)
Same root
- פָּרָהpârâh · H6509to bear fruit (literally or figuratively)
- אֶפְרַיִםʼEphrayim · H669Ephrajim, a son of Joseph; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory
- אֶפְרָתִיʼEphrâthîy · H673an Ephrathite or an Ephraimite
- כָּלֵב אֶפְרָתָהKâlêb ʼEphrâthâh · H3613Caleb-Ephrathah, a place in Egypt (if the text is correct)
Where it appears
Appears 10 times in the Bible.
- Genesis 35:16 Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense.
- Genesis 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
- Genesis 48:7 “Long ago, as I was returning from Paddan-aram, Rachel died in the land of Canaan. We were still on the way, some distance from Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). So with great sorrow I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.”
- Ruth 4:11 Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
- 1 Chronicles 2:19 After Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrathah, and they had a son named Hur.
- 1 Chronicles 2:50 These were all descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur, the oldest son of Caleb’s wife Ephrathah, were Shobal (the founder of Kiriath-jearim),
Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).