Hebrew word · H672

אֶפְרָ֫תָה

'efratah

Ephrath

A place name, and also the name of a clan (the Ephrathites) associated with Bethlehem in Judah (Ruth 1:2; 1 Sam 17:12; Micah 5:2 'Bethlehem Ephrathah').

Appears 10 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

Ephrath or Ephratah = "ash-heap: place of fruitfulness"

Another name of bet le.chem (בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם "Bethlehem" H1035G)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Genesis 35:16

Range of meaning

A place name, and also the name of a clan (the Ephrathites) associated with Bethlehem in Judah (Ruth 1:2; 1 Sam 17:12; Micah 5:2 'Bethlehem Ephrathah').

Against the English

English versions render it 'Ephrath' or 'Ephratha'. The difference reflects whether the final -ah is read as part of the name or as the Hebrew ending meaning 'toward'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 35:19 and 48:7 add the explanation 'that is, Bethlehem'. However, 1 Sam 10:2 places Rachel's tomb 'in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah', and Jer 31:15 has Rachel weeping in Ramah, both north of Jerusalem. This has led many scholars to think there was a northern Ephrath distinct from Bethlehem (see debates).

From the study of 1 Chronicles 4:4

Range of meaning

(1) A woman, Caleb's wife and Hur's mother (1 Chronicles 2:19, 50; 4:4). (2) The district or clan centred on Bethlehem: 'Bethlehem Ephrathah' (Micah 5:2), 'Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem' (Genesis 35:19; 48:7). (3) 'Ephrathite' as the clan name of Bethlehemites such as Elimelech's family and Jesse (Ruth 1:2; 1 Samuel 17:12).

Against the English

English versions print the name without comment, so readers usually miss that it is a person here and a region elsewhere.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 35:19; Ruth 1:2; 4:11; 1 Samuel 17:12; Psalm 132:6; Micah 5:2. The Chronicler turns the region's name into an ancestress, which is a common way in genealogies of expressing that a group belongs to a place.

From the study of Genesis 35:19

Range of meaning

A place name and a clan name. In Genesis (35:16, 19; 48:7) it is a locality on the route south of Bethel. Elsewhere Ephrathah is the name of a woman, the wife of Caleb, at the head of a Judahite clan line connected with Bethlehem and Kiriath-jearim (1 Chr 2:19, 24, 50–51; 4:4). Bethlehemites are called "Ephrathites" (Ruth 1:2; 1 Sam 17:12), and the town is called "Bethlehem Ephrathah" (Micah 5:2 [Heb 5:1]; cf. Ruth 4:11; Ps 132:6).

Against the English

English versions all render it "Ephrath" and add "(that is, Bethlehem)". This can suggest two names for exactly one town. Hebrew usage suggests Ephrath(ah) was first a clan or district name, and Bethlehem was its main town.

Used elsewhere in the period

Outside the Bible it is attested only through the later traditions about the tomb. Inside the Bible its link with Bethlehem is firm in Ruth, Samuel, Micah and Chronicles. The northern clues are 1 Sam 10:2 and Jer 31:15 (see debates).

Where it appears

Genesis · 4

  1. Genesis 35:16 אֶפְרָ֑תָה Ephrathah

    Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.

    Here: Either the name Ephrathah or Ephrath with the Hebrew ending that means 'toward' (the stress on the middle syllable fits 'toward Ephrath'). A gloss in v.19 identifies it with Bethlehem; later the clan of Ephrathah is linked with Bethlehem (Ruth 1:2; 4:11; Micah 5:2).

  2. Genesis 35:19 אֶפְרָ֔תָה Ephrathah

    So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

    Here: An old place or clan-district name. The final -āh may be the Hebrew ending for "toward" ("the road toward Ephrath"), or it may simply be part of the name, which also appears as Ephrathah (Ruth 4:11; Micah 5:2).

  3. Genesis 48:7 אֶפְרָ֑תָה אֶפְרָ֔ת Ephrathah, Ephrath

    Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

Ruth · 1

  1. Ruth 4:11 בְּאֶפְרָ֔תָה in Ephrathah

    “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

    Here: An older name, or a clan name, for Bethlehem and its district. Naomi's family were 'Ephrathites' (1:2). The name also recalls Rachel's grave.

1 Chronicles · 3

  1. 1 Chronicles 2:19 אֶפְרָ֔ת Ephrath

    When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore to him Hur.

  2. 1 Chronicles 2:50 אֶפְרָ֑תָה Ephrath

    These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,

  3. 1 Chronicles 4:4 אֶפְרָ֔תָה Ephrath

    Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.

    Here: The name of Caleb's wife, and also of the clan and district around Bethlehem (Ruth 1:2; Micah 5:2). The two uses are deliberately the same: the ancestress and the region share a name.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 132:6 בְאֶפְרָ֑תָה in Ephrathah

    We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 5:2 אֶפְרָ֗תָה Ephrathah

    But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

    Here: An old clan or district name tied to Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19; Ruth 4:11). David's father Jesse is called "an Ephrathite" (1 Samuel 17:12), so the name points straight back to David's family. It also marks this Bethlehem off from the one in Zebulun.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.