Notes on Bethlehem

  • A village in Judea about 5 miles south of Jerusalem.

  • In Hebrew Bethlehem means "the house of bread", from the Beit Lehem, and in Arabic "the house of meat", from the Arabic Bayt Lahm.

  • Home of King David and of Jesus Christ.

  • Town of David: Bethlehem is referred to as the town or city of David.

    • Luke 2:4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

    • Luke 2:15 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ [1] the Lord.

References to Bethlehem in Scripture.

Joshua 19:15

Judges 12:8 - 10

Judges 17:9

Judges 19:1-2

Judges 19:18

Ruth 1:1 - 2

Ruth 1:19

Ruth 1:22

Ruth 2:4

Ruth 4:11

1 Samuel 16:1 - 4

1 Samuel 16:18

1 Samuel 17:12

1 Samuel 17:15

1 Samuel 20:6

1 Samuel 20:28

2 Samuel 2:32

2 Samuel 23

2 Samuel 23:24

1 Chronicles 2:51

1 Chronicles 2:54

1 Chronicles 4:4

1 Chronicles 11:16 - 18

2 Chronicles 11:1 - 6

Ezra 2:21

Nehemiah 7:26

Jeremiah 41:17

Micah 5:2

Matthew 2:1

Matthew 2:5 - 8

Matthew 2:16

Luke 2:4

Luke 2:15

John 7:42


Joshua 19:15

15 Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.


Judges 12:8 - 10

8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel.

9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years.

10 Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.


Judges 17:9

9 Micah asked him, "Where are you from?" "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah," he said, "and I'm looking for a place to stay."


Judges 19:1-2

1 In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her father's house in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months,


Judges 19:18

18 He answered, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the LORD. No one has taken me into his house.


Ruth 1:1 - 2

1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.

2 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.


Ruth 1:19

19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"


Ruth 1:22

22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.


Ruth 2:4

4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The LORD be with you!" "The LORD bless you!" they called back.


Ruth 4:11

11 Then the elders and all those at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.


1 Samuel 16:1 - 4

1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'

3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate."

4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"


1 Samuel 16:18

18 One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him."


1 Samuel 17:12

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was old and well advanced in years.


1 Samuel 17:15

15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.


1 Samuel 17:58

58 "Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked him. David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."


1 Samuel 20:6

6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, `David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.'


1 Samuel 20:28

28 Jonathan answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.


2 Samuel 2:32

32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.


2 Samuel 23:14 - 16

14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

15 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"

16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD.


2 Samuel 23:24

24 Among the Thirty were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,


1 Chronicles 2:51

51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.


1 Chronicles 2:54

54 The descendants of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites,


1 Chronicles 4:4

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


1 Chronicles 11:16 - 18

16 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

17 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"

18 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD.


2 Chronicles 11:1 - 6

1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin--a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men--to make war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.

2 But this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:

3 "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin,

4 `This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.'" So they obeyed the words of the LORD and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah:

6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,


Ezra 2:21

21 the men of Bethlehem 123


Nehemiah 7:26

26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188


Jeremiah 41:17

17 And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt


Micah 5:2

2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans [1] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose
origins [2] are from of old, from ancient times. [3] "

1. Or rulers
2. Hebrew goings out
3. Or from days of eternity


Matthew 2:1

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Egypt


Matthew 2:5 - 8

5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6 "`But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' [1] "

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

1.[6] Micah 5:2


Matthew 2:16

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.


Luke 2:4

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.


Luke 2:15

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."


John 7:42

42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

To Understand my faith better I have decided to construct these pages. They are strictly educational, non-commercial and to foster scholarly discussion. All Bible quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise stated. I use the NIV because while not a perfect translation, certainly the best available. All mistakes are my own and if you differ from my thoughts I welcome your comments. J. Barry O'Connell Jr.