Reference: Bethlehem
Hastings
The name of two places in Palestine.
1. Bethlehem of Judah, otherwise Ephrath or Ephrathah, now represented by the town of Beit Lahm, 5 miles S. of Jerusalem. On the way thither Rachel was buried (Ge 35:19; 48:7). Hence came the two Levites whose adventures are related in Jg 17; 19. It was the home of Elimelech, the father-in-law of Ruth (Ru 1:1), and here Ruth settled with her second husband Boaz, and became the ancestress of the family of David, whose connexion with Bethlehem is emphasized throughout his history (1Sa 16:1-18; 17:12; 20:6 etc.). The Philistines had here a garrison during David's outlawry (2Sa 23:14; 1Ch 11:16). Here Asahel was huried (2Sa 2:32), and hence came Elhanan, one of the mighty men (2Sa 23:24; cf. 2Sa 21:19). Rehoboam fortified it (2Ch 11:6), and here the murderers of Gedaliah took refuge (Jer 41:17). Whether the Salma referred to in 1Ch 2:51,54 as 'father of Bethlehem' (whatever that expression may exactly mean) be the same as the Salmon who was father of Boaz (Ru 4:20)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Rachel will die, and she will be buried in the way to Ephrath, it is the house of bread.
And I in my coming from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, in yet a length of land to go to Ephrath: and I shall bury her there in the way of Ephmth; this the house of bread.
And Kattah and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and the House of Bread; twelve cities and their enclosures
And after him Ibzan of the House of Bread, will judge Israel. And there will be to him thirty sons and thirty daughters he sent without, and thirty daughters he brought in to his sons from without: and he will judge Israel seven years. read more. And Ibzan will die, and will be buried in the House of Bread.
And it will be in the days of the judging of the judges, and there will be a famine in the land. And a man from the house of bread of Judah will go to sojourn in the field of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
And Jehovah will say to Samuel, How long mournest thou for Saul, and I rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and go; I will send thee to Jesse of the House of Bread, for I saw among his sons a king to me. And Samuel will say, How shall I go? and Saul hearing, and killing me. And Jehovah will say, Thou shalt take a heifer of the cows in thy hand and say, To sacrifice to Jehovah I came. read more. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will make known to thee what thou shalt do: and anoint to me whom I say to thee. And Samuel will do what Jehovah spake, and he will go to the House of Bread. And the old men of the city will tremble to meet him, and say, Thy coming peace? And he will say, Peace: to sacrifice to Jehovah I came: be ye consecrated and come with me to the sacrifice. And he will consecrate Jesse and his sons, and call for them to the sacrifice. And it will be in their coming, and he will see Eliab, and he said, Surely, before Jehovah his Messiah. And Jehovah will say to Samuel, Thou shalt not look upon his aspect or upon the height of his stature; for I rejected him: for not what man will see, for man will see with the eyes, and Jehovah will see at the heart And Jesse will call for Abinadab, and he will cause him to pass by before Samuel. And he will say, Also this Jehovah chose not And Jesse will cause Shammah to pass by. And he will say, Also in this Jehovah chose not And Jesse will cause seven of his sons to pass by before Samuel: and Samuel will say to Jesse, Jehovah chose not in these. And Samuel will say to Jesse, Are these the whole of the boys? And he will say, The small was yet left, and behold, he fed among the sheep. And Samuel will say to Jesse, Send and take him, for we will not turn about till his coming here. And he will send and bring him. And he red, with beauty of eyes, and good of sight And Jehovah will say, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. And Samuel will take the horn of oil and he will anoint him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of Jehovah will cleave to David from that day and over. And Samuel will rise and go to Ramab. And the spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah terrified him. And Saul's servants will say to him, Behold now, an evil spirit of God terrifying thee. Will our lord now say to thy servants before thee, Seek out a man knowing to play upon the harp: and it was in the evil spirit of God being upon thee, and he playing with the hand and doing good to thee. And Saul will say to his servants, See, now, a man to me being good to play, and bring to me. And one of his boys will answer and say, I saw a son to Jesse of the House of Bread, knowing to play, mighty of strength, and a man of war, and discerning the word, and a man of figure, and Jehovah with him.
And David, son of a man, that Ephrathite, of the House of Bread of Judah, and his name Jesse; and to him eight sons; and the man in the days of Saul went an old man among men.
If reviewing, thy father shall review me, and thou saidst, Asking, David asked of me to run to the House of Bread, his city; for a sacrifice of days there to all the family.
And they will lift up Asahel and bury him in the grave of his father, which was in the House of Bread. And Joab and his men will go all night and it will shine to them in Hebron.
And there will be yet war in Gob with the rovers, and Elhanan, son of Jaare-Oregim of the House of Bread, will strike Goliah the Gathite, and the wood of his spear as the beam of those weaving.
And David then in the fortress, and the station of the rovers then in the House of Bread.
Asahel, brother of Joab, among the thirty; Elhanan, son of Dodo of the House of Bread.
Salma father of the house of bread, Hareph the father of the house of the well.
The sons of Salma: the house of bread, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half the Manahethites, the Zorites.
And he will build the house of bread, and the place of ravenous beasts, and the pitching of tents,
And they will go and dwell in the habitation of Chimham, which is near the house of bread, to go to come into Egypt,
And thou, house of bread, of Ephratah, for being small among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth to me he being ruler in Israel; and his goings forth from of old from the days of eternity.
And Jesus born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold the magi from the sunrisings arrived in Jerusalem, saying:
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus has it been written by the prophet: And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means art thou least among the leaders of Judah for out of thee shall come forth the leader, who shall feed my people.
And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said, Having gone, examine thoroughly concerning the child; and when ye should find, announce ye to me, so that I also, having gone, will worship him.
Then Herod, seeing he was deluded by the magi, was very angry, and having sent, destroyed all the children which in Bethlehem, and in all its bounds, from two years and under, according to the time he examined thoroughly of the magi.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (for he was of the house and family of David :)
And it was when the messenger departed from them into heaven, and the men, the shepherds, said to one another, Let us pass through now to Bethlehem, and see this word done,which the Lord made known to us.
Said not the writing, That of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the town where David was, Christ comes?