Efrata (place)
In the Hebrew Bible , Efrata is first mentioned in Genesis 35 : 16-20 EU as the place where Rachel gave birth to her son Benjamin and died. The book of Joshua also mentions the place that fell to the tribe of Judah when the cities of Canaan were divided up among the tribes . The name is associated with the city of Bethlehem in an ancient tradition . However, historians suspect that the ancient settlement was south of what is now known as Bethlehem.
In the book of the prophet Micah, Efrata is mentioned in a well-known prophecy as the birthplace of the future Messiah :
"And you, Bethlehem Efrata, who are little among the cities of Judah, from you shall he come to me who is Lord of Israel, whose beginning has been from the beginning and from eternity."
The evangelist Matthew relates this prophecy to Jesus of Nazareth , who was born in Bethlehem ( Mt 2,5f EU ).
Several places were named after Efrata, for example in the USA. But an Israeli settlement in the West Bank near Bethlehem is also officially called Efrata , but is usually referred to as Efrat. Next to it is Efrat , a personal name.
Web links
- Klaus Koenen: Efrata . In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (Eds.): The Scientific Biblical Lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Detlef Jericke: The location information in the book Genesis. A historical-topographical and literary-topographical commentary . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2013, ISBN 978-3-647-53610-1 , p. 202.
- ↑ Enzo Cortese: Joshua 13-21: a priestly section in the Deuteronomic history . Saint-Paul 1990, ISBN 978-3-7278-0661-2 , p. 16.
- ^ Settlements in the West Bank ( Memento September 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Foundation for Middle East Peace, accessed November 5, 2014.