Beersheba

בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע · be.er she.va · H0884שֶׁבַע · she.va · H7652B1 other spelling“the well of an oath; the seventh well” Hitchcock's 186933 mentions in 11 books, most in Genesis (10)

Where it is

31.24° N, 34.84° E

Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles

Mentioned most in

Genesis · 10 2 Samuel · 5 2 Chronicles · 3 Joshua · 2 1 Samuel · 2 1 Kings · 2 + 5 books

Counted from 33 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

About this place

Beersheba, also known as Sheba or Shibah, was a significant city located in the Negev region of southern Israel. It is mentioned numerous times throughout the Old Testament and is closely associated with the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (or 'Jacob').

The name "Beersheba" first appears in Genesis 21:31, where Abraham named the place after making a covenant with Abimelech, the king of Gerar. The name means "well of seven" or "well of the oath," referring to the seven ewe lambs that Abraham gave to Abimelech as a witness to the covenant (Genesis 21:28-31).

Abraham lived in Beersheba for a time (Genesis 22:19), and it was from there that he set out to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22:1-19). Isaac also lived in Beersheba, where he built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 26:23-25, 33). Jacob left Beersheba to go to Haran (Genesis 28:10) and later returned there to offer sacrifices to God before going to Egypt (Genesis 46:1, 5).

In the later history of Israel, Beersheba marked the southern extent of the nation, as seen in the phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" (Judges 20:1; 1Sa.3.20; 2Sa.3.10; 17:11; 24:2, 15; 1Ki.4.25). The city was allotted to the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:2) and became part of the kingdom of Judah (2Sa.24.7).

Beersheba was also a center of idolatry, as evidenced by the references to the "way of Beersheba" (Amo.8.14) and the "sin of Samaria" (Amo.5.5). King Josiah removed the idolatrous priests and destroyed the high places from Geba to Beersheba as part of his religious reforms (2Ki.23.8).

In summary, Beersheba was a prominent city in the Negev, serving as a key location in the lives of the patriarchs and later as a boundary marker for the nation of Israel. Its history was marked by both faithfulness to God and idolatry.

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

33 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)

Genesis10 mentions

Genesis 21:14Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a container of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed…Genesis 21:31Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore an oath there.Genesis 21:32So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.Genesis 21:33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.Genesis 22:19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.Genesis 26:23He went up from there to Beersheba.Genesis 26:33He called it “Shibah”. Therefore the name of the city is “Beersheba” to this day.Genesis 28:10Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.Genesis 46:1Israel traveled with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.Genesis 46:5Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob, their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

Joshua2 mentions

Joshua 15:28Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,Joshua 19:2They had for their inheritance Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,

Judges1 mention

Judges 20:1Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, to Yahweh at Mizpah.

1 Samuel2 mentions

1 Samuel 3:20All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Yahweh.1 Samuel 8:2Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.

2 Samuel5 mentions

2 Samuel 3:10to transfer the kingdom from Saul’s house, and to set up David’s throne over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.”2 Samuel 17:11But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that you go to battle in your own person.2 Samuel 24:2The king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, “Now go back and forth through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know…2 Samuel 24:7and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beersheba.2 Samuel 24:15So Yahweh sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning even to the appointed time; and seventy thousand men died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba.

1 Kings2 mentions

1 Kings 4:25Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.1 Kings 19:3When he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

2 Kings2 mentions

2 Kings 12:1Jehoash began to reign in the seventh year of Jehu, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.2 Kings 23:8He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; and he broke down the high places of the…

1 Chronicles2 mentions

1 Chronicles 4:28They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual,1 Chronicles 21:2David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know how many there are.”

2 Chronicles3 mentions

2 Chronicles 19:4Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.2 Chronicles 24:1Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, of Beersheba.2 Chronicles 30:5So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem…

Nehemiah2 mentions

Nehemiah 11:27in Hazar Shual, in Beersheba and its towns,Nehemiah 11:30Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.

Amos2 mentions

Amos 5:5but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.Amos 8:14Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, ‘As your god, Dan, lives,’ and, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives,’ they will fall, and never rise up again.”

What the dictionary says

Well of the oath, or well of seven, a well dug by Abraham, and so named because he and Abimelech here entered into a compact (Gen. 21:31).

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)

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Sources

STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain