Chephirah

Chephirah was one of the four Gibeonite cities, along with Gibeon, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim, that deceived Joshua and the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them (Joshua 9:17). The Gibeonites, fearing destruction by the Israelites, sent ambassadors disguised as travelers from a distant land to seek a covenant of peace. Joshua and the leaders of Israel made a treaty with them without consulting the Lord, only to discover later that the Gibeonites were actually their neighbors.

As a result of the treaty, the Gibeonites were spared but were assigned to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of the Lord (Joshua 9:27). Chephirah, along with the other Gibeonite cities, was initially allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:26) but later became part of the territory of Judah.

After the Babylonian exile, the descendants of the Gibeonites, including those from Chephirah, returned to their cities and were counted among the people of Israel (Ezra 2:25; Nehemiah 7:29). The town's mention in these post-exilic records indicates that it was still inhabited and recognized as a distinct community during the Persian period.