Location and Setting
- The town of Bethlehem is situated on a prominent limestone ridge in the Hill Country of
Judah about five miles south of Jerusalem. At an elevation of 2,500 feet, Bethlehem has a
commanding view of the surrounding terrain.
- Bethlehem overlooks the major north-south highway that passes through the central Hill
Country, connecting Shechem to Hebron and Egypt.
- Shepherding and agriculture drove the economy of Bethlehem. The fertile hill country
surrounding the town supported cereal crops, vineyards and olive orchards, as well as
abundant grazing land for sheep.
Historical and Biblical Significance
- Jacob’s wife, Rachel, died while giving birth to Benjamin during
their journey southward from Bethel. She was buried somewhere north of
Bethlehem along the main north-south route (Gen 35:19).
- Bethlehem played a part in the two events recorded in the last chapters of the book of
Judges. Each provides an example of the debauchery and wickedness of the times. In the
first account, a young Levite from Bethlehem agreed to serve as the personal priest of
Micah, an Ephraimite, even though the priests were forbidden to serve individuals in this
way (Judges 17-18). In the second account, Bethlehem was the home of the young concubine
who was defiled and murdered by the men of Gibeah, causing a war between the tribe of
Benjamin and the other tribes of Israel (Judges 19-20).
- In stark contrast to the wickedness that characterized the period of the Judges, the
story of Naomi and Ruth provides evidence that some in Israel remained faithful to God. To
escape a famine, Naomi and her husband, Elimelech left their hometown of Bethlehem with
their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to go to Moab. While there, Naomi’s husband and
both of her sons died. When the famine ended in Bethlehem, Naomi returned with her widowed
daughter-in-law, Ruth. In the course of events, Ruth married a wealthy farmer, Boaz. Their
great-grandson was David, the ancestor of the Messiah (Ruth 1:1, 2, 19, 22; 2:4; 4:11).
- Bethlehem was David’s birthplace and home, where he tended his father’s sheep
on the surrounding hills (1 Sam 17:12, 15). It was in Bethlehem that Samuel found David
and anointed him king over Israel (1 Sam 16:1-13).
- At an early period in David’s reign, Bethlehem had become a Philistine
garrison (2 Sam 23:14; 1 Chr 11:16). The city was later fortified by
Rehoboam, king of the Southern Kingdom (2 Chr 11:6).
- By the seventh century B.C., Bethlehem’s political and military importance had
waned. Although Micah referred to Bethlehem as a small, insignificant city, he prophesied
that "From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel"—Jesus,
David’s "greater son" (Mic 5:2).
- A thousand years after David had shepherded his sheep on the hills of Bethlehem, one of
his descendants, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem, in fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy.
Joseph and Mary had returned to Bethlehem to register for a tax census because Bethlehem
was in Judah, Joseph’s tribal home (Matt 2:1; Luke 2:1-7).
- Following the Magi’s visit, when he learned of the birth of a Jewish king, Herod
"was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him" (Matt 2:3). This king had been born
in the shadow of the Herodium, his palace, just three miles southeast of Bethlehem. With
his typical ruthlessness, driven by paranoia, Herod ordered that all male babies in the
vicinity of Bethlehem should be killed (Matt 2:16).
Bibliography
- Aharoni, Y. and M. Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Company, 1993.
- Andersen, H.G. "Bethlehem" The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the
Bible. Ed. Merrill C. Tenney. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976.
- DeVries, LaMoine F. Cities of the Biblical World. Peabody: Hendrickson
Publishers, 1997.
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