Judea · OT
Hebron
The ancient hill-country city where Abraham settled, the patriarchs are buried, and David first reigned.
Today: Al-Khalil, Palestinian West Bank
Hebron lies about nineteen miles south of Jerusalem in the highlands of Judah, one of the highest cities in the land at nearly 3,000 feet above sea level. Originally called Kiriath-arba, it was a city of the Anakim — the giants whose stature so frightened ten of the twelve spies (Numbers 13).
Abraham lived by the oaks of Mamre near Hebron and bought the cave of Machpelah there as a burial site — the first deeded piece of the Promised Land. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah are all buried in that cave. Caleb received Hebron as his inheritance for his faith in the report of the spies. David reigned in Hebron seven and a half years before moving his capital to Jerusalem.
Key verses
"And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto Jehovah."
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"And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan."
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"And Joshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite unto this day; because that he wholly followed Jehovah, the God of Israel."
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"And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months."
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"In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah."
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