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BETHLEHEM (‘house of bread’ or, according to some, ‘of the god Lakhmu’).—The name of two places in Palestine.
1. Bethlehem of Judah, otherwise Ephrath or Ephrathah, now represented by the town of Beit Lahm, 5 miles S. of Jerusalem. On the way thither Rachel was buried (Gen_35:19; Gen_48:7). Hence came the two Levites whose adventures are related in Jdg_17:1-13; Jdg_19:1-30. It was the home of Elimelech, the father-in-law of Ruth (Rth_1:1), and here Ruth settled with her second husband Boaz, and became the ancestress of the family of David, whose connexion with Bethlehem is emphasized throughout his history (1Sa_16:1-18; 1Sa_17:12; 1Sa_20:6 etc.). The Philistines had here a garrison during David’s outlawry (2Sa_23:14, 1Ch_11:16). Here Asahel was huried (2Sa_2:32), and hence came Elhanan, one of the mighty men (2Sa_23:24; cf. 2Sa_21:19). Rehoboam fortified it (2Ch_11:6), and here the murderers of Gedaliah took refuge (Jer_41:17). Whether the Salma referred to in 1Ch_2:51; 1Ch_2:54 as ‘father of Bethlehem’ (whatever that expression may exactly mean) be the same as the Salmon who was father of Boaz (Rth_4:20)—a theory the Greek version seems to justify—is doubtful. The town had some sanctity, and is indicated (Psa_132:6) as a suitable place for the Tabernacle. The birth of the Messiah there is prophesied in Mic_5:2 (quoted Mat_2:6, Joh_7:42), a prophecy fulfilled by the birth of Christ (Mat_2:1; Mat_2:5, Luk_2:4; Luk_2:15). Here Herod sent to seek the new-born Christ, and not finding Him ordered the massacre of the infants of the city (Mat_2:8; Mat_2:16). The modern town, containing about 8000 inhabitants, is Christian and comparatively prosperous. Within it stands the basilica of the Nativity, founded by Constantine (about 330), and restored by Justinian (about 550) and many later emperors. Within it are shown grottoes in which the various events of the Nativity are localized with the usual unreasoning definiteness.
2. Bethlehem of Zebulun, a place named but once (Jos_19:15), in enumerating the towns of that tribe. It is identified with Beit Lahm, 7 miles N.W. of Nazareth. It is probable that this was the home of Ibzan, the judge (Jdg_12:8-10), as almost all the judges belonged to the northern tribes.
R. A. S. Macalister.