Atomic Bible

Important city in southern Israel, associated with the patriarchs.

Beersheba

Named in 33 verses across 11 books, first in Genesis 21:14.

בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַעBeersheba

שֶׁבַעSheba

שִׁבְעָהShibah

Also called Sheba, Shibah.

The name means “the well of an oath; the seventh well.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

About Beersheba Written by AI

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.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

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). On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name (Gen. 26:31-33). It was a favourite place of abode of both of these patriarchs (21:33-22:1, 19; 26:33; 28:10). It is mentioned among the “cities” given to the tribe of Simeon (Josh. 19:2; 1 Chr. 4:28). From Dan to Beersheba, a distance of about 144 miles (Judg. 20:1; 1 Chr. 21:2; 2 Sam. 24:2), became the usual way of designating the whole Promised Land, and passed into a proverb. After the return from the Captivity the phrase is narrowed into “from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom” (Neh. 11:30). The kingdom of the ten tribes extended from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim (2 Chr. 19:4). The name is not found in the New Testament. It is still called by the Arabs Bir es-Seba, i.e., “well of the seven”, where there are to the present day two principal wells and five smaller ones. It is nearly midway between the southern end of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean.

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.

31.245, 34.841 See it on a map

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Where the Bible names it

  1. Genesis 21:14

    Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

  2. Genesis 21:31

    So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.

  3. Genesis 21:32

    After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.

  4. Genesis 21:33

    And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.

  5. Genesis 22:19

    Abraham went back to his servants, and they got up and set out together for Beersheba. And Abraham settled in Beersheba.

  6. Genesis 26:23

    From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,

  7. Genesis 26:33

    So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.

  8. Genesis 28:10

    Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.

  9. Genesis 46:1

    So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

  10. Genesis 46:5

    Then Jacob departed from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and wives.

  11. Joshua 15:28

    Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,

  12. Joshua 19:2

    and included Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,

  13. Judges 20:1

    Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.

  14. 1 Samuel 3:20

    So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

  15. 1 Samuel 8:2

    The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.

  16. 2 Samuel 3:10

    to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”

  17. 2 Samuel 17:11

    Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle.

  18. 2 Samuel 24:2

    So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”

  19. 2 Samuel 24:7

    They went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.

  20. 2 Samuel 24:15

    So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

  21. 1 Kings 4:25

    Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.

  22. 1 Kings 19:3

    And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,

  23. 2 Kings 12:1

    In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

  24. 2 Kings 23:8

    Then Josiah brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He tore down the high places of the gates at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which was to the left of the city gate.

  25. 1 Chronicles 4:28

    They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual,

  26. 1 Chronicles 21:2

    So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.”

  27. 2 Chronicles 19:4

    Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and once again he went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

  28. 2 Chronicles 24:1

    Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

  29. 2 Chronicles 30:5

    So they established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it in great numbers as prescribed.

  30. Nehemiah 11:27

    in Hazar-shual; in Beersheba and its villages;

  31. Nehemiah 11:30

    Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; and in Azekah and its villages. So they settled from Beersheba all the way to the Valley of Hinnom.

  32. Amos 5:5

    Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.

  33. Amos 8:14

    Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria and say, ‘As surely as your god lives, O Dan,’ or, ‘As surely as the way of Beersheba lives’—they will fall, never to rise again.”

From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.