Atomic Bible

City allotted to Judah and Dan; associated with Samson

Eshtaol

Named in 8 verses across 3 books, first in Joshua 15:33.

אֶשְׁתָּאוֹלEshtaol

אֶשְׁתָּאֻלִיEshtaolite

Also called Eshtaolite.

The name means “a strong woman.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

About Eshtaol Written by AI

Eshtaol was a city located in the Shephelah, or foothills, of Judah. It was initially allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:33) but was later assigned to the tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:41). Eshtaol is particularly associated with the story of Samson, the legendary Israelite judge. Samson was born in the nearby town of Zorah and is described as moving between Zorah and Eshtaol, where the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him (Judges 13:25). After Samson's death, he was buried between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father, Manoah (Judges 16:31). Eshtaol also played a role in the Danite migration narrative. Due to limited territory and pressure from the Philistines, a group of Danites sent spies from Zorah and Eshtaol to search for a new land to settle (Judges 18:2). After the spies returned with a favorable report, six hundred men from the clan of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol to conquer the city of Laish in the north (Judges 18:8, 11). The descendants of the Eshtaolites, a clan from Eshtaol, are mentioned in 1Ch.2.53 among the descendants of Judah's son Shobal. This suggests that the city maintained its ties to the tribe of Judah even after being allotted to Dan.

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

Narrow pass or recess, a town (Josh. 15:33) in the low country, the She-phelah of Judah. It was allotted to the tribe of Dan (Josh. 19:41), and was one of their strongholds. Here Samson spent his boyhood, and first began to show his mighty strength; and here he was buried in the burying-place of Manoah his father (Judg. 13:25; 16:31; 18:2, 8, 11, 12). It is identified with the modern Yeshua, on a hill 2 miles east of Zorah. Others, however, identify it with Kustul, east of Kirjath-jearim.

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

31.782, 35.009 See it on a map

GenesisMatthewRevelation

Where the Bible names it

  1. Joshua 15:33

    These were in the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

  2. Joshua 19:41

    The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,

  3. Judges 13:25

    And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

  4. Judges 16:31

    Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.

  5. Judges 18:2

    So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.

  6. Judges 18:8

    When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”

  7. Judges 18:11

    So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

  8. 1 Chronicles 2:53

    and the clans of Kiriath-jearim—the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.

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