place · also Eshtemoh
Eshtemoa
אֶשְׁתְּמוֹעַ
- verses
- 6
- first named
- Joshua 15:50
- last named
- 1 Chronicles 6:57
- feature
- settlement
- coordinates
- 31.40°N · 35.07°E
As Samu (OpenBible)
The gazetteer records one identification, and no competing one.
Description
Eshtemoa in the text
Eshtemoa, also known as Eshtemoh, was a city located in the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:50). It was allotted to the Levites, specifically to the descendants of Aaron, as one of their cities (Joshua 21:14; 1Ch.6.57).
Several individuals are associated with Eshtemoa in the genealogies of Judah. In 1Ch.4.17, Ishbah is mentioned as the father of Eshtemoa. Later, in 1Ch.4.19, the sons of Ezrah are listed, including Eshtemoa.
During the time of David, when he was hiding from King Saul in the wilderness of Judah, David sent some of the spoils from his victory over the Amalekites to the elders of Eshtemoa, among other cities (1Sa.30.28). This act of sharing the spoils was likely a gesture of goodwill and a way to strengthen alliances with the cities that had supported him.
The exact location of Eshtemoa is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the southern part of the hill country of Judah, possibly near the modern-day village of es-Semu'a, about 15 kilometers south of Hebron. As a Levitical city, Eshtemoa would have played a role in the religious life of the surrounding region, with the Levites serving as teachers, judges, and spiritual leaders.
Relations
Direct connections
Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.
Read it
Where to read it
Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 6, across 3 books.
Onward
Where this page goes
Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.
Sources