Eshtemoa (or Eshtemoh), a Levitical city in Judah, was the home of several individuals and received spoils from David's victory over the Amalekites.
Also known as Eshtemoh
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.
Approximate location: 31.374, 35.075 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Obedience, a town in the mountains of Judah (Josh. 21:14; 1 Chr. 6:57), which was allotted, with the land round it, to the priests. It was frequented by David and his followers during their wanderings; and he sent presents of the spoil of the Amalekites to his friends there (1 Sam. 30:28). It is identified with es-Semu’a, a village about 3 1/2 miles east of Socoh, and 7 or 8 miles south of Hebron, around which there are ancient remains of the ruined city. It is the centre of the “south country” or Negeb. It is also called “Eshtemoh” (Josh. 15:50).
and in shorter form Eshtemoh (obedience), a town of Judah in the mountains, (Joshua 15:50) allotted to the priest. (Joshua 21:14; 1 Chronicles 6:57) It was one of the places frequented by David and his followers during the long period of their wanderings. (1 Samuel 30:28) comp. 1Sam 30:31 Its site is at Semu’a, a village seven miles south of Hebron.
the bosom of a woman
ESHTEMO'A (obedience), a descendant of Judah. 1 Chr 4:19.
ESHTEMO'A, or ESHTEM'OA (woman of renown ?), a town in the hill-country of Judah; given to the priests, Josh 21:14; 1 Chr 6:57; visited by David, 1 Sam 30:31; now called Semu'a a village of about 200 inhabitants. Among its houses are ruins and ancient hewn stones. It was also called Eshtemoh. Josh 15:50.
ESHTEMO'A, or ESHTEM'OA (woman of renown ?), a town in the hill-country of Judah; given to the priests, Josh 21:14; 1 Chr 6:57; visited by David, 1 Sam 30:31; now called Semu'a a village of about 200 inhabitants. Among its houses are ruins and ancient hewn stones. It was also called Eshtemoh. Josh 15:50.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
6 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0851
Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
Jattir, Eshtemoa,
to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;
The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Meredʼs wife Bithiah gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
The sons of Hodiahʼs wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.