Meaning of HEBRON

"union, league." (a) Levite son of Kohath, founder of a clan (Ex. 6:18; 1 Chron. 6:2). (b) City in the hill country of Judah (Josh. 15:48, 54), originally called Kiriath-arba (fourfold city, or Tetrapolis; Gen. 23:2; Jos. 20:7).

It was built seven years before ZoanTanis, a city of Egypt (Num. 13:22); He existed, therefore, before Abraham, who resided for a time in the vicinity of Hebron, in the oak forest of Mamre (Gen. 13:18; 35:27).

Sara died there; Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah from the Hittites who were then in Hebron for a burial site (Gen. 23:2-20). The current mosque of Hebron is built on top of this cave, which most likely still contains the remains of several patriarchs.

Isaac and Jacob dwelt for a time in Hebron (Gen. 35:27; 37:14). The twelve spies explored the country, discovering that there were Anakims among its inhabitants (Num. 13:22). Hoham king of Hebron was one of the allies of Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, and defeated along with the other four allied kings, captured and executed (Josh. 10:1, 27).

Joshua and his troops took possession of Hebron, completely destroying it and killing all its inhabitants, who were under anathema (Josh. 10: 3639). After this first expedition of Joshua, it is evident that the surviving inhabitants again built and fortified the city (cf. Joshua 14:12). Caleb claimed this district, and after Joshua's death, Caleb reconquered the city (Judg. 1:10, 19, 20; Josh. 15:13-19).

Hebron, which was a district capital, was assigned to the priests and became a city of refuge (Josh. 20:7; 21:10-12; 1 Chron. 6: 54-57). David sent thither a portion of the booty obtained at Ziklag (1 Sam. 30:26-31) and Hebron became his capital for the first seven years of his reign.

From there Absalom proclaimed his rebellion against that of his own father David (2 Sam. 15: 7-10). Rehoboam fortified his walls (2 Chr. 11:5, 10, 11). During the captivity, Hebron fell to the Edomites, who occupied southern Judah, and Judas Maccabeus reconquered this and other cities. By then, Hebron was a towered fortress, dominating the other cities (1 Mac. 5:65).

There is no mention of Hebron in the NT. The city was devastated by the Romans in 69 AD. It was rebuilt, and the Arabs call it elHalil. At the end of British domination of Palestine in 1948, Transjordan militarily occupied the territories corresponding to Judea and Samaria, including Hebron, annexing them. In the Six-Day War, in June 1967, Israel recovered these territories, which it currently administers without having carried out a formal annexation of them.