Kiriath-arba

Biblical Text

Kiriath-arba usually appears in a form that identifies it with Hebron, as in "Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron."

• Genesis: Sarah died in "Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron" (Genesis 23:2). Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, by Kiriath-arba, which the text identifies as Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned (Genesis 35:27).
• Joshua: The book records that the former name of Hebron was Kiriath-arba and that Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim (Joshua 14:15). The place became the inheritance (allotted land) of Caleb (Joshua 15:13). It was designated one of the cities of refuge (Joshua 20:7), and the town itself was given to the descendants of Aaron (Joshua 21:11).
• Judges: The book records that the tribe of Judah attacked Hebron and killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, adding that Hebron was formerly called Kiriath-arba (Judges 1:10).
• Nehemiah: Some of the people of Judah who returned from the Babylonian exile lived in Kiriath-arba and its surrounding villages (Nehemiah 11:25).

Name and Background

The Hebrew word qiryat means "town" or "city." Kiriath-arba is therefore interpreted as "the town of Arba." Because arba can also mean "four" in Hebrew, some scholars take the name to mean "town of four," that is, a place formed by the union of four settlements. The biblical text itself explains the name as derived from a person named Arba.

Hebron lies in the hill country of Judah south of Jerusalem and is today a city in the West Bank. Scholars differ on the exact location of the ancient town site and on when the name changed.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

Kiriath-arba is the place where the patriarchs lived as sojourners and acquired a burial site. It is also where the twelve spies saw the descendants of Anak, who seemed to them like giants, and were afraid (Numbers 13:22; Numbers 13:33). The place takes on its significance within the larger narrative in which Caleb later stepped forward in faith and took possession of that very land.

Neither Kiriath-arba nor Hebron is named in the New Testament. However, Hebrews 11:8–12 and Hebrews 11:13–16 speak of the faith of the patriarchs who lived as strangers in the land of promise, and these passages are read in connection with the story of this place.

Interpretation and Issues

• Who Arba was: Joshua 14:15 introduces Arba as the greatest man among the Anakim, while Joshua 15:13 calls him "the father of Anak." The usual reading takes both expressions as describing the same individual.
• Conquest accounts: The capture of Hebron is attributed variously to Joshua (Joshua 10:36–37), to Caleb (Joshua 15:14), and to the tribe of Judah (Judges 1:10). Some interpreters harmonize these as descriptions of a single event from different angles, while others regard them as distinct traditions preserved side by side.
• Extrabiblical tradition: Jewish rabbinic literature is reported to contain a tradition interpreting "four" as the four couples buried there: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah. This is not stated in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the story of Caleb is more widely known than the name Kiriath-arba. The passage in which Caleb asks, "Give me this mountain" (Joshua 14:12), and then receives Hebron as his inheritance is frequently used in preaching, and it is cited especially often when speaking of the devotion of older believers or of their taking on new challenges. Hebron is also sometimes included in Holy Land pilgrimage itineraries.