Hebron (Place of Alliance)

Hebron is an ancient city in the Judean mountains, built seven years before Zoan in Egypt (Numbers 13:22). It is located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south-southwest of Jerusalem, at an elevation of over 900 meters (3,000 feet). This city is unique as one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in the Middle East. In ancient times, Hebron was called “Kiriath-arba” (City of Arba), apparently named after Arba, one of the Anakim, who founded the city (Genesis 23:2; Joshua 14:15).

Since ancient times, this city and the surrounding mountainous area have been renowned for their abundant produce, including grapes, pomegranates, figs, olives, almonds, apples, and nuts. Hebron is exceptionally well-endowed with numerous springs and wells, and its lush forests extend for miles. The old city of Hebron is characterized by narrow, winding streets, flat-roofed stone houses, and ancient markets. Hebron is also known for its limestone, pottery workshops, and glass factories, and the famous dairy producer al-Juneidi is also located here.

Hebron’s most famous historical site is the Cave of Machpelah. Due to its connection with Abraham, all three Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—consider it a holy site. Genesis chapter 23 records that Abraham paid four hundred shekels of silver to Ephron the Hittite to buy a field in Hebron and the cave within it, where he buried his wife Sarah. Subsequently, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah were all buried there. For this reason, Jews call the city the “City of the Patriarchs,” ranking it second among the four holy cities of Judaism (the others being Jerusalem, Tiberias, and Safed).

When Moses sent twelve scouts to explore the Promised Land, the descendants of Anak, who were tall and like giants, lived in Hebron (Numbers 13:22, 28, 33). About forty years later, because the Gibeonites made peace with Joshua, Hoham, the king of Hebron, allied with four other kings to attack Gibeon. The Israelites went to their aid at the Gibeonites’ request, and with the help of the LORD, defeated the coalition of five kings attacking Gibeon. Later, the five kings, who had hidden in a cave, were executed, and their bodies were hung on five wooden poles until evening (Joshua 10:1-27). 

The Israelites then pressed on into southern Canaan, killing all the inhabitants of Hebron, including their king (apparently Hoham’s successor) (Joshua 10:36, 37). Although Joshua led the Israelites in defeating the Canaanites, it seems he did not immediately station troops in the captured towns. While the Israelites were campaigning elsewhere, the Anakim apparently re-settled in Hebron, so Caleb (or the men of Judah led by Caleb) later had to strenuously recapture the city from the Anakim (Joshua 11:21-23; 14:12-15; 15:13, 14; Judges 1:10). Hebron was initially allotted to Caleb of the tribe of Judah, then consecrated to the LORD as a city of refuge, and also became a priestly city. However, “the fields and the villages around the city” of Hebron were given to Caleb as his possession (Joshua 14:13, 14; 20:7; 21:9-13).

About four hundred years later, the men of Judah came to Hebron to anoint David as king. David reigned in Hebron for seven and a half years, and six sons were born to him there: Amnon, Chileab (Daniel), Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatiah, and Ithream (2 Samuel 2:1-4, 11; 3:2-5; 1 Chronicles 3:1-4). During his period of exile, when King Saul was pursuing him, David had evidently received help from the inhabitants of Hebron (1 Samuel 30:26, 31). In the later part of David’s reign in Hebron, Abner defected to David. Abner had initially supported Saul’s son Ish-bosheth as king, opposing David (2 Samuel 2:8, 9). When Joab returned from battle and learned that David had sent Abner away safely, he sent messengers to pursue Abner, brought him back to Hebron, and then personally killed him. Abner was buried in Hebron (2 Samuel 3:12-27, 32). Later, Rechab and Baanah killed Ish-bosheth and brought his head to David in Hebron, hoping for a reward, but David executed them for their evil deeds (2 Samuel 4:5-12). Finally, David was anointed king over all Israel and moved the capital from Hebron to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:1-9).

Many years later, David’s son Absalom returned to Hebron and orchestrated a coup to usurp his father’s throne, but it failed (2 Samuel 15:7-10). Absalom likely chose Hebron as his base for seizing the throne because it was his birthplace or because it had been the historical capital of Judah. King Rehoboam, David’s grandson, later rebuilt Hebron (2 Chronicles 11:5-10). Subsequently, the kingdom of Judah was desolated by the Babylonian invasion, and after the Jews were released from Babylon and returned home, some settled in Hebron (Kiriath-arba) (Nehemiah 11:25).

King Herod built a magnificent basilica over the traditional burial site of the patriarchs. Its architectural style resembles that of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, including the size of the stones, the form of the structure, and the partially exposed ashlar masonry. When the Arabs ruled Palestine, they converted this basilica into a mosque called Haram el Khalil (el Khalil means Hebron, and Haram originally means ‘sanctuary’ or ‘sacred enclosure’, so Haram el Khalil can be translated as “The Sanctuary of Hebron”). This building is also known as “the Sanctuary of Abraham” or “Abraham’s Mosque.”

The cenotaphs of Abraham and Sarah inside the mosque were built in the 8th century AD. At that time, the center of Hebron had gradually expanded to the area around the mosque. By the 10th century, all the cenotaphs were already in their current locations. However, the cenotaphs for Jacob and Leah were not added until the 14th century, when they were placed there by the Mamluk dynasty.