Anathoth
Levitical city and hometown of the prophet Jeremiah.
Anathoth is one of the Levitical cities given to the children of Aaron within the tribe of Benjamin. Its residents were called Antothites or Anetothites. The site is best known as the hometown of the prophet Jeremiah.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Levitical city
- Tribe
- Benjamin
- Residents called
- Antothites or Anetothites
- Distance from jerusalem
- about 3 miles north
- Returned from babylonian exile
- 128 men
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The Arab village of 'Anata was identified as the site of Anathoth by Edward Robinson, echoing Epiphanius.
- The modern Israeli settlement of Anatot (also known as Almon) was named after Anathoth.
- Abu Ghosh has also been associated with Anathoth by Conder and Kitchener in their 1883 Survey of Western Palestine.
History according to the Hebrew Bible
Anathoth is the native place of Abiezer the Anetothite and Jehu, two of David's mighty men. King Solomon banished Abiathar the Priest to Anathoth. Jeremiah, a resident, delivered a prophecy of tribulation by the sword against the city's residents who plotted against him. The city suffered greatly under Nebuchadnezzar's army, and only 128 men returned from the Babylonian exile.
In Christianity
Some Christians interpret Jeremiah's prophecy as foretelling that the field there would be bought with money by the chief priests after Judas Iscariot returned the betrayal payment before hanging himself, a view possibly supported by the Gospel of Matthew. Others read Jeremiah 32 as simply showing Jeremiah purchasing a field as a prophetic act indicating the end of the Babylonian captivity and the return of the people to Judah.
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