Ephrath,Ephrathah andEphratah are variant spellings of the same Hebrew name (Hebrew:אֶפְרָת \ אֶפְרָתָה) mentioned in the Bible. Ephrath usually refers to the ancient name for Bethlehem in Judah. It originally referred to the region around Bethlehem and was later identified with the town itself. (Genesis 35:19, Micah 5:2). A person from Ephrath is called an Ephrathite (as a geographic tribal designation; 1 Sam 17:12; Ruth 1:2).
It is also the name of Caleb's wife, who bore Hur, an ancestor of Bethlehem’s founders. (1 Chronicles 2:19)
The name comes from the Hebrew root פָּרָה (parah) and means to be fruitful, to bear fruit, to increase.[1]
A very old tradition holds that Ephrath refers toBethlehem,[2] as the first mention of Ephrath occurs inGenesis,[3] in reference to the place whereRachel died giving birth toBenjamin and was buried on the road fromBethel. Evidence that she died on the way there is reflected by the ancientRachel's tomb at the city's entrance.
Throughout much of theBible, Ephrath is a description for members of the Israelitetribe of Judah, as well as for possible founders of Bethlehem.[4]
Ephrath, or Bethlehem, is connected tomessianic prophecy, as found in the book of the minor prophetMicah: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel."[5] This specifies the town of Bethlehem in the southern part of biblical Israel (Judah/Judea), distinguishing it from the Bethlehem located in the north (Galilee). Both Matthew 2 and Luke 2 in the New Testament state that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.
Caleb's second wife[6] was called Ephrath (or Ephrathah).
Some modern places named after Ephrath include: