Lexical Summary
Qiryath Yearim or Qiryath Arim: Kiriath Jearim or Kiriath Arim
Original Word:קִרְיַת יְעָרִים
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Qiryath Y`ariym
Pronunciation:keer-YAHT yeh-ah-REEM
Phonetic Spelling:(keer-yath' yeh-aw-reem')
KJV: Kirjath, Kirjath-jearim, Kirjath-arim
NASB:Kiriath-jearim, Kiriath, Kiriath-arim
Word Origin:[fromH7151 (קִריָה - city) and the plural ofH3293 (יַעַר - Forest) orH5892 (עִיר עָר עָיַר - City)]
1. city of forests, or city of towns
2. Kirjath-Jearim or Kirjath-Arim, a place in Israel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Kirjath, Kirjath-jearim, Kirjath-arim
Or (Jer. 26:20) with the article interposed; or (Josh. 18:28) simply the former part of the word; or Qiryath tariym {keer-yath' aw-reem'}; fromqiryah and the plural ofya'ar oriyr; city of forests, or city of towns; Kirjath-Jearim or Kirjath-Arim, a place in Palestine -- Kirjath, Kirjath-jearim, Kirjath-arim.
see HEBREWqiryah
see HEBREWya'ar
see HEBREWiyr
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
qiryah and
yaarDefinition"city of forests," a city given to Judah, then to Benjamin
NASB TranslationKiriath (1), Kiriath-arim (1), Kiriath-jearim (18).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(), , etc. (
city of forests); — city of the Gibeonites
Joshua 9:17, assigned to Judah
Joshua 15:60 compare
Judges 18:12 (twice in verse), on border of Benjamin
Joshua 15:9 (
Joshua 15:10, , see ),
Joshua 18:14; assigned to Benjamin
Joshua 18:28 ( omitted by textual error before , see ); near Beth Shemesh
1 Samuel 6:21, long the abode of ark
1 Samuel 7:1,2;
1 Chronicles 13:5,6; 2Chronicles 1:4; named in Genealogical list
1 Chronicles 2:50,52,53; named also
Nehemiah 7:29 =
Ezra 2:25 (read ); with article
Jeremiah 26:20; abbreviated (in poetry) ()
Psalm 132:6; called also ()
Joshua 15:60;
Joshua 18:14 +
Joshua 18:15 (where read for , so Di Benn Steuern); this abbreviated into ,
Joshua 15:9,10 [()], also
Joshua 15:11;
Joshua 15:29, and
2 Samuel 6:2 (read , or ), ""
1 Chronicles 13:6 (see on these II. ). Identification uncertain; Rob
BR ii. 11 conjectures
Kiryat el-`Enab, 8 miles + west of Jerusalem (compare Lag
Onom. 271);
`Erma (Henderson
Pal. 85, 112, 210 Conder
Survey Mem. iii. 43 ff.), compare GASm
Geogr. 225 f. Buhl
Geogr. 166 f..
see following see foregoing
Topical Lexicon
Location and GeographyKiriath Jearim (“City of Forests”) occupied the frontier between Judah and Benjamin on the western shoulder of the Judean hill country, roughly midway between Jerusalem and the Philistine plain (Joshua 15:9;Joshua 18:14–15). It sat on a prominent hill (1 Samuel 7:1) with extensive woodlands, giving rise to its name. Modern identification favors Khirbet el-ʿEzariyeh (Deir el-ʿAzar) on the ridge of Abu Ghosh. Its situation made it a natural landmark on tribal borders and a strategic waypoint on the north–south ridge route.
Place among the Gibeonite Cities
Joshua 9:17 lists Kiriath Jearim with Gibeon, Chephirah, and Beeroth as Hivite towns that secured a covenant of servitude with Israel through deception. Though allotted to Judah (Joshua 15:9–10, 60) and Benjamin (Joshua 18:14–15, 28) in boundary descriptions, the city retained its Gibeonite distinctiveness, explaining why Levitical duties and later Benjamite resettlement could coexist with Judahite governance.
Custodian of the Ark of the Covenant
After the Philistines returned the captured ark, “The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They brought it into Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the LORD” (1 Samuel 7:1). For about twenty years (1 Samuel 7:2) the ark remained here, signaling YHWH’s restored favor but also Israel’s spiritual lethargy: the nation “lamented after the LORD,” yet no one moved the ark to Shiloh or to a central sanctuary. David later gathered “all Israel… to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim” (1 Chronicles 13:5; cf.2 Samuel 6:2), underlining the site’s pivotal role in preparing the way for Jerusalem’s emergence as Israel’s worship center.
Tribal Genealogies and Clans
1 Chronicles 2:50–53 links Kiriath Jearim with the Calebite clan and lists descendants such as Reaiah, the Harumites, and the Shuthalites, suggesting integration between Calebite Judahites and remnant Hivites. The genealogy affirms continuity of covenant families from the conquest through the monarchy and ties the city to the broader promises given to Caleb.
Military Encounters and the Danite Migration
InJudges 18:12 the Danite expedition to Laish pitches camp at “Mahaneh-Dan, west of Kiriath Jearim.” The notation implies that Kiriath Jearim marked a western limit of Israelite security; beyond it the tribal allotments had not been fully subdued, prompting Dan’s relocation. The episode reinforces the city’s role as a boundary marker during the unsettled era of the Judges.
Prophetic Voice from Kiriath Jearim
Jeremiah 26:20 records the prophet Uriah son of Shemaiah, “from Kiriath Jearim,” whose faithful preaching paralleled Jeremiah’s and whose martyrdom prefigured later hostility to prophetic truth. The reference highlights the city as a locale that produced prophetic witness even amid national apostasy.
Post-Exilic Resettlement
Returning exiles from “Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth” numbered seven hundred and forty-three inEzra 2:25 (cf.Nehemiah 7:29). Their inclusion testifies to covenant faithfulness: ancestral towns were reclaimed, the tribal map was reactivated, and Gibeonite servanthood within the temple service (Joshua 9:27) likely resumed. Kiriath Jearim thus bridges pre-exilic and post-exilic communities in the unfolding redemptive plan.
Spiritual and Ministry Significance
1. Reverence for God’s Presence: The prolonged housing of the ark emphasizes that God’s holiness can abide outside grand sanctuaries when hearts are consecrated (Abinadab and Eleazar).
2. Preparation for Zion: By sheltering the ark until David’s ascent, Kiriath Jearim functions as a theological hinge from the tribal confederacy to the united monarchy and ultimately to the Messianic expectation centered in Jerusalem.
3. Encouragement to Faithful Minorities: From a Gibeonite town spared by grace, from an outlying hill, and from a humble household, the Lord orchestrated national revival (1 Samuel 7) and prophetic testimony (Jeremiah 26). Ministry impact is not confined to prominent cities.
Later Jewish and Christian Tradition
Second century Jewish sources associate the site with “Gibeah” of the ark; early Christian pilgrims noted a church marking Abinadab’s house. Medieval Latin nomenclature (Cariathiarim) preserved the memory, and modern visitors to Abu Ghosh encounter Benedictine and Crusader remains commemorating the ark episode—evidence that Kiriath Jearim’s biblical legacy continued to inspire worship across the ages.
Key References
Joshua 9:17; 15:9–10, 60; 18:14–15, 28
Judges 18:12
1 Samuel 6:21–7:2
1 Chronicles 2:50–53; 13:5–6
2 Chronicles 1:4
Ezra 2:25;Nehemiah 7:29
Jeremiah 26:20
Forms and Transliterations
הַיְּעָרִ֑ים היערים יְעָרִ֑ים יְעָרִ֔ים יְעָרִ֖ים יְעָרִ֗ים יְעָרִֽים׃ יְעָרִים֙ יערים יערים׃ עָרִים֙ ערים קִרְיַ֔ת קרית ‘ā·rîm ‘ārîm aRim haiyeaRim hay·yə·‘ā·rîm hayyə‘ārîm kirYat qir·yaṯ qiryaṯ yə‘ārîm yə·‘ā·rîm yeaRim
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