Topical Encyclopedia
1. Definition and Meaning:Debir is a name that appears in the Old Testament, referring to both a city and a person. The name "Debir" is thought to mean "sanctuary" or "oracle," reflecting its possible religious significance in ancient times.
2. Debir as a City:Debir is most notably recognized as a Canaanite city located in the hill country of Judah. It is mentioned several times in the context of Israel's conquest of Canaan under Joshua's leadership.
3. Biblical References:·
Conquest by Joshua: Debir is first mentioned in the context of Joshua's military campaigns. In
Joshua 10:38-39 , it is recorded: "Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and fought against it. And they captured it and its king and all its villages. They struck them with the sword and completely destroyed everyone in it; they left no survivors. So Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king."
·
Allocation to Caleb: Debir was later given to Caleb as part of his inheritance. In
Joshua 15:13-15 , it states: "According to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, Caleb son of Jephunneh was given a portion among the descendants of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the forefather of Anak). From there Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir, formerly known as Kiriath-sepher."
·
Othniel's Victory: Caleb promised his daughter Achsah in marriage to whoever would capture Debir. Othniel, Caleb's nephew, successfully captured the city, as recorded in
Judges 1:11-13 : "From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). And Caleb said, 'I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the one who strikes down and captures Kiriath-sepher.' So Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him in marriage."
4. Historical and Archaeological Context:Debir is often identified with the archaeological site of Tell Beit Mirsim, located southwest of Hebron. Excavations have revealed evidence of a significant Canaanite city that was later occupied by the Israelites. The city's strategic location in the Judean hills made it an important military and cultural center.
5. Debir as a Person:In addition to being a city, Debir is also the name of a king defeated by Joshua. In
Joshua 12:13 , Debir is listed among the kings conquered by the Israelites: "The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one."
6. Theological Significance:Debir's conquest and allocation to Caleb highlight the fulfillment of God's promises to the Israelites regarding the land of Canaan. The city's capture by Othniel also underscores the theme of faithfulness and reward, as Othniel's bravery and success are rewarded with marriage to Achsah, Caleb's daughter. This narrative illustrates the importance of obedience and courage in the face of challenges, as well as the blessings that come from following God's commands.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Debiran orator; a word
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Debir(a sanctuary), the name of three places of Palestine.
- A town in the mountains of Judah, (Joshua 15:49) one of a group of eleven cities to the west of Hebron. The earlier name of Debir was Kirjath-sepher, "city of book," (Joshua 15:15;Judges 1:11) and Kirjath-sannah, "city of palm." (Joshua 15:49) It was one of the cities given with their "suburbs" to the priests. (Joshua 21:15;1 Chronicles 6:58) Debir has not been discovered with certainty in modern times; but about three miles to the west of Hebron is a deep and secluded valley called theWady Nunkur , enclosed on the north by hills, of which one bears a name certainly suggestive of Debir--Dewir-ban.
- A place on the north boundary of Judah, near the "valley of Achor." (Joshua 15:7) AWady Dabor is marked in Van Deuteronomy Velde's map as close to the south ofNeby Musa , at the northwest corner of the Dead Sea.
- The "border of Debir" is named as forming part of the boundary of Gad, (Joshua 13:26) and as apparently not far from Mahanaim.
ATS Bible Dictionary
DebirA word, an oracle,Jude 1:11, a place called alsoKIRJATH-SEPHER, a city of books; andKIRJATH-SANNAH, a city of literature,Joshua 5:15,15. Judging from the names, it appears to have been some sacred place among the Canaanites, and a repository of their records. It was a city in the south-west part of Judea, conquered from the Anakim by Joshua, but recaptured by the Canaanites, and resubdued by Othniel, and afterwards given to the priests,Joshua 10:38,39 15:15-17 21:15. Its site is wholly lost. There was another Debir in Gad, and a third on the border of Benjamin,Joshua 13:26 15:7.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Oracle town; sanctuary.
(1.) One of the eleven cities to the west of Hebron, in the highlands of Judah (Joshua 15:49;Judges 1:11-15). It was originally one of the towns of the Anakim (Joshua 15:15), and was also called Kirjath-sepher (q.v.) and Kirjath-sannah (49). Caleb, who had conquered and taken possession of the town and district of Hebron (Joshua 14:6-15), offered the hand of his daughter to any one who would successfully lead a party against Debir. Othniel, his younger brother (Judges 1:13;3:9), achieved the conquest, and gained Achsah as his wife. She was not satisfied with the portion her father gave her, and as she was proceeding toward her new home, she "lighted from off her ass" and said to him, "Give me a blessing [i.e., a dowry]: for thou hast given me a south land" (Joshua 15:19, A.V.); or, as in the Revised Version, "Thou hast set me in the land of the south", i.e., in the Negeb, outside the rich valley of Hebron, in the dry and barren land. "Give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs."
Debir has been identified with the modern Edh-Dhaheriyeh, i.e., "the well on the ridge", to the south of Hebron.
(2.) A place near the "valley of Achor" (Joshua 15:7), on the north boundary of Judah, between Jerusalem and Jericho.
(3.) The king of Eglon, one of the five Canaanitish kings who were hanged by Joshua (Joshua 10:3, 23) after the victory at Gibeon. These kings fled and took refuge in a cave at Makkedah. Here they were kept confined till Joshua returned from the pursuit of their discomfited armies, when he caused them to be brought forth, and "Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees" (26).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
DEBIR (1)de'-ber (debhir, or debhir, "oracle"): King of Eglon, one of the five Amorite kings whose confederation against Israel was overcome and who were killed by Joshua (Joshua 10:3).
DEBIR (2)
de'-ber (debhir; Dabeir): "And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it: and he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword. he left none remaining" (Joshua 10:38, 39). InJoshua 15:15-17 andJudges 1:11-13 is an account of how Othniel captured Debir, which "beforetime was Kiriath-sepher," and won thereby the hand of Achsah, Caleb's daughter. InJoshua 15:49 Debir is called Kiriath-sannah. It had once been inhabited by the Anakim (Joshua 11:21). It was a Levitical city (Joshua 21:151 Chronicles 6:58).
1. The Meaning of the Name:
(1) Debir is usually accepted as meaning "back," but this is doubtful; the word debhir is used to denote the "holy of holies" (1 Kings 6:5). According to Sayce (HDB), "the city must have been a sacred one with a well-known temple." Kiriath-sepher is translated "town of books," and Sayce and others consider that in all probability there was a great storehouse of clay tablets here; perhaps the name may have been qiryath copher, "town of scribes." Kiriath-sannah (Joshua 15:49) is probably a corruption of Kiriath-sepher; the Septuagint has here as in references to the latter polis grammaton, "town of books."
2. The Site:
Unfortunately this site, important even if the speculations about the books are doubtful, is still a matter of uncertainty. Edh-Dhaheriyeh, some 11 miles Southwest of Hebron, has a good deal of support. It was unquestionably a site of importance in ancient times as the meeting-place of several roads; it is in the Negeb (compareJudges 1:15), in the neighborhood of the probable site of Anab (Joshua 11:21;Joshua 15:50); it is a dry site, but there are "upper" and "lower" springs about 6 1/2 miles to the North. A more thorough examination of the site than has as yet been undertaken might produce added proofs in favor of this identification. No other suggestion has any great probability. SeePEF, III, 402; PEFS, 1875.
(2) Debir, on the border between Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:7), must have been somewhere East of Jerusalem not far from the modern Jericho road. Thoghgret edition Debr, "the pass of the rear," half a mile Southwest of the Tal`at edition Dumm (see ADUMMIM), close to the so-called, "Inn of the Good Samaritan," may be an echo of the name which has lingered in the neighborhood. Many authorities consider that there is no place-name in this reference at all, the text being corrupt.
(3) Debir the Revised Version, margin, Lidebir (Joshua 13:26), a town on the border of Gad, near Mahanaim; Ibdar, South of the Yarmuk has been suggested. May be identical with Lo-debar (2 Samuel 9:4).
E. W. G. Masterman
Strong's Hebrew
1688.Debir -- an Amorite king, also the name of several places in......Debir. 1689 . an Amorite king, also the name of several places in Palestine.
Transliteration:
Debir Phonetic Spelling: (deb-eer') Short Definition:
Debir.
...1687.debir -- perhaps (a place of) speaking (the innermost room...
... 1686, 1687.debir. 1688 . perhaps (a place... the sanctuary -- oracle. see
HEBREW dabar. 1686, 1687.debir. 1688 . Strong's Numbers.
3810. Lo Debar -- "pastureless," a place in Gilead
... Word Origin from lo and dober Definition "pastureless," a place in Gilead
NASB Word Usage Lo-debar (3), Lodebar (1).Debir, Lo-debar....
3850b. Lidbir -- Lidbir
... 3850a, 3850b. Lidbir. 3851 . Lidbir. Transliteration: Lidbir Short Definition:
Lidbir. Word Origin another reading forDebir, qv. 3850a, 3850b. Lidbir....
Library
A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
... The other towns ultimately captured by the southern tribes were Hebron, with its
copious water supply,Debir to the southwest, and Arad and Hormah which lay on...
The Earlier Hebrew Histories.
... illustration of the manner in which these old books are constructed is found in
the account given in the first chapter of the capture ofDebir, by Caleb (i.11...
Appendices
... land of Takhis, Kafir-Malona, Tamnah, Kadesh, Dapul, Azai, Har-Nammata, nor hast
thou beheld Kirjath-eneb near Beth-Sopher (Kirjath-Sepher orDebir); nor dost...
The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... the three sons of Anak"Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai"and had then promised his daughter
Achsah in marriage to him who should captureDebir; this turned out...
Thesaurus
Debir (12 Occurrences)... possession of the town and district of Hebron (Joshua 14:6-15), offered the hand
of his daughter to any one who would successfully lead a party against
Debir.
...Kiriath-sepher (4 Occurrences)
... made: "border-town" (Moore) or "tolltown" (GA Smith): In two parallel passages
(Joshua 15:15 Judges 1:11 f), it is mentioned as identical withDEBIR (which see...
Kiriath (34 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV BBE NAS NIV). Joshua 15:15 He went up against the inhabitants ofDebir:
now the name ofDebir before was Kiriath Sepher. (WEB JPS ASV BBE NAS NIV)....
Kir'iath-se'pher (4 Occurrences)
... Kir'iath-se'pher (4 Occurrences). Joshua 15:15 And he went up thence against the
inhabitants ofDebir--now the name ofDebir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher....
Kirjathsepher (4 Occurrences)
... Kirjathsepher (4 Occurrences). Joshua 15:15 And he went up thence to the inhabitants
ofDebir: and the name ofDebir before was Kirjathsepher. (KJV)....
Kirjath-sepher (4 Occurrences)
... Kirjath-sepher (4 Occurrences). Joshua 15:15 And from there he went up against the
inhabitants ofDebir; now the name ofDebir before was Kirjath-sepher....
Beforetime (21 Occurrences)
... (ASV JPS). Joshua 15:15 And he went up thence against the inhabitants ofDebir:
now the name ofDebir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher. (ASV JPS)....
Achor (5 Occurrences)
... It was on a higher level than the camp of Israel in the Jordan valley, and on a
lower level thanDebir-a differentDebir from that of Joshua 15:15....
Sepher (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Sepher (4 Occurrences). Joshua 15:15 He went up against
the inhabitants ofDebir: now the name ofDebir before was Kiriath Sepher....
Formerly (55 Occurrences)
... (YLT NAS RSV). Joshua 15:15 and he goeth up thence unto the inhabitants ofDebir;
and the name ofDebir formerly is Kirjath-Sepher. (YLT NAS RSV NIV)....
Resources
What is the significance of Lo Debar in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Othniel? | GotQuestions.orgWho is Caleb in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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