English
Português
Español
Français
Response
The ancient city of Hebron, known today as Al-Khalil in Arabic, was situated about 20 miles south of present-day Jerusalem in the Judean valley. Hebron holds significance in the Bible for several reasons. It is initially referenced in Genesis 13:18 as the place where Abram (later known as Abraham) journeyed after parting ways with his nephew Lot. In Hebron, the Lord first revealed to Abram the land that would be inherited by him and his descendants (Genesis 13:14-17). Subsequently, following the death of King Saul, God instructed David to go to Hebron, where he reigned over Judah for seven years because, during that period, the Jebusites held control over Jerusalem (2 Samuel 2:1-4, 5:3).
After the passing of his wife, Sarah, Abraham continued to reside in Hebron, which was under the ownership of the Hittites (Genesis 23). He desired to bury Sarah there, so he approached a man named Ephron to purchase a cave for her burial. Abraham was highly esteemed among the Hittites, who offered him any cave of his choosing. However, Abraham insisted on paying the full price and selected a location known as Machpelah, which was owned by Ephron. Once again, Ephron attempted to gift Abraham the cave, but Abraham insisted on paying the full price. “So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave within it, along with all the trees within the field’s borders—was transferred to Abraham as his possession in the presence of all the Hittites gathered at the city gate. Subsequently, Abraham laid his wife Sarah to rest in the cave within the field of Machpelah near Mamre (located in Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Thus, the field and the cave within it were officially granted to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site” (Genesis 23:17-20).
This cave in Hebron is also called Kiriath-Arba. Later, Abraham was buried there in “the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.” (Genesis 25:10); Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob (Genesis 47:29-30), and Leah (Genesis 49:30-32). The cave of Machpelah in Hebron is considered by the Jews to be the second holiest site in all Israel. Today, it is under Palestinian control and is known to Jewish inhabitants as the Cave (or Tomb) of the Patriarchs. Muslims refer to it as the Sanctuary of Abraham.
The land around Hebron was part of the allotment Joshua gave to Caleb when Israel took the Promised Land. “And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.” (Joshua 14:13). Hebron was a reward for Caleb’s faithful service and loyalty to the Lord. Caleb probably desired Hebron because it may have contained the “valley of Eschol” from which the spies had brought great clusters of grapes as proof of the land’s bounty. “And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.” (Numbers 13:23). Hebron was later designated as a city of refuge (Joshua 20:1-7).
Hebron became the capital of Judah, and from there David reigned for seven-and-a-half years. During David’s reign in Hebron, Abner, the former commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth across the Jordan River.
After anointing Ish-Bosheth as king of Israel, Abner eventually defected to David’s side and pledged to bring all of Israel under David’s rule (2 Samuel 3:8-12). When Joab, David’s commander, discovered this, he suspected Abner of spying for Ish-Bosheth (2 Samuel 3:24-25). Joab harbored resentment towards Abner for killing his brother Asahel at the battle of Gibeon, so he sought revenge. Joab confronted Abner in Hebron, luring him into a private conversation. Once alone, Joab fatally stabbed Abner in the stomach «And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. », (2 Samuel 3:27). David mourned Abner’s death and cursed Joab (2 Samuel 3:28-29).
Following Ish-Bosheth’s assassination, David executed justice against the murderers in Hebron, establishing his integrity throughout Israel (2 Samuel 4). David was later acknowledged as Israel’s rightful king, relocating his capital from Hebron to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:1-5).
David’s son Absalom established his headquarters in Hebron as he schemed to usurp his father’s throne (2 Samuel 15:7-9). Absalom garnered support from Israel’s people and then moved his treacherous plan away from Jerusalem. Proclaiming himself king in Hebron, he instilled fear in David’s heart «But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying,As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, “Absalom reigns in Hebron.” (2 Samuel 15:10,14) David said to all his servants in Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee; otherwise, we will not escape from Absalom. Hurry to leave, lest he overtakes us suddenly, brings evil upon us, and strikes the city with the edge of the sword.” (2 Samuel 15:10,14). David fled as Absalom moved from Hebron to Jerusalem to seize control of the capital. He may have mistakenly believed that what worked for David to establish his reign in Hebron would also work for him.
Absalom overlooked an important truth: David had been anointed by God to govern Israel; Absalom had not. As important as Hebron was to his forefathers, a cave filled with ancestral bones could not substitute for that anointing. Absalom’s brief period as a self-proclaimed king of Hebron did not lead to future success, and he died in disgrace (2 Samuel 18:9-14). Irrespective of a city or nation’s illustrious history, without God’s presence and blessing, it lacks the power to bless its inhabitants.
