Lives of Scripture
Bethlehem
A small town a few miles south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is where Rachel died and was buried (Genesis 35:19), where Naomi's family lived before famine sent them to Moab and where Ruth later gleaned in Boaz's fields (Ruth 1-4), and where Samuel anointed the shepherd boy David as king over his older brothers (1 Samuel 16:1-13) — giving the town its lasting title "the city of David" even after David made Jerusalem his capital. Micah named Bethlehem centuries in advance as the birthplace of Israel's promised ruler, "from the days of eternity" (Micah 5:2), which Matthew explicitly cites as fulfilled when Jesus was born there during a Roman census (Matthew 2:1-6; Luke 2:1-7) — one of Scripture's clearest advance-and-fulfillment pairs.
References: Genesis 35:19; Ruth 1:19-22; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1-7
People connected to Bethlehem
- Abinadab (M) — Jesse's son of this town, passed over when Samuel anointed David
1 Samuel 16:8
- Benjamin (M) — Jacob's youngest son, born as Rachel died on the road to this town
Genesis 35:16-19
- Boaz (M) — the landowner of this town who redeemed and married Ruth
Ruth 2:1; Ruth 4:9-13
- Caesar Augustus (M) — whose census decree brought Joseph and Mary to this town
Luke 2:1-5
- Chilion (M) — a son of Elimelech and Naomi of this town
Ruth 1:1-2
- David (M) — the shepherd boy of this town, anointed king here by Samuel
1 Samuel 16:1; 1 Samuel 16:13
- Elhanan (M) — one of David's mighty men, from this town
2 Samuel 23:24
- Eliab (M) — Jesse's eldest son of this town, passed over by Samuel
1 Samuel 16:6
- Elimelech (M) — left this town for Moab during a famine
Ruth 1:1-2
- Herod (M) — ordered the killing of this town's baby boys after the magi outwitted him
Matthew 2:16
- Ibzan (M) — a judge of Israel from this town
Judges 12:8-10
- Jesse (M) — the Bethlehemite whose youngest son David was anointed king here
1 Samuel 16:1
- Joseph (M) — of David's line, who came to this town for the census with Mary
Luke 2:4
- Mahlon (M) — a son of Elimelech and Naomi of this town, who married Ruth
Ruth 1:1-5
- Mary (F) — who gave birth to Jesus in this town
Luke 2:4-7
- Naomi (F) — returned to this town from Moab, widowed and empty
Ruth 1:19-21
- Obed (M) — son of Boaz and Ruth, born in this town, grandfather of King David
Ruth 4:17
- Rachel (F) — died near this town giving birth to Benjamin, and was buried there
Genesis 35:19
- Ruth (F) — gleaned in the fields of this town and married Boaz here
Ruth 2:2-3; Ruth 4:13
- Shimeah (M) — one of Jesse's sons of this town, an elder brother of David
1 Samuel 16:9