An ancient city where the Hivite people lived. The city became part of Israelite territory through an unusual agreement. The people of Gibeon (a nearby city) tricked Joshua and the Israelites into making peace with them when the Israelites were conquering the land of Canaan (Joshua 9:17).
Later, the city became part of the land given to the tribe of Benjamin, one of the twelve tribes of Israel (Joshua 18:26). Many years later, after the Jewish people returned from being forced to live in Babylon, some people came back to live in Chephirah (Ezra 2:25; Nehemiah 7:29).
Today, the ruins of this ancient city are called Khirbet Kefireh. These ruins are located southwest of where the ancient city of Gibeon once stood.