Netophah, Netophathite

Netophah was a place near Bethlehem in the Old Testament. A Netophathite was someone who came from that place.

Two of David’s thirty mighty warriors came from Netophah (2 Samuel 23:28–29; 1 Chronicles 11:30; 27:13–15). Seraiah, one of the army leaders who met Gedaliah after Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC, was also a Netophathite (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8).

Later, 56 men from Netophah returned from exile in Babylon with Zerubbabel and Joshua (Ezra 2:22).

Levites also lived in the villages of the Netophathites (1 Chronicles 9:16). Temple singers came from villages around Jerusalem, including those near Netophah (Nehemiah 12:28). These verses suggest that Netophah was not just a town but part of a larger area or district.

Netophah was likely located near Bethlehem (see 1 Chronicles 2:54; Nehemiah 7:26). We do not know the exact location, but many believe it was at Khirbet Bedd Faluh, about 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) southeast of Bethlehem.

From Tyndale Bible Dictionary, adapted by Mission Mutual. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scripture References (10)

2 Samuel

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Jeremiah