Bethlehem
/ˈbɛθ.lɪ.ɪm/noun
A town in the West Bank, historically significant in Judaism and Christianity as the traditional birthplace of King David and Jesus.
Did you know?Bethlehem comes through Hebrew as a place-name meaning “house of bread,” and in the Bible it became charged with royal and messianic symbolism far beyond its literal meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*bayt-
“house, dwelling”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
בֵּית לֶחֶם (Bêṯ Leḥem)
“house of bread”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Βηθλέεμ (Bēthléem)
“Bethlehem, the biblical place-name”
Late Latin
Latin
Bethleem
“Bethlehem, the biblical town”
Old English
English
Bethleem
“Bethlehem, the biblical town”
Modern English
English
Bethlehem
“the town in Judea/West Bank; by extension, the biblical birthplace of Jesus”
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